➤ iPhone 13 Pro, the review of the top of the range Apple smartphone 🎮

Once upon a time, not long ago, there was a development cycle of iPhone which was marked by the release of a major revision and, the following year, by an edition revised and improved in more or less significant details, but keeping the design almost unchanged. If the first carried forward an actual numerical sequence, the second limited itself to adding an "S" to it, and it was all quite clear and linear. Then Apple has started to introduce new acronyms to distinguish new product ranges, and the Plus, the R, the SE, the Pro, the Mini, the Pro Max have arrived to meet the needs of the public that have become more varied and complex. If we were still in those days, maybe this iPhone 13 it would have been called iPhone 12S, because it is clear that it is an incremental version and not a clear change.

Yet, despite being developed during one of the darkest periods in recent human history, during a pandemic that forced even the engineers and designers of the Cupertino company to smart working and videoconferencing, iPhone 13 gives a strong signal of resilience. optimism and trust, introducing novelties that go in the opposite direction to that home confinement to which we have all been forced in spite of ourselves for months: going out without worrying about the battery, taking even more beautiful photos of what surrounds us, recording videos of people with whom to interact. Let's try to explain ourselves better in this one iPhone 13 Pro review.

Hardware features

iPhone 13 Pro, the review of the top of the range Apple smartphone — The main photographic body of the iPhone 13 Pro

The progression of SoCs year after year has led to reaching such enormous amounts of computing power that they are even excessive compared to the real needs of the user and the smartphone itself. More than brute force in the strict sense at this time it is interesting to note how such an overabundance can allow longevity even in the long term, among other things absolutely guaranteed by Apple through the support guaranteed for years regarding the updating of the operating system. .

L'A15 Bionic is yet another monster of power, although the distances compared to its predecessor are not sidereal precisely for the reasons mentioned above: the CPU a 6 core (2 high performance and 4 high efficiency that are activated according to the needs of the single task) and the GPU a 5 core, combined with the general improvement of the architecture, guarantee a performance increase compared to the A14 which is around 10% for single-core operations, almost 20% for multi-core operations and about 50% for those based on the GPU, thanks to the presence of an extra core (only on Pro and Pro Max models, since the 13 and 13 mini have a 4-core locked graphics component).

But, as we said, we have already been at such high levels for some time that it is difficult to perceive this greater availability in everyday use because, also thanks to the perfect symbiosis between hardware and software, an iPhone guarantees exceptional fluidity and reactivity even on models preceding this one. iPhone 13 Pro. It is clear that in situations of greater effort, or simply with the heaviest applications or even with the graphically more demanding games that will come out in the coming months and years, this availability of horses can be extremely useful.

IPhone 13 Pro data sheet

Amazon offer Apple iPhone 13 Pro (128GB) - Sierra blue

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dimensions: 146,7 71,5 x x 7,65
Weight: 203 grams
Display:
Super Retina XDR con ProMotion a 120Hz
OLED all screen 6,1 "(diagonal)
2532×1170 pixel a 460 ppi
Soc: A15 Bionic Chip
RAM: 6 GB
Cameras:
12MP with telephoto, wide and ultra-wide angle
Telephoto: ƒ / 2.8
Wide angle: ƒ / 1.5
Ultra wide angle: ƒ1.8 and 120 ° angle of view
Front camera: 12MP, ƒ / 2.2 aperture
Wi-Fi connectivity: 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac / 6e
Bluetooth: 5.0 with A2DP / LE
Sensors: Acceletrometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, brightness, proximity, barometer
Battery: 3125 mAh
Memory and price:
128GB | 1189€
256GB | 1309€
512GB | 1539€
1TB | 1769 €

Design

From the point of view of the design, the line of continuity with respect to the most recent past is more than evident, even if there is no perfect equality between iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro. On the other hand, it would have been simply foolish to file the aesthetic change of last year that has so much convinced in a transversal public and critical way, with a return to more squared and clean lines, capable of guaranteeing greater handling during use and simply a superior pleasantness to the eye.

iPhone 13 Pro therefore maintains this "brick" shape, but carrying a lightweight increase in both thickness that of weight: it goes from 7.4mm to 7.65mm and from 189 to 203 grams respectively. Differences imperceptible to most but which are a sign of changes to the internal hardware, more in detail to the battery which we will talk about later. These variations also lead to the practical consequence of not allowing compatibility with the previous model housings.

