TEST Apple iPhone 13 Pro. It surprises where you don't expect it Apple iPhone 13 Pro

iPhone 13 Pro is one of the best smartphones available on the market today. The familiar look and known system do not outshine the fresh display and a completely new camera. The longer battery life means that we cannot tear ourselves away from the smartphone, but is it enough to pay quite a lot for it? Check the Apple iPhone 13 Pro test.

The iPhone 13 Pro not only looks good, it performs better than any other iPhone in its history. It deserves to be called the most efficient smartphone with the bitten apple logo for several reasons. However, do the changes in the "Thirteen" deserve to take money out of the wallet and rush to the store to buy it? The answer for each ManiaK of smartphones may be slightly different.

Is it worth buying an iPhone 13 Pro? And if we decide, what will we get for a few thousand zlotys? Does the iPhone 13 Pro have any downsides that nobody talks about? And does it make sense to mention the "twelve"? You will learn everything in a moment - the iPhone 13 Pro test is ahead of you.

However, before you go to the test part - see my first unboxing impressions.

Apple iPhone 13 Pro - I'm starting testing my new smartphone. What would you like to know?

I would like to remind you that the Polish prices of the iPhone 13 series start from PLN 3599.

Apple iPhone 13 Pro

from: 5,199 PLN » more info»

The display surprises positively, and ProMotion works great

iPhone 13 Pro has gained a new 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion technology. In my previous smartphone - the XS iPhone, there was only a Super Retina HD screen. So XDR in combination with ProMotion give you fun and freshness that I absolutely did not expect. It seemed to me that the display on my old smartphone is really great until I started using the "thirteen".

ProMotion by Apple was created in such a way that the system learns our behavior by itself and adjusts its operation to the user. This means, first of all, that if the animations require faster refreshing - these are the properties we will get. On the other hand, when not much is done on the screen in order to save the battery - the system will lower the refresh rate of the image.

Apple iPhone 13 Pro / photo: gsmManiaK.pl

Seemingly simple, intuitive, but in conversations with friends who have ProMotion in other Android smartphones, they awarded Apple a plus. It is for this UX approach to optimizing the use of this technology. It is not difficult to turn on ProMotion, which will quickly drain the battery.

ProMotion really does the job and even without comparing the old smartphone with the new one next to each other, you can simply feel the difference in liquidity. The device adjusts to the user's finger, and the text is sharp and clear even when scrolling. The consequence of all this is the fact that I am delighted with the new screen on the iPhone 13. This is one of those times where I didn't know I needed something until I started using it.

PS. I can say the same about the Always On Display on the Apple Watch - it wasn't a major improvement, but now I can't imagine an Apple Watch without this feature. I am just waiting for the adoption of this functionality also on the iPhone.

Apple iPhone 13 Pro / photo: gsmManiaK.pl

The iPhone XS had a contrast ratio of 1,000,000: 1, and the maximum brightness was 625 nits. The iPhone 13 Pro has a contrast ratio of 2,000,000: 1, and its maximum brightness is 1,000 nits (800 nits in the iPhone 12 Pro) and 1,200 nits in HDR. It is these things in the specification that make the screen different than in the XS, and on a sunny day, every element of the image will be clearly visible.

A lot has been written about a smaller notch in the screen, and Apple itself just kept this aspect in silence in its promotional campaigns or during conferences. In fact, the smaller notch changes nothing - the icons are the same - there are no changes other than being a little bigger due to the larger space. It's a pity, because you could easily throw at least% of the battery to the right, and the signal strength indicator to the left.

The most interesting, however, seems to be the transfer of the speaker from the notch to the very frame of the screen. It looks a bit weird, caricatured, but it's not something I'll think about for any longer than I wrote this paragraph.

Apple iPhone 13 Pro / photo: gsmManiaK.pl

The battery is better again. More time without a cable is a real plus

Let's be honest - Apple has made us used to the fact that it did not increase the battery capacity in its smartphone over the years. Sometimes it even slightly lowered it, and the fact that the new smartphone lasted longer was only a result of the fact that a new processor appeared under the hood. Depending on the process, the energy demand was changing and sometimes the smartphone was able to withstand the promised number of hours on one operation, other times it surprised positively, and sometimes quite the opposite.

iPhone 13 Pro brings again more battery capacity in all flagships of this series. A year ago, on the occasion of the premiere of the iPhone 12, the battery received a larger cell. In 2021, the topic was repeated and it can be said that Apple is finally starting to do its homework.

