Apple offered a split release schedule with the iPhone 12 lineup. The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro were released in October 2020 and the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max arrived for sale in November 2020. The iPhone 13, along with the iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max were all released at the same time, in September 2021.
The iPhone 12 family is the 14th generation in the iPhone lineup, and the iPhone 13 family is the 15th generation. The iPhone 13 family has some new and improved features as compared to the iPhone 12 family, but newer isn’t always necessary – especially if you’re hoping to pick up a cheap iPhone on a budget.
Continue reading to learn more about the differences and similarities between all of the models in the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups.
iPhone 12 vs iPhone 13
There are some differences between the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13, but they are not immediately noticeable. The color options are different between these two models, with the iPhone 12 being available in purple or green and the iPhone 13 is available in pink. Otherwise, they each are available in PRODUCT(RED), as well as shades of white, black, and blue.
Both phones feature 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR displays based on OLED panel tech for sharp text, excellent contrast, and vibrant colors. Both also offer 5G connectivity, Qi wireless, and MagSafe charging, fast wired charging, an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, and 4GB of RAM. These two models are also both identical in size and weight, though the iPhone 13 is a little heavier at 6.14 ounces versus 5.78 ounces for the iPhone 12.
| iPhone 12 | iPhone 13 | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.1″ Super Retina XDR | 6.1″ Super Retina XDR |
| Front Camera | 12MP TrueDepth | 12MP TrueDepth |
| Rear Camera | Dual 12MP ultra-wide and wide | Dual 12MP ultra-wide and wide |
| Processor | A14 Bionic chip (with 6-core CPU, 4-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine) | A15 Bionic chip (with 6-core CPU, 4-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine) |
| RAM | 4GB | 4GB |
| Storage | 64GB, 128GB, 256GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| 4G / 5G | Yes / Yes | Yes / Yes |
| Battery | 2,815 mAh (Rated for up to 17 hours for video playback) | 3,227 mAh (Rated for up to 19 hours for video playback) |
| Wireless Charging | MagSafe and Qi wireless | MagSafe and Qi wireless |
| Fast Charging | Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with 20W adapter | Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with 20W adapter |
| Size | 5.78″ (H) x 2.82″ (W) x 0.29″ (D) | 5.78″ (H) x 2.82″ (W) x 0.30″ (D) |
| Weight | 5.78 ounces | 6.14 ounces |
| Water Resistance | IP68 (maximum 6 meters up to 30 minutes) | IP68 (maximum 6 meters up to 30 minutes) |
| SIM | Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM) | Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM) |
| Colors | Blue, Green, White, Black, and PRODUCT(RED) | Pink, Blue, Midnight, Starlight, PRODUCT(RED) |
Two areas where the iPhone 13 stands out as compared to the iPhone 12 are battery life and internal storage space. The iPhone 13 has a larger battery, and as a result, the battery will provide a few extra hours. Apple bumped the base storage from 64GB to 128GB, and also increased the max storage capacity from 256GB on the iPhone 12 to 512GB on the iPhone 13. Of course, a newer iPhone also means a newer processor chip. The iPhone 13 is powered by the Apple A15 Bionic, which is a bit faster than the A14 Bionic chip powering the iPhone 12.
iPhone 12 vs iPhone 13: Camera
Apple tends to improve the camera setup with each new iPhone release, but in the case of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 – the improvements may not be as important for all users. These models each have a 12MP TrueDepth camera on the front with a dual 12MP wide and ultra-wide array on the back.
The aperture, optical zoom out, and digital zoom also lineup with the front-facing camera offering an f/2.2 aperture and the rear camera offering an f/1.6 aperture on the wide lens and an f/2.4 aperture on the ultra-wide lens. Both also offer key features such as Night mode and Deep Fusion.
The perks that you’ll get with the iPhone 13 camera include Photographic Styles and a Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field, which comes in at 1080p at 30 frames per second.
iPhone 12 mini vs iPhone 13 mini
If you’re looking for a small iPhone – the mini is the way to go. Overall, the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini are very similar. They both have the same exterior design and each share the same measurements. One deciding factor choosing between these two models could be in the available colors. They both are available in PRODUCT(RED), as well as a shade of blue, white, and black, but the 12 mini has a purple or green option and the 13 mini has a pink option available.