The rear photographic body is also larger and protruding to house higher quality lenses, while - and this is probably the most interesting thing - the space occupied by the notch, the notch on the display.

Now, we all know very well that in the Android field, various manufacturers have made the group of front cameras and sensors minuscule or even zeroed out, but on the iPhone there are many factors that come into play: certainly Apple's habit of introducing news with the dropper, but also the technical complexity of the face detection system and, last but not least, the stylistic factor capable of guaranteeing a certain aesthetic recognition even from elements that are not exactly pleasant.

Closed the parenthesis, know that the notch is now shorter horizontally and very little wider in height for a total of about 20% of free area, but that this will not change the life of those who choose to buy the new one. smartphone of the bitten apple: the greater space available on the display has not been exploited in any way by Apple, as it could have done for example by showing the percentage of remaining battery, reason why the only difference lies in the handful of pixels returned to photos , videos or various contents.

Screen

Lo iPhone 13 Pro screen is completely identical to its predecessor in terms of size and resolution (6.1 "and 1170 x 2532 pixels), and of course it is again a OLED SuperRetina very high quality in black reproduction, contrast and colors, but there are interesting advances beyond these main elements. The first is a higher peak brightness, which reaches 1000 nits in typical conditions and 1200 nits in HDR, but it is above all the second that proves to be significant. For the first time, in fact, Apple offers a display on its smartphone capable of exceeding 60 Hz and reaching 120Hz through baptized technology ProMotion.

In fact, the panel is an LTPO OLED capable of updating itself with a variable frequency from 10 to 120Hz, in an adaptive way with respect to the content and user interaction. This means in simple terms that by reproducing a static element such as a photo or any menu screen without interacting with it, or perhaps by reading a text or an ebook, the screen automatically adapts using a very low refresh rate, at 10 Hz, which has minimal energy requirements and therefore a lower impact on the battery. When you watch a video instead, the value is raised to 30 Hz, and if you finally scroll a page or spend time on a video game, the frequency rises up to 60 or 120 Hz, so as to view everything. as sharp as possible, without any blur.

It is clear that this is one of those features that immediately catch the eye even to the less experienced: just handle one of the new iPhones for a few moments, perhaps immediately after setting it up for the first time, to appreciate the greater fluidity in scrolling and the almost perfect consistency of the images.

During our testing period we could distinctly notice the benefits of 120Hz, to the point that it is objectively a kind of comfort that is hard to turn back from. In addition to all this there is the excellent quality of the panel to which Apple has accustomed us over the years, with an extraordinary visual fidelity that points directly to realism, avoiding for example to over-saturate the colors as other manufacturers do. The effectiveness of this solution is appreciated above all by using the telephone for many hours during the day, without this generating feelings of fatigue or various difficulties.

Sorry only for the absence of any always on display function, which would certainly have brought benefits in the management of notifications and in the interaction with the phone.

Cameras

We could be extremely concise when talking about iPhone 13 Pro cameras, summing it all up in a simple sentence: there is currently no better smartphone on the market from this point of view. If the photographic component is at the top of the priorities when it comes to the features of your next phone, so you should already be with money in hand and ready to buy the latest addition to Apple.

Among other things, unlike what has been done so far, this time iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max offer the exact same characteristics of the photographic system, without the exclusive functions that in the past were guaranteed to the larger model. While mounting the same combination of lenses as the 12 Pro and offering the same 12 MP on all 3 sensors, the lenses have been improved: the ƒ / 1.5 wider angle than in the past (1,9 µm pixels), the ultra-wide angle of ƒ1.8 and angle of view of 120 ° and the telephoto lens of ƒ / 2.8 are able to capture much more light, ensuring benefits for shooting in less than optimal lighting conditions.

And it is precisely in situations with little light or in night that iPhone 13 Pro exhibits extraordinary capabilities, managing to compose shots with an exceptional amount of detail and minimizing noise. Obviously, the software is also fundamental in all this, and in fact it is the combination of hardware and software that allows you to manage much better the dark areas of the photos in night mode, which in the past were excessively lightened. The result is a composition that leaves no room for criticism, to the point that during our test we spent most of the time shooting in these environmental situations to then appreciate the goodness of the photos.

The ultrawide lens was then improved with the introduction of autofocus, thanks to which it is now able to shoot in mode macro keeping the focus up to 2 cm away. The activation of this mode is automatic, with the transition to the ultrawide lens when you get closer than 10 cm from the subject. In reality, this automatism has been criticized by more than someone, since the passage is quite visible and also limits the creative possibilities and user management in the composition of the shot. It is no coincidence that Apple has already informed that with a future update it will make the macro manually activated, thus solving the problem.

The telephoto lens has enjoyed an improvement in zoom capability which has now reached a 3x, equivalent to 77mm focal length: the result is that it is possible to use it as an alternative to portrait mode to compose beautiful close-ups with a more natural blur. background.
Another novelty is related to the "Photographic Styles", or presets (however customizable) through which you can decide the way in which the camera will take photos by default, with differences in white balance, contrast, color, brightness and so on. These are not filters, but precisely automated settings that allow you to move away from the "classic" style of Apple, which has always favored realism in the way in which its iPhones create the shots, to eventually go as desired towards more photos. vivid or brilliant. This is an interesting solution, which offers more customization to the user by default, without having to subsequently retouch and edit the images.

Video

Also for what concerns the registration of video we are at the level of the best the smartphone market is able to offer nowadays, with an optical stabilization on the sensor in the use of the wide angle that offers performance of absolute excellence. New this year is the Cinematic mode, translated into "Cinematografico" in Spanish. In a nutshell, this is the equivalent of portrait mode for videos, allowing you to change the subject in focus in real time during recording, perhaps switching from a subject in the foreground to one in the background.

It works both in automatic mode, acting on what happens on the scene, and in manual mode with a simple touch on the screen. Being a function managed by the software, it is also possible to change the focus at a later time, acting directly on the recording. A kind of magic, which however really works and gives an additional creative space to those who create video content. The limitations are the need to have a well-lit scene and the ability to record only at 1080p and 30 FPS.

Battery

You know, there is no concept of "too much autonomy" on a smartphone: totally getting rid of the fear of being dry during the day is one of the real liberations that almost all intensive users of this type of product aspire to. Last year's iPhones had already given a strong signal in this sense, thanks to generous batteries capable of guaranteeing hours and hours of activity.
With iPhone 13 Pro, Apple wanted to push further from this point of view, and it is precisely here to find the reason for that almost imperceptible increase in weight and thickness we were talking about before. It is in fact all the extra space occupied by the new one battery, 11% larger than the previous one; this, combined with the usual software optimizations and the lower exploitation of the A15 Bionic SoC under the same conditions of use, have led to a substantial increase in the guaranteed hours of duration: for the 13 Pro this translates into an average of one hour and a half more than the 12 Pro, which becomes even two and a half hours for the 13 Pro Max compared to the 12 Pro Max.

In our experience, with a direct comparison of an iPhone 13 Pro and its predecessor, we have clearly noticed this autonomy wider, which allows you to actually leave power banks and the like at home: it is really very complicated to turn off the Apple smartphone before having finished the day, even putting it under stress with the recording of videos in 4k, keeping the screen at maximum brightness and using video streaming services.