Apple iPhone 13 Pro / photo: gsmManiaK.pl

Even a 200 mAh larger battery in the iPhone is a change that, in combination with the newer system, simply "does the job". The iPhone 13 Pro not only provides optimal energy for various processes, but also can operate on a single charge longer than previous smartphones with the bitten apple logo. The next percentages don't run away as fast as they used to.

For example, after charging the battery to 100%, I only lost 20% in 12 hours. Then I took dozens of photos - mainly in night mode, I sent them and text messages via the messenger, or uploaded to the cloud. I have to admit it's a nice result. I did not turn off any function except the 5G module, which in my opinion is completely unnecessary, and may additionally drain the battery. Unfortunately, when you buy it, you cannot give it up. So I did not compare and test this component, but if I am not mistaken, it is the same as in the "12".

Apple iPhone 13 Pro / photo: gsmManiaK.pl

Apple provides up to 5 hours longer uninterrupted video display on a single charge in the iPhone 13 Pro than in the iPhone 12 Pro. For comparison with the iPhone XS, the difference is as much as 8 hours. It's a gulf.

I will tell you something that surprised me as positively as the ProMotion in the display. The 20W USB-C charger, which must be purchased as a separate accessory for the iPhone 13 Pro, may not be the top of perfection, but I did not think it would become a convenience for me. At times when traveling, the previous USB-A 5W charger was a problem for me. With a large link, the charging time of the smartphone was horrendously long.

iPhone 13 Pro / photo: gsmManiaK.pl

With the new accessory, I can see that the next battery percentages jump up like crazy. A little funny, a little scary, but over the last few years, Apple has finally (like I mentioned before) started doing homework on this aspect. I will charge the iPhone 13 Pro faster and the battery will last longer.

The last plus of switching from XS to 13 Pro is the change of the charging cable. USB-C is a native port on new MacBooks, so I can finally go back to the old habit of connecting my smartphone directly to my laptop to charge it. Until now, I had to use a special hub. Less equipment means more comfortable and, above all, more pleasant and smooth work.

Apple iPhone 13 Pro / photo: gsmManiaK.pl

A triple camera that turned me into a professional photographer

The iPhone has been used for a variety of actions for years. It was used for shots to well-known series or movies. It was used to create photos for the covers of popular magazines. Every year it seems that the biggest news are the changes to the camera. The islet on the iPhone has grown significantly, but these are not the only changes. Apple is persistently working on software that now more "creates the picture itself" than the user.

Below you can see - how big the difference in the size of the island is on the iPhone XS, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro (look at the Apple logo;))

photo: Apple

Plenty of processes run in one second and the image is broken down, analyzed, reassembled and presented to the user in a revised version. And so with every shutter stroke (and even after opening the Camera application, but before taking a photo).

Added to this is a video where the iPhone 13 Pro obtained Cinematic Mode. The Film Mode in the camera is a novelty reserved for the Pro and Pro Max versions. And although Apple itself boasts of this mode by promoting it, at the same time the first reviews indicated that it is not somehow extraordinary. For me, this is an effect that I would rather not use on a daily basis. It can be said that it is a "nice gadget".

Movie Mode is actually a bokeh superimposed on image elements in the distance. The system itself finds, for example, faces in the frame and, depending on our movement with a smartphone or a person in the frame, it sharpens a given thing / person. We can also make it happen manually by tapping the screen. Cool, but is it extraordinary? Not necessarily - all the magic happens in the software applying the smear.

Apple iPhone 13 Pro / photo: gsmManiaK.pl

However, creating stunning photos is the norm. The first iPhone with a dual camera "did the job" just like the first with a triple camera. The iPhone 13 Pro has a redesigned lens system and different apertures, so the lenses are, in short, better. They let in more light, so photos are even sharper and crisper than previous models. The cameras still only have 12 megapixels, but this is completely enough to show off.

The only drawback is the fact that in the night mode there are still reflections - probably from the glass that fly somewhere in the image and, unfortunately, are saved by the system. As a result, sometimes even the best photo can get unwanted extras. Some people don't pay attention to it, others hate them. This mainly applies to the night mode - see the pictures.

iPhone 13 Pro also has the ability to create beautiful macro photos. For me, as an amateur of this type of photos, it is something that I have been waiting for a long time. Finally, amazing close-ups can be created. We also have a 3x optical zoom for the first time (previously 2x). It's hard to test everything in a short time, but I can confidently say it was worth the wait. Impresses the quality of photos and their sharpness in full lighting.

