What do you want out of a new phone? As for me, the first thing is the upgraded battery life, and the second is an improved camera.
I am passionate about photography and often use my Sony a6400 to capture high-quality images. However, in recent years, phone photography has gained popularity, and I purchased an iPhone 13 in 2022 to replace my iPhone 7 Plus and to use it to capture exceptional photos. Fortunately, I continue to achieve the high-quality and sharp images I expect from my camera. Over the past two years, I have taken my iPhone 13 to various locations, producing remarkable and captivating photos. If you want a portable phone that excels in daily life photography, the iPhone 13 is a good and affordable choice. I am excited to share a real-world review of the iPhone 13.
Best iPhone
iPhone 13
Detailed Overview of Product
The iPhone 13 performs exceptionally well in good lighting conditions, producing sharp and detailed photos. Even in night mode or low-light situations, the iPhone 13 captures detailed images with balanced exposure. The phone’s low-light performance is awe-inspiring on the iPhone 13 screen. Apple’s computational photography advancements, combined with the various updates to the iPhone 13’s camera system, make the iPhone 13 stand out in different shooting conditions.
Pros
A good and affordable choice
A 13mm f/2.4 (equivalent) super wide-angle lens
Comes with a Photographic Profile
An excellent cinematic mode
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Cons
Still want a smaller notch
Selfie camera could be better
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At first glance, it is difficult to tell the difference between the iPhone 13 and its predecessors—the iPhone 13 series shares many features with the iPhone 12 lineup. The iPhone 12 comes with rounded edges and a flat-screen glass back, which could still be applied to the iPhone 13, so that’s not a big surprise. However, if you look closer at the iPhone 13, you will see some changes in its design and size. The iPhone 13 measures 5.78 inches tall and 2.81 inches wide, just like the iPhone 12, but it has improved in thickness by 0.30 inches.
Apple has also slightly shifted the power button to the right, meaning that iPhone 12 cases will not fit the iPhone 13. Another update to the iPhone 13 is the notch housing the Face ID and selfie camera, which has been shrunk by 20%. The last change is the bigger camera bump, allowing better camera performance. Compared to the iPhone 12, the iPhone 13 comes with the new A15 Bionic chip, which provides improved speed. One noticeable difference is that the base storage of the iPhone 13 is up to 128GB. The storage improvement is a significant benefit for all users, even though Apple introduced it later.
I hoped for a longer battery life because battery life concerns many photographers. The battery life of my last iPhone 7 Plus is not very good. For this iPhone 13, Apple made a significant improvement: A Bigger Battery. The iPhone 13 could make it a day on a single charge.
According to CNET’s testing, the standard iPhone 13 lasted 21 hours and 52 minutes when playing videos with the screen set at half brightness. During my testing, I found that my iPhone 13 lasted from 8 AM to 7 PM with 20% battery life remaining. That involved capturing and editing images with Google Snapshot. I had a hectic day of intensive photography, so the iPhone 13’s performance was impressive. But when you have a day of watching or recording videos, you must look for a charger. My takeaway from the regular iPhone 13 is based on the photographer’s preference and usage behavior: a bigger battery means capturing more exciting images.
The camera systems on the iPhone 13 have been upgraded, which means you could buy a good iPhone to replace your old iPhone and get the best photos. I suggest that a good iPhone should be within your budget. If you have a tight budget, previous iPhone models can also be great options. As for the camera system, the significant improvement on the iPhone 13 is the wide-angle camera. It features an equivalent focal length of 26mm and an f/1.6 aperture, resulting in impressive image quality. The iPhone 13 also has a 13mm f/2.4 (equivalent) super wide-angle lens. This lens allows you to capture even wider shots, which expands your creative possibilities.
I need to point out that The iPhone 13, with an improved camera system, is a phone for people who love taking amazing images in their daily lives. The iPhone 13 performs exceptionally well in good lighting conditions, producing sharp and detailed photos. Even in night mode or low-light situations, the iPhone 13 captures detailed images with balanced exposure. The phone’s low-light performance is awe-inspiring on the iPhone 13 screen. Apple’s computational photography advancements, combined with the various updates to the iPhone 13’s camera system, make the iPhone 13 stand out in different shooting conditions.
While testing the iPhone 13 in low-light conditions, including nighttime photography, I found reduced noise and improved dynamic range. The camera system of the iPhone 13 could enhance the darkness in darker areas while improving the brightness in brighter areas. In terms of color reproduction, the iPhone 13 maintains natural and well-saturated colors, representing the true colors of the scene.
I have used this iPhone 13 for almost two years and have taken many images. I can say that its camera system is truly exceptional. As phone photography has become popular over the past years, I have seen many phone brands make notable improvements to their camera systems to meet these expectations, including Apple. Therefore, the iPhone 13 has performed better in my testing.