There remains a certain reluctance of Apple instead regarding the systems of quick charging, given that we are still stuck at 15 watts wireless and 25 wired (slightly increased compared to the maximum 20 of the iPhone 12).

Performances

The benchmarks we performed clearly show how, despite the A15 Bionic maintaining the same architecture as the A14 Bionic, the optimizations at all levels allow a noticeable performance increase. Especially in the GPU, thanks to the additional core, you can see the improvements in comparison with the iPhone 12 Pro. The presence of the iPhone Xs instead demonstrates how tangible the leaps in performance are tangible over the course of 3 years of development.

Experience of use

L'user experience with iPhone 13 Pro regarding the interaction with iOS 15 it is certainly not different from what is available on other models of Apple smartphones: on the other hand consistency and continuity are the cornerstones of the philosophy of the Cupertino house, which allows you to switch from one iPhone to another without any entry obstacles. Everything is therefore in the same place, plus iOS 15 has brought minor innovations compared to the previous operating system, which is why you immediately feel at home.

Clearly, the specific qualities of the hardware intervene to distinguish this new product, especially the 120Hz screen that is appreciated in every situation. From this point of view, there are some small "sins of youth" regarding the integration in third-party apps, but these are destined to be resolved in the coming weeks with the updates of the individual developers. Otherwise, the speed and responsiveness are practically the same as on the iPhone 12 Pro, with software optimization once again making the difference.

Streaming Video

We connect to what has just been written to give an opinion on the use of the iPhone 13 Pro with services of video streaming, now for many one of the main ways of interacting with their smartphone. From this point of view, the combination of the OLED screen with perfect blacks and infinite contrast, the high peak brightness and the long autonomy provide an optimal framework for watching movies and TV series: all the main services, such as Netflix, Disney Plus e Prime Video they behave ideally on the Apple device, also thanks to mature and perfectly optimized applications and compatibility with all codecs. The deep blacks and the excellent anti-reflective treatment are fundamental contributions to the overall performance, which finds its only limit in the size of the screen.

Video Game

A 6.1 "screen is probably not the best choice for a certain slice of video games, which is why our test with services like Xbox Cloud Gaming and Google Stadia can be described as satisfactory up to a point. Being able (indeed, having to) connect a controller is undoubtedly an important factor in maintaining sensible playability and free from excessive frustration, but titles where you need to read a lot of text or where viewing space is an important factor inevitably suffer. for use within these measures. With the "right" games, however, such as Forza Horizon 4 or Killer Instinct or even a Gears 5 you can have fun.

Much more focused on the experience with products born and designed for use in these typical conditions: for our tests we focused on some of the currently most popular games such as Call of Duty Mobile, Genshin Impact, Asphalt 9 and PUBG that obviously they run at maximum settings and optimally.

Mostly Apple Arcade then it has become a mature and complete service, with a list of games so wide in names and genres that the subscription price requested is perfectly adequate. For mobile gaming in the strict sense, iPhone 13 Pro is therefore one of the best solutions ever, thanks to the technical sheet capable of running the most demanding titles without any problem for a long time.

Comment

Price 1189 € / 1769 € Buy it here

Resources4Gaming.com

9.5

With the iPhone 13 Pro, Apple has worked hard on the good things already done on the 12 Pro, improving the overall experience from many points of view to the point of making a smartphone almost without defects. In fact, diminishing the thickness of the progress compared to the predecessor would be a superficial and simply wrong exercise: if it is true that the details make the difference, in this case there are not only small steps forward from every angle, look at the product, but also authentic innovations. very tangible that directly touch the user experience such as the 120 Hz display, the extraordinary capabilities of the photographic component and the greater autonomy. Basically, we are faced with the maximum that technology can offer today in this area, an extraordinary condensation that will be appreciated for several years by those who decide to proceed with the demanding purchase.