In this article, I will talk about my first impressions of all of the iPhone 13 series, to help you make a purchase decision on which exact iPhone 13 that you should look into. Do head on to my <YouTube channel>, as I will give you the control on which exact iPhone 13 series that you would like for me to go deeper on.
iPhone 13 Mini & iPhone 13
First, let’s start with the iPhone 13 Mini.
The build quality is as expected of the iPhone 12 Mini which was one of my favorites last year too and while I always prefer a bigger size smartphone, there is quite a huge following for this Mini variant of the iPhone. Some big content creators like Peter McKinnon swear by using this daily and this is because of how this Mini just feels really nice in the hands.
And although the finish is on a glossier side, because of the form factor, you will have that sort of confidence holding the phone without having any anxiety dropping the phone, which is always a great feeling.
Then looking at the iPhone 13, the form factor is bigger as it has the same size as the iPhone 12, which was the daily driver smartphone that I have been using for almost a year now, so this felt very much at home for me.
And if you are one of those who doesn’t like a huge phone, this exact size and form factor would be perfect as it does have the perfect balance of size and easy usability.
While the overall design of these two phones is similar to the previous iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12, you will notice that the camera arrays are now placed in a diagonal position instead of up and down of each.
And here is where there were memes about “Oh, Apple had no idea what to change so that’s why they changed that” Well, here is the thing, the reason why it was switched this way is to make way for the Optical Image Stabilization on the main lens, and it also has a larger aperture for better capture of light, especially during low light and both lenses can record at 4K up to 60 fps.
So for you tech trolls out there, calm down man.
Cameras
Speaking of cameras, both the iPhone 13 Mini and the iPhone 13 have the same dual-camera systems, which is a 12-megapixel f 1.6 26mm wide lens with OIS as mentioned earlier and a 12-megapixel f 2.4 aperture 13mm ultrawide lens. So yes, stay tuned for my full review video to test out these camera arrays.
Next looking at the displays, there is a little difference in terms of the notch it is smaller and thinner at about 20%
There is also a 28% increase for the max outdoor brightness with the Super Retina XDR OLED displays where the iPhone 13 comes with a 6.1-inch display and the iPhone 13 Mini has a smaller 5.4-inch display
And there are huge improvements on the overall battery as Apple has redesigned the interior of the phone to fit in a bigger battery, which apparently now has one and a half hour battery more on the Mini, which is nice to know since the iPhone 12 Mini wasn’t really strong on the battery department, and there are about 2 and half hours more of battery life for the iPhone 13.
I am eager to test both of these phones individually to see how it performs when using the phones daily because we all should know by now that the size of the battery is not the ONLY factor for the battery life as the iPhone currently has the best software optimization to save on battery life, regardless of the size of the battery.
Like the previous generations iPhones, there are no compromises on the chipset as they have also had the same across all of their flagship releases where ALL the iPhone 13 line up has the new A15 Bionic Chipset and all are shipped with iOS 15, which I have recently did a video with my buddy Theebaan about what we love about iOS 15.
My iOS 15 Video – https://youtu.be/SCCi4jIowfE
But I will still dive in deeper on my daily usage and revert back in my full video review of all of this iPhone 13 series.
And speaking of software, due to the hardware of the cameras being upgraded, Apple has introduced the Cinematic Video Mode, in which you could create a great shallow depth of field on the phone but you can perform a high level of autofocus tracking and even focus racking, to focus between one subject to another.
And THAT is a real cinematic video recording experience because it is something that only pro mirrorless and cinema cameras can usually do well.
So I can’t wait to test this out further for both these two phones, and it’s nice that Apple didn’t compromise to not make it available on this, as some smartphone companies tend to always compromise on the so-called “lower tier” variants.
iPhone 13 Pro
Alright, speaking about the iPhone 13 Pro, I am going to keep things very simple on what is the difference between the Pro and the non-pro variant, especially if you are like me who is only now venturing into the Pro line up on the iPhone.
Firstly, there is a change of the whole rear camera arrays, so it’s not just adding another lens, where on this Pro variant, besides the way bigger camera bump, the aperture value has vastly improved while all of the cameras are 12-megapixel sensors.
The aperture for the main lens is at f 1.5 at the same 26mm wide focal length, then the ultrawide is at f 1.8 aperture with also the same 13mm focal length.
But unique to the Pro variant, it can switch to Macro Mode magnifying subjects with a minimum focus distance of 2 centimeters, and yes, there is the additional telephoto camera, which is added 12-megapixel f 2.8 at a nice 77mm focal length, which has OIS on it and 3 times optical zoom and finally the 3D LiDAR depth sensor.
Second of all, which is a hell of an upgrade, where other than keeping the consistent notch size, the biggest change would be the 120Hz ProMotion Adaptive display that adjusts from 10 Hz to 120 Hz, which adapts to your usage, hence saving battery.
And third of all is a feature which is coming REALLY soon which I can’t wait to try on these iPhone Pro Models which is Apple ProRes recording.
While the Cinematic Mode is available for all of the iPhone 13 models, this ProRes recording is unique to the iPhone Pro Models and this ProRes video file format is such an amazing video codec that I use for ALL of my YouTube videos, including the footage that you are watching right now.
And trust me, compared to the typical H.264 files that you get when you shoot on most mirrorless cameras, the amount of dynamic range that you get on ProRes is way better in quality without compromising the overall performance when editing and during playback as well.
So the idea of having those recording capabilities on the iPhone is still very mind-blowing to me but keep in mind that this ProRes recording is only available for the storage option of 256 gigabytes onwards, due to the file sizes produced from the video footage.
And as for the fifth and small difference is the fact that this Pro variant has a matte finish, instead of the glossy ones on the Non-Pro and the Mini variant as well.
Then finally is the fact that the Pro variants have 5 core GPU which is currently the best performing GPU compared to any smartphone out right now.
iPhone 13 Pro Max
Ah yes, so the final question you might be wondering is that, why or when should you choose the iPhone 13 Pro Max then?
Firstly, if you want a bigger screen of course, as the iPhone 13 Pro Max comes with a bigger 6.7 inches hence giving you a higher resolution of 1284 x 2778 pixels.
And while this may not seem like a big deal, but if you are the kind of person who appreciates nice and big screen real estate, you will just love the screen on the phone.
Secondly is the finish and the build quality.
Yes besides the fact that I absolutely love the color white on smartphones, the stainless steel finish at the sides just screams premium, and while some may say that the phone may be heavy, well this does come down to whether or not you are a user of big-screen phones, as they usually tend to be on a heavier side.
But based on my first impressions, finally getting my hands on it, because it has a matte finish at the back, it does make a whole lot of difference just holding the phone.
So ask yourself, are you used to a larger screen phone? Do you prefer to watch a lot of movies and play games on your phone more? Then you should really consider the Max as your preferred choice, especially if you want more battery as that is the 3rd reason to get yourself the iPhone 13 Pro Max instead.
Now ever since the introduction of the Max series of the iPhones, one of the biggest advantages that it had over its other “siblings” is actually the battery performance.
And I found that very appealing as one would think that a bigger screen would take more of the battery but as mentioned that the software optimization with Apple’s Bionic Chipset has always been second to none but yes, I will be testing the battery life personal when I also review go in-depth when using it daily.
Conclusion
Alright, there you have it, my unboxing and first impressions for ALL of the iPhone 13 series, and if you or if you know anyone who has been wondering, what are the differences between all of these brand new iPhone 13 series and which one to get? Well do share this video with them as well.
Now as mentioned earlier, instead of me choosing which phone I should do an in-depth review first, I would love to know which one you would like for me to choose, do let me know in the comments section below and ask away if you have any questions and as usual, I will answer them in my full video review.
Link to my YouTube poll:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy4ssRxw_k0XdiH31OxVHmA/community
Get the iPhone 13 Series At The Link Below:-
https://www.apple.com/my/iphone-13/ (iPhone 13 Mini & iPhone 13)
https://www.apple.com/my/iphone-13-pro/ (iPhone 13 Pro & iPhone 13 Pro Max)
