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iPhone 12
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iPhone 13
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What we think

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The PerfectRec phone team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·

For photography enthusiasts, the iPhone 13 improves upon the iPhone 12 with better low-light performance and more photographic styles, though both have dual 12MP cameras. If longer battery life is important, the iPhone 13 comes out ahead. Both have High Dynamic Range (HDR) support, but the iPhone 13 boasts Dolby Vision video recording at 4K up to 60 fps. The iPhone 13 also offers more base storage, which might appeal to those who store a lot of media. However, both have OLED screens with the same size and resolution. Performance-wise, the iPhone 13 has a slight edge with the newer A15 chip over the A14. If these incremental upgrades are less compelling, choosing the iPhone 12 might offer better value, while the iPhone 13 provides improvements for those willing to pay a little extra. Give Feedback

this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Apple iPhone 12
  • The Apple iPhone 12 has no clear advantages over the Apple iPhone 13.
Advantages of the Apple iPhone 13
  • The Apple iPhone 13 has no clear advantages over the Apple iPhone 12.

Key differences

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Video Quality

7.2
iPhone 12
iPhone 13
8.0
The Apple iPhone 13 takes very good videos, while the Apple iPhone 12 takes good videos.

Battery

6.2 Hours
iPhone 12
iPhone 13
7.1 Hours
The Apple iPhone 12 has 6.2 hours of battery life. The Apple iPhone 13 has 7.1 hours of battery life.
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Key similarities

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Overall Camera Quality

7.3
iPhone 12
iPhone 13
7.7
The Apple iPhone 13 and Apple iPhone 12 both have good overall cameras quality.

Photo Quality

7.1
iPhone 12
iPhone 13
7.5
The Apple iPhone 13 and Apple iPhone 12 both have good photos.

Screen Size

The Apple iPhone 12 has a screen size of 6.1 inches and the Apple iPhone 13 is 6.1 inches.

Cost

$600
iPhone 12
iPhone 13
$630
Product imageProduct image

$300

$400

$500

$600

$700

$800

$900

$1,000

The Apple iPhone 12 has a price of $600 and the Apple iPhone 13 costs $630.

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We’re constantly working to improve.

How the Apple iPhone 12 and the Apple iPhone 13 compare to other phones

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Spec Comparison

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Apple iPhone 12Apple iPhone 13
Apple iPhone 12Apple iPhone 13

GENERAL

Price
$600
$630
Brand
AppleApple
Operating System
iOSiOS
Release Date
October 23, 2020September 24, 2021

SCREEN

Screen Size
6.1"6.1"
Resolution
2532 x 11702532 x 1170
Variable refresh rate
NoNo
Pixels Per Inch
460460
Display Type
OLEDOLED

INTERNAL

Processor
A14A15
Internal Storage
64 GB128 GB
RAM
4 GB4 GB

CAMERA

Overall Camera Quality Score
7.4/107.7/10
Photos Score
7.1/107.5/10
Videos Score
7.3/108.1/10
Rear Cameras
Main, UltrawideMain, Ultrawide
Main Camera
12 megapixels + OIS12 megapixels + OIS

BATTERY

Battery Life
6.2 Hours7.1 Hours
Battery Capacity
2815 mAh3240 mAh
Wireless Charging
YesYes
Wireless charging Speed
15 W15 W
Reverse wireless charging
NoNo

PHYSICAL

Size
5.78" x 2.81"5.78" x 2.81"
Weight
5.78 oz6.14 oz
Back Material
GlassGlass
Stereo Speakers
NoNo

CONNECTIVITY

Dual SIM
YesYes
Bluetooth Version
5.05.0
A2DP
YesYes
WiFi Version
66
NFC
YesYes
US 5G Bands
(SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave)1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79, 260, 261 (SA/NSA/Sub6) 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78, 79(SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave)1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79, 258, 260, 261 (SA/NSA/Sub6) 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 77, 78, 79

OTHER FEATURES

Biometric unlock
Face unlockFace unlock
Unlockable Bootloader
NoNo
Color
Blue, Purple, Green, White, Black, RedBlue, Pink, Midnight, Starlight, Green, Red
SD Card
NoNo
Custom ROM Support
NoNo

Shopping

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Apple iPhone 12

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Dig into reviews and images

Pocket-lint

Stuart Miles | March 2022
"The iPhone 12 offers many of the important things that you want from the iPhone: a decent camera, 5G, great screen, fast processor. For the group of people who want a new iPhone without the price tag of the iPhone 12 Pro or iPhone 13 range, this is a great choice. There's no settling for second best with this smartphone."

Apple iPhone 13

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Dig into reviews and images

TechRadar

James Peckham | September 2022
"The iPhone 13 isn’t a game changer for Apple’s series of smartphones, but it’s an important iteration that offers better battery life, a better processor and an upgraded camera setup than iPhones that have gone before it. If you’re looking for a fast and capable smartphone, and don’t need the extra features of the pricier Pro model, this is a top choice."

Get a great deal on the Apple iPhone 12 or the Apple iPhone 13

About Apple

The tech giant called Apple is synonymous with the most popular smartphone in the world: the iPhone. Known for their build quality and aesthetics, as well as for their excellent integration between hardware and software, iPhones have defined the smartphone industry ever since their conception and they continue to do so by setting new industry standards. Apple's own operating system, called iOS, is known for its simplicity and ease of use, and the company tends to complement it well by creating devices with some of the most powerful processing hardware available in the mobile world. The iPhone is also known for its robust ecosystem of accessories, as it facilitates a very seamless experience when interacting with other Apple products, more so than most of its competitors.

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Why trust us

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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec phones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest phone information and makes it digestible for you.

By the numbers

68
Phones evaluated
7,820
Phones stats compiled
8
Proprietary Phones ratings developed
129,900
Recommendations made
73,610
Consumer hours saved

About the phone team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Phones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Seth Peoples

Phones Expert
Seth is a US-based product expert focusing on smartphones and he is a moderator of one of the largest smartphone subreddits. His tailored recommendations have helped him earn over 87k comment karma, putting him in the top 1% of Redditors.

Efthimis Kotanidis

Phones Expert
Efthimis is a Greece-based product expert focusing on smartphones. He has been recommending phones for 4 years and his recommendations on Reddit have earned him over 35k karma.

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