| iPhone 12 mini | iPhone 13 mini | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 5.4″ Super Retina XDR | 5.4″ Super Retina XDR |
| Front Camera | 12MP TrueDepth | 12MP TrueDepth |
| Rear Camera | Dual 12MP wide and ultra-wide | Dual 12MP wide and ultra-wide |
| Processor | A14 Bionic chip (with 6-core CPU, 4-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine) | A15 Bionic chip (with 6-core CPU, 4-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine) |
| RAM | 4GB | 4GB |
| Storage | 64GB, 128GB, 256GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| 4G / 5G | Yes / Yes | Yes / Yes |
| Battery | 2,227 mAh (Rated for up to 15 hours for video playback) | 2,406 mAh (Rated for up to 17 hours for video playback) |
| Wireless Charging | MagSafe and Qi Wireless | MagSafe and Qi Wireless |
| Fast Charging | Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with 20W adapter | Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with 20W adapter |
| Size | 5.18″ (H) x 2.53″ (W) x 0.29″ (D) | 5.18″ (H) x 2.53″ (W) x 0.30″ (D) |
| Weight | 4.76 ounces | 4.97 ounces |
| Water Resistance | IP68 (maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes) | IP68 (maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes) |
| SIM | Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM) | Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM) |
| Colors | Purple, Blue, Green, White, Black, PRODUCT(RED) | Pink, Blue, Midnight, Starlight, PRODUCT(RED) |
The other key area of improvement is the battery. Those who used an iPhone 12 mini often complained about the battery life, mainly because it wasn’t quite as good as the regular iPhone 12 – but Apple improved the battery on the iPhone 13 mini by increasing the battery size to 2.406 mAh, and as a result, increasing the video playback time from 15 hours on the 12 mini to 17 hours on the 13 mini.
iPhone 12 mini vs iPhone 13 mini: Camera
Similar to the iPhone 12 versus iPhone 13 comparison, the camera differences between the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini are minimal. The main difference between the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini cameras is the addition of Photographic Styles and a Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field on the 13 mini.
iPhone 12 Pro vs iPhone 13 Pro
Apple iPhone buyers tend to choose the Pro model if they are looking for a better camera. But simply looking for a better camera experience isn’t going to help you decide between the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro – the camera, and the specs overall, are quite similar.
But that isn’t to say the iPhone 13 Pro doesn’t have anything special to offer. For example, These two models each feature a 6.1” Super Retina XDR display with True Tone and HDR. But the iPhone 13 Pro also supports ProMotion technology with an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. This means significantly smoother scrolling and a much more fluid experience when gaming.
| iPhone 12 Pro | iPhone 13 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.1″ Super Retina XDR | 6.1″ Super Retina XDR with ProMotion |
| Front Camera | 12MP TrueDepth | 12MP TrueDepth |
| Rear Camera | Pro 12MP ultra-wide, wide, and telephoto | Pro 12MP ultra-wide, wide, and telephoto |
| Processor | A14 Bionic chip (with 6-core CPU, 4-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine) | A15 Bionic chip (with 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine) |
| RAM | 6GB | 6GB |
| Storage | 64GB, 256GB, 512GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| 4G / 5G | Yes / Yes | Yes / Yes |
| Battery | 2,815 mAh (Rated for up to 17 hours for video playback) | 3,095 mAh (Rated for up to 22 hours for video playback) |
| Wireless Charging | MagSafe and Qi wireless | MagSafe and Qi wireless |
| Fast Charging | Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with 20W adapter | Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with 20W adapter |
| Size | 5.78″ (H) x 2.82″ (W) x 0.29″ (D) | 5.78″ (H) x 2.82″ (W) x 0.30″ (D) |
| Weight | 6.66 ounces | 7.19 ounces |
| Water Resistance | IP68 (maximum 6 meters up to 30 minutes) | IP68 (maximum 6 meters up to 30 minutes) |
| SIM | Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM) | Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM) |
| Colors | Pacific Blue, Gold, Graphite, and Silver | Sierra Blue, Silver, Gold, Graphite |
The iPhone 13 Pro is powered by a newer Apple processor, the A15 Bionic chip with 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine. The other area of improvement is the battery life, which increases from up to 17 hours of video playback time on the iPhone 12 Pro to up to 22 hours on the iPhone 13 Pro. Otherwise, both the iPhone 12 Pro and 13 Pro offer options for 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB of storage, but the iPhone 13 Pro is also available in a 1TB storage option.
iPhone 12 Pro vs iPhone 13 Pro: Camera
The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro also share many of the same camera features. Both have a triple 12MP array on the back with a wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto lens, and both have a 12MP TrueDepth camera on the front.
The front-facing cameras each have an f/2.2 aperture, but there are some differences between the rear-facing camera setups. The iPhone 12 Pro has an f/1.6 aperture on the wide, an f/2.4 aperture on the ultra-wide, and an f/2.8 aperture on the telephoto. The iPhone 13 Pro rear camera also has a 3x optical zoom in, 6x optical zoom range, and up to 15x digital zoom, which is up from a 2x optical zoom in, 4x optical zoom range, and up to 10x digital zoom on the iPhone 12 Pro.
In addition, the iPhone 13 Pro also supports Photographic Styles, Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field, and ProRes video recording at up to 4k at 30 frames per second.
iPhone 12 Pro Max vs iPhone 13 Pro Max
The Pro Max is the model to choose if you simply want the biggest iPhone. The iPhone 12 Pro Max and 13 Pro Max are nearly identical in size, but the 13 Pro Max is a little heavier. They also each share many of the same display features. For example, they each have a 6.7” Super Retina XDR display with support for HDR and True Tone. But if you’re looking for a better display, you’ll want to choose the iPhone 13 Pro Max, which features ProMotion technology with adaptive refresh rates of up to 120Hz.
| iPhone 12 Pro Max | iPhone 13 Pro Max | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.7″ Super Retina XDR | 6.7″ Super Retina XDR with ProMotion |
| Front Camera | 12MP TrueDepth | 12MP TrueDepth |
| Rear Camera | Pro 12MP ultra-wide, wide, and telephoto | Pro 12MP ultra-wide, wide, and telephoto |
| Processor | A14 Bionic chip (with 6-core CPU, 4-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine) | A15 Bionic chip (with 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine) |
| RAM | 6GB | 6GB |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| 4G / 5G | Yes / Yes | Yes / Yes |
| Battery | 3,687 mAh (Rated for up to 20 hours for video playback) | 4,352 mAh (Rated for up to 28 hours for video playback) |
| Wireless Charging | MagSafe and Qi wireless | MagSafe and Qi wireless |
| Fast Charging | Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with 20W adapter | Up to 50% charge in 35 minutes with 20W adapter |
| Size | 6.33″ (H) x 3.07″ (W) x 0.29″ (D) | 6.33″ (H) x 3.07″ (W) x 0.30″ (D) |
| Weight | 8.03 ounces | 8.46 ounces |
| Water Resistance | IP68 (maximum 6 meters up to 30 minutes) | IP68 (maximum 6 meters up to 30 minutes) |
| SIM | Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM) | Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM) |
| Colors | Pacific Blue, Gold, Graphite, Silver | Sierra Blue, Silver, Gold, Graphite |
A few of the other key differences between the iPhone 12 Pro Max and the iPhone 13 Pro Max include up to 1TB of storage on the 13 Pro Max, and the newer and faster Apple A15 Bionic chip on the 13 Pro Max. The iPhone 13 Pro Max also has a much better battery life, with an estimated up to 28 hours of video playback time. In comparison, the iPhone 12 Pro Max offers up to 20 hours of video playback time.
iPhone 12 Pro Max vs iPhone 13 Pro Max: Camera
The other area of improvement you’ll notice when comparing the iPhone 12 Pro Max to the iPhone 13 Pro Max is the camera. The front-facing camera is a 12MP TrueDepth with an f/2.2 aperture on both models, and the rear-facing camera setups each include a 12MP wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto.
But moving away from those similarities, there are some differences when you take a more in-depth look. The rear-facing camera aperture goes from f/1.6 (wide), f/2.4 (ultra-wide), f/2.2 (telephoto) on the 12 Pro Max to f/1.5 (wide), f/1.8 (ultra-wide), f/2.8 (telephoto).
The iPhone 13 Pro Max also has some features that aren’t available on the iPhone 12 Pro Max. These features include Photographic Styles, Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field, and ProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 frames per second.
Having read this post, you’ve likely found yourself leaning towards something from the iPhone 12 family, or the iPhone 13 family. We hope you will be very happy with whichever model you choose, and that you’ve purchased it from Swappa – the safest marketplace for used tech. But if you’re still a little unsure, or find yourself wondering about something from a previous generation, such as the iPhone 11 family, you can read our in-depth iPhone 11 vs iPhone 12 comparison post, or tap the green button below to read Swappa’s iPhone Buyer’s Guide.