We also have HDR 4, an OIS system with automatic matrix stabilization or the ProRAW format for professionals (one photo in this mode is about 25MB). There is also a well-known LiDAR scanner for portraits in night mode, faster autofocus in low light or special tasks in augmented reality.

In addition, an ultra-wide angle lens that allows you to "fit more in one photo". As the owner of a dual camera on the XS iPhone, it was something that I envied all Android smartphones and newer iPhones. Now I can finally take amazing shots and I feel like looking at it all - the iPhone 13 Pro is making me a professional photographer.

>>> View sample photos in full resolution

Finally, in this section, one more thing - the 12 Mpix front camera compared to the 7 Mpix in the iPhone XS is also a change that you may like. The Night Mode, Movie Mode, and even Photo Styles work here as well - something I didn't mention, though I don't find it very useful. Someone can actually turn them on, instead of post-processing the photos - and they'll all adapt to the chosen style right away, but… well, I usually want to adjust the style of each photo myself, and often in a different program.

Apple A15 Bionic and iOS 15 - what more could you want?

Under the hood we have a new Apple A15 Bionic chip, which is about 15-20% more efficient than A14. Not much, but compared to each subsequent, older iPhone, this change is becoming a huge gap. Compared to the "twelve" we have a 5-core GPU instead of a 4-core.

A15 Bionic is a 6-core CPU with 2 performance cores and 4 energy-saving cores, the aforementioned 5-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine system. It's good that finally the basic model starts with 128GB of internal memory. The previous 64 GB were definitely not enough.

Apple iPhone 13 Pro / photo: gsmManiaK.pl

Under the hood we can also find a 5G module, WiFi 6 (WiFi 5 in the iPhone XS). Add to this support for two eSIM cards (one in the 12 Pro) and slightly better speakers than in the iPhone XS (which Apple does not boast about) and we have a decent set for everything.

The iPhone 13 Pro also has an IP68 class in accordance with the IEC 60529 standard, which means that its maximum immersion depth in water is 6m for up to 30 minutes. The smartphone itself is also a few millimeters thicker than the iPhone 12 Pro (7.65 mm vs. 7.4 mm), as well as heavier (203g vs. 187g).

The whole works perfectly with the new iOS 15 system, which has quite a lot of improvements over iOS 14. You can read about everything below:

iOS 15, watchOS 8 and iPadOS 15 available now. We present all the news

Summary of the iPhone 13 Pro test - advantages and disadvantages

The iPhone 13 Pro is a "twelve S", but anyone who has an older iPhone will be happy to switch to this model. Firstly, because the iPhone 13 Pro has a new design, referring to older iPhones (4 or 5). Second, because it has an XDR and ProMotion display. Thirdly, the battery is a bit worn out after a few years, and the link in the "thirteen" is much larger than in, for example, the XS. In turn, each new version of the system requires newer solutions by definition.

Fourth - we jump from two to three lenses and finally we get a wide-angle one. Finally, fifth - we get faster charging and a USB-C cable (yes, I know - you can buy it as an accessory, but what for?). In my opinion, the number "for" in this case changes the discussion.

iPhone 13 Pro - advantages

It was the battery and the better camera that made me switch from the iPhone XS to the 13 Pro. Also for the A15 chip, which is almost 100% faster than A12 (3 years difference). So I switched for what was under the hood - because from the outside, the iPhone 13 Pro did not captivate me with anything special. I wrote a lot about the advantages themselves.

In iPhones, it does not matter whether the smartphone has 3 or 4 GB of memory - for the average user it is unnecessary knowledge, although he can read it in the specification (if he has such a need). The A15 system does its job, because the smartphone's work culture is simply impeccable. The only annoyance are childhood software bugs, but Apple will fix it in future updates.

