Home » iPhone 13, 13 mini vs iPhone 12, 12 mini: Should you upgrade?

iPhone 13, 13 mini vs iPhone 12, 12 mini: Should you upgrade?

Written By Louigi Balao
Published • September 16th, 2021
GuidesMobile
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Apple has recently unveiled its latest iPhone 13 and 13 mini, which sports new specs, features, and more. If you’re asking how much has changed over its predecessor, the iPhone 12 and 12 mini, then let’s take a look at their specs to find out if it’s worth upgrading to.

iPhone 13 / 13 mini	iPhone 12 / 12 mini
6.1-inch Super Retina (2532 x 1170) XDR OLED display, 460PPI (13)	6.1-inch Super Retina (2532 x 1170) XDR OLED display, 460PPI (12)
5.4-inch Super Retina (2340 x 1080) XDR OLED display, 476PPI (13 MINI)	5.4-inch Super Retina (2340 x 1080) XDR OLED display, 476PPI (12 mini)
HDR, True Tone	HDR, True Tone
Ceramic Shield front	Ceramic Shield front
Glass back, aluminum design	Glass back, aluminum design
Apple A15 Bionic Chip	Apple A14 Bionic Chip
128GB, 256GB, 512GB storage	64GB, 128GB, 256GB storage
Dual-rear cameras	Dual-rear cameras
• 12MP F1.6 main, Sensor-shift OIS	• 12MP F1.6 main, Sensor-shift OIS
• 12MP F2.4 (ultra-wide)	• 12MP F2.4 (ultra-wide)
—Cinematic mode recording, Photographic Styles
12MP F2.2 TrueDepth front camera	12MP F2.2 TrueDepth front camera
Dual-SIM (nano and eSIM support)	Dual-SIM (nano and eSIM support)
5G, 4G LTE	5G, 4G LTE
WiFi 6	WiFi 6
Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 5.0
NFC	NFC
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou	GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou
Lightning connector	Lightning connector
stereo speakers	stereo speakers
Face ID	Face ID
IP68 dust and water resistance	IP68 rated dust and water resistance
iOS 15	iOS 14
Up to 19 hours video playback (13)	Up to 17 hours video playback (12)
Up to 17 hours video playback (13 mini)	Up to to 15 hours video playback (12 mini)
20W wired fast charging	20W wired fast charging
15W MagSafe wireless charging	15W MagSafe wireless charging
7.5 Qi wireless charging	7.5 Qi wireless charging
146.7 x 71.5 x 7.65 mm, 173g (13)	146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm, 162g (12)
131.5 x 64.2 x 7.65mm, 140g (13 mini)	131.5 x 64.2 x 7.65mm, 133g (12 mini)
Product Red, Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Pink	Black, White, Product Red, Green, Blue

Summary of changes/improvements of the iPhone 13, 13 mini smartphones

• Apple 15 Bionic Chip
• Brighter display
• Larger storage options
• Dual eSIM support
• Larger camera sensor
• Shot in Cinema mode
• Longer battery life

Table of Contents

Display

The iPhone 13, 13 mini, and the iPhone 12, 12 mini sports the same screen size, which is good news for those who want to retain their phone cases when upgrading. With that said, all four smartphones still support the Super Retina XDR OLED display, however, Apple mentions that the iPhone 13 and 13 mini has a 28% increase in brightness compared to its previous generation.

Processor & Storage

Under the hood, the latest iPhone 13 and 13 mini is powered by the A15 Bionic Chip which is boasted to provide faster performance and more power efficiency when compared to the A14 Bionic Chip of the iPhone 12 and 12 mini.

Additionally, from the usual 64GB base storage for other iPhone models, the iPhone 13 and 13 mini come in at twice that storage at 128GB, with its highest option being 512GB, providing users more wiggle room when saving files, games, apps and etc.

Camera

To point out the elephant in the room, the newest iPhone 13 and 13 mini have their dual 12MP rear camera in a diagonal position, instead of having it stacked vertically like the iPhone 12 and 12 mini. Aside from that, Apple mentioned that the main camera of the iPhone 13 and 13 mini has a bigger sensor that can gather 47% more light. Additionally, the smartphones feature Sensor-shift OIS, which stabilizes the sensor instead of the lens—a feature previously introduced for the iPhone 12 Pro max. This goes hand in hand with its additional Cinematic mode and Photographic Styles, which are only present in the iPhone 13 and 13 mini.

Connectivity & Other Features

All four smartphones support 5G networks, Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, NFC, Face ID and are IP68 rated. They also sport the same Ceramic Shield front and glass back for protection. The difference however between the 13 and 12 is its support for dual e-SIM.

Battery

Although Apple didn’t mention the battery size, they shared that the iPhone 13 and 13 mini has increased battery life. The iPhone 13 has a video playback time of 19 hours compared to the 17 hours of the iPhone 12, while the iPhone 13 has a video playback time of 17 hours compared to the 15 of the iPhone 12 mini.

Is it worth the upgrade?

If you’re coming from the iPhone 12/12 mini, it’s an upgrade but not really essential as the changes are not that significant for what you’re going to pay. The story changes however if you are upgrading from an iPhone 11. The specs are far too similar with the only big significance being the A15 Bionic Chip. But if it’s your first iPhone and you have the budget, go for the latest you can afford.

iPhone 13:
• 128GB – PHP 50,990USD 869INR 73,660EUR 828CNY 6,328
• 256GB – PHP 57,990USD 988INR 83,772EUR 941CNY 7,197
• 512GB – PHP 69,990USD 1,193INR 101,108EUR 1,136CNY 8,686

iPhone 13 mini:
• 128GB – PHP 44,990USD 767INR 64,993EUR 730CNY 5,583
• 256GB – PHP 50,990USD 869INR 73,660EUR 828CNY 6,328
• 512GB – PHP 63,990USD 1,090INR 92,440EUR 1,039CNY 7,941