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Apple announced the iPhone 13 lineup on Tuesday, which includes the $699 iPhone 13 Mini, $799 iPhone 13, $999 iPhone 13 Pro and $1,099 iPhone 13 Pro Max. Preorders began on Friday and the phones will ship starting Sept. 24.
iPhone 13 Starts at $799
The standard iPhone 13 sports a 6.1-inch screen and two iPhone rear cameras. For 2021, Apple is pledging longer battery life, improved cameras and better durability versus the iPhone 12 rear camera. You can also snag the 13 Mini for $100 less.
iPhone 12 Starts at $699
iPhone 12 has a lot in common with the iPhone 13. They both have 5G support, a vibrant OLED 6.1-inch iPhone 12 screen display, a fast processor, great cameras and MagSafe accessory support. The biggest reasons to consider upgrading are the camera updates, especially for shooting video and the longer battery life.
If you don't need the longer battery life, the iPhone 12 is still a solid phone that runs fast, has great cameras, and is powered by Apple's speedy A14 Bionic chip. The iPhone 12 Mini remains available starting at $100 less.
iPhone 11 Starts at $499
Although it's not the latest chip, the iPhone 11's processor is still powerful enough to handle everyday tasks like taking photos, playing games and checking social media apps. Apple even put the same A13 Bionic chip in its new entry-level iPad, and it is another signal that this processor is still capable.
The iPhone 11 and 11 Pro phones also lack 5G support compared to the iPhone 12 and 13, but it's still a reliable phone with great value for the price. The iPhone 13 also has Apple's A15 Bionic processor, while the iPhone 11 family runs on Apple's two-year-old A13 Bionic processor.
The iPhone 13 also gets two extra hours of battery life when playing video compared to the iPhone 11, support for Apple's MagSafe accessories, and twice the storage capacity at the base level.
iPhone XS
The iPhone XS might be fine for those who don't care about having the fastest processor or sharpest camera. The iPhone XS battery is estimated to get 14 hours life during video playback, for example, while the iPhone 13 is rated for 19 hours.
The iPhone XS runs on Apple's A12 Bionic processor, which is still moderately fast and can be found in last year's entry-level iPad. iPhone 13 Mini is expected to last longer than the iPhone XS with an estimated 17 hours of battery life.
So should I buy a new one? There's no easy answer that applies to everyone, and purchasing decisions will always vary depending on budget, how well one's phone works right now and personal needs. Based to the above information, we believe you can make the right choice.