Apple iPhone 13 Pro / photo: gsmManiaK.pl

Sam, the transfer of data from the old device to the new one is now carried out so that this process could be carried out by even a child. We are led by our hands in data loss and smartphone erasing. Later, all we have to do is add credit cards to Apple Pay or log in to some applications.

iPhone 13 Pro - disadvantages

Surprisingly, the iPhone 13 Pro has also learned to allegedly unload data and re-pair with the Apple Watch. I approached these revelations carefully. While the data transfer process itself is simple and pleasant, the watch could not connect to the new iPhone. In the end, I had to erase it, restore it from the backup, and then initiate the restart of both devices in the right order, because he didn't want to count my calories. Something that can really be annoying and I hope Apple will do some more.

The second significant drawback that comes to my mind is reflections in photos in the night mode, which appear depending on how we set the smartphone. In this matter, nothing has changed from the previous models. On the iPhone XS and earlier, such things were simply not noticeable. In newer smartphones, this is something that not everyone pays attention to. On the other hand, these kinds of "flashes" can ruin even the best shot. " Another disadvantage? A bit high price and no basic accessories in the box.

iPhone 13 Pro / photo: gsmManiaK.pl

I also have mixed feelings about the weight of the smartphone. I can't even imagine how uncomfortable the iPhone 13 Pro Max must be. There is little difference between the XS and the 13 Pro in inches. In weight alone, in direct comparison - only a little felt. However ... when watching the series on Apple TV +, I feel discomfort in holding such a heavy smartphone. I did not have the same problem with the iPhone XS. One wrist smartphone is simply too heavy.

The iPhone 13 Pro looks massive and is becoming a thicker brick every year. I hope Apple will reverse this trend, because with increasing inches, such a smartphone becomes less and less ergonomic.

My last negative feeling is not so much the dimensions of the smartphone as its shape. Streamlined, known from the iPhone 6, it seemed to be perfect. The iPhone 3G was best in the hand (but it was definitely inconvenient to design the interior), and the iPhone XS is a compromise between dimensions, screen, weight and shape. Unfortunately, when I take the predecessor in my hand, I feel relieved and actually have only positive feelings. I did not like the angular iPhone 12 and I do not like it too much 13. Likewise, I would not like this type of design to go to the Apple Watch 8.

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The last drawback is the lack of 3D Touch. While I forgot about Force Touch on Apple Watch (no applications use it anyway), on the iPhone XS 3D Touch it was great. The Haptic Touch on the iPhone 13 Pro is fine and does the job - in most cases. However, the biggest drawback is the fact that it works only on the SPACEBAR, on the keyboard (to move the cursor) - in XS, on the entire keyboard, which is super inconvenient because I have to move again.

Second - Haptic Touch is dramatically slow compared to 3D Touch. In the Control Center, it takes forever to switch to the details view, even though this feature is set to "Fast". I will miss 3D Touch ...

One last flaw that nobody talks about - there is no option in iOS 15 to leave a regular photo after taking it. On the XS iPhone, I could have a normal photo and HDR photo in my library. Only HDR remains here, not every HDR photo looks good and it bothers me personally.

Of course, I will have time to get used to these elements above and it is possible that I will even forget about them, just like we forgot about the Touch ID button or the mini-jack. The taste and slight discomfort, however, is real.

Is it worth buying an iPhone 13 Pro?

The iPhone 13 Pro looks amazing and doesn't even need a golden color to "shine". The merit of this is stainless surgical steel, the structure itself, thick frames around the lenses and glass that looks like frost on its back. It is never worth using the so-called hard cases made of plastic or its admixtures. No hard elements will ever work well with steel, as they will scratch it. A soft holster, a pin, a cover, a silicone or a TPU case - only this will treat our smartphone well. Possibly TPU frames and backs, which can be harder.

However, the appearance is not everything - the smartphone must work well. The iPhone 13 Pro performs just like every iPhone I have had so far - it works fine where it used to be. I do not buy a pig in a poke, but a proven equipment, its next iteration, which will work the same - or actually better. I know this system, its possibilities and I know what needs it will fulfill. There are no dramatic surprises here, and no deep disappointments.

To anyone who has an iPhone 12, I would not recommend investing in 13 - it is definitely better to wait for 14. In turn, for iPhone 11 owners, the changes will be bigger, but it still seems not very clear - is it really worth abandoning 11 in favor of 13? The answer can be included in the well-known "it depends" - which is important to us:

That's basically it. Anyone who has an iPhone XS or older - will be positively satisfied with the change.

Final evaluation of the test [1-10]: 9.1

ADVANTAGES

DEFECTS