In terms of the ultra-wide camera on the iPhone 13, there is no distinct difference compared to previous models. However, an exciting camera allows more light and elements into your images, resulting in excellent super wide-angle photos. However, the iPhone 13 lacks the telephoto lens that the iPhone 13 Pro has, which I could not try because of my limited budget. If you want to capture images with a telephoto lens at 3x optical zoom, the iPhone 13 Pro is worth trying. Apple has been consistently improving the video quality of its devices over the years. The iPhone 13 can capture unique and stable footage with sensor-shift optical image stabilization, even in low-light conditions.
iPhone 13 has introduced two camera modes: Photographic Profiles and Cinematic Mode. I’ll go into depth on these two features later so you can learn how they work well.
Photographic Profiles
Photographic Profile is an exciting feature integrated into the iPhone 13. It differs significantly from previous models, as they do not allow users to apply filters to alter the color and tone of captured images. Instead, all photos were processed using default settings (Photographic Profiles). The Photographic Profile feature operates through a sophisticated technology known as Smart HDR. This advanced technology enables users to capture multiple images with varying exposures and intelligently combine them into a single, final image. According to The Verge’s review, Smart HDR consists of two parts of processes. The first part involves managing and fine-tuning elements like white balance, color, and contrast. The second part is to recognize and analyze different elements in the images, such as people, trees, and more. This advanced technology has proven invaluable and outstanding when applied in real-world situations.
The photographic profile comes with Standard, Rich Contrast, Vibrant, Warm, and Cool. Each option has its characters and a slider that allows users to set their image between tones and warmth.
The resulting images are excellent if you adjust the profile before taking the shot. Unlike filters, the photographic profiles don’t apply color and tone adjustments to the entire picture. The iPhone can recognize elements like grass, sky, and people and adjust the colors based on their preferences. This means you won’t end up with images that have weird colors. (I love “Rich Cool”).
Cinematic Mode
Another notable feature of the iPhone 13 is its cinematic mode, which shares functional and capability similarities with the portrait mode. With the cinematic mode, the iPhone 13 can focus on people and the main subject while blurring the surrounding elements, akin to taking portrait photos. However, like the portrait mode, the cinematic mode does have certain limitations. It may struggle to produce optimal footage in low-light conditions, reducing sharpness and less accurate color reproduction. Additionally, it only supports 1080p at 30fps. If you primarily use the iPhone to record high-quality films or focus solely on vlogs for social media uploads, the iPhone 13 remains your best phone choice.
Image Quality
While the image quality of the iPhone 13 may not rival that of dedicated digital cameras, it still excels compared to other smartphones in its class. As someone who previously used an iPhone 7 Plus in 2016 and now owns an iPhone 13, I have been consistently impressed by their ability to retain intricate image details effectively. This is particularly significant as I highly value preserving fine details in my photos, allowing for seamless and effective editing in Photoshop. Now, let’s delve into the performance of the iPhone 13.
Night mode is not new and has been available on various iPhone models. In the iPhone 13, Night mode offers the flexibility of manual adjustment according to your preferences, or it can automatically activate when the device detects low-light conditions. When Night mode is active, a small moon icon will appear at the top of the phone, indicating its activation. Using a tripod to stabilize your phone is generally advisable to capture detailed images in low-light conditions. This helps prevent any slight movement or shake resulting in blurry photos.
Regarding the portrait mode, it’s clear that many people are using this feature to capture and share exciting images on social media platforms. Although not a new feature, the Portrait mode remains widely popular among individuals. With its quick focus locking and background blurring capabilities, the Portrait mode shares similarities with the newly introduced cinematic mode on the iPhone 13. Some may argue that capturing portrait photos using a dedicated digital camera offers superior performance compared to the iPhone 13. However, I firmly believe that the iPhone 13 is an exceptional camera within the smartphone industry, considering its portability, user-friendly interface, and affordability. In practical use, the iPhone 13 excels at capturing people and main subjects with distinct and well-defined outlines, which is one of the features I appreciate most.
In conclusion, the iPhone 13 is a notable upgrade from its previous models, offering significant differences and updates. For those with a limited budget who want to replace an iPhone 11 or older model, the iPhone 13 is a solid choice. It boasts improved battery life and an enhanced camera, making it a worthwhile investment.
Different individuals may have other priorities when purchasing a phone. However, if capturing exceptional images is your primary goal, it is essential to prioritize factors such as battery life and camera quality. You can select the iPhone that best suits your photography needs by focusing on these critical aspects. While the iPhone 13 may not be the absolute top-tier iPhone in the Apple series, it is currently the most recommended choice.
Sample Images (All images are edited by Snapseed
