The iPhone 13 is here, and although aesthetically all the models are very similar to their predecessors, almost identical, the changes that these new phones bring are important and we tell you about them here.
The new Apple smartphone is here, and this year is where the changes happen inside. Aesthetically it can lead to think that we are facing the same smartphone, although there are also small variations that we must take into account, but the changes are mainly in the "interior". Do not be confused with the external appearance, because the news affects such important parts of the phone as the screen, battery and camera, especially the camera. This year our analysis of the iPhone 13 Pro Max focuses on these improvements so that you know exactly what this new terminal offers you.
Design and Specifications
Apple has kept the same design of the iPhone 12 for the iPhone 13, to the point that many talk about an iPhone 12s. Absurd discussions aside, it is true that the new phone is difficult to differentiate with the naked eye from the one launched a year ago, with its straight edges, its completely flat screen and the camera module with the three lenses placed in that characteristic triangular arrangement. There's a new color, Sierra Blue, and the three classic colors are maintained: gold, silver and graphite, the latter is the one we show in this article.
The button layout, mute switch, and lightning connector between speaker and microphone are the same. The thickness of the terminal has been minimally increased (0,02cm more than the iPhone 12 Pro Max) and its weight as well (12 grams more for a total of 238 grams). They are priceless changes when you have it in hand. The water resistance (IP68) also remains unchanged.
Of course there has been an improvement in the processor that it carries, the new A15 Bionic, more powerful and efficient than the A14 Bionic of the iPhone 12. It is not going to be something that you are going to notice either, because the "old" processor still works very easily and is more than enough for the use of applications or games, even the most demanding. The RAM, which Apple never specifies, remains unchanged with its 6GB. The storage options start at 128GB, the same as last year, but this year we have a new "Top" model that reaches up to 1TB of capacity, something that will interest few because of its price and because it is not really necessary for the vast majority of users.
120Hz display
Apple has dubbed it Super Retina XDR Display Pro Motion. Behind this sonorous name we have an excellent OLED screen that maintains the same size of 6,7 ”, with the same resolution but that includes an improvement that we have been waiting for a long time: 120Hz refresh rate. This means that the animations and transitions will be much more fluid. The problem that this new screen faces is that the animations on iOS are already very fluid, so at first glance they may not notice much, but it shows, especially when unlocking the device and all the icons "fly" to the desktop of your phone.
Apple has brought its Pro Motion screen (it's what she calls 120Hz) to the iPhone, some will think that it was time, but it has done it in a simply great way that affects not only how you see the screen but also includes very positively on drums. The refresh rate of this screen varies from 10Hz when no more is needed (for example when viewing a static photograph) to 120Hz when necessary (when scrolling on a web, in animations, etc.). If the iPhone was always with 120Hz, in addition to being unnecessary, the autonomy of the terminal would be greatly diminished, so Apple has opted for this dynamic control that varies depending on the needs of the moment, and it is a success.
There has also been a change that many of us expected: the size of the notch has been reduced. For this, the headset has been moved up, just to the edge of the screen, and the size of the facial recognition module has been reduced. The difference is not huge, but it is noticeable, although it is of little use (at least for now). Apple could (should) have chosen to add something else in the status bar, but the reality is that you continue or see the same icons for battery, WiFi, time coverage and at most location services. We cannot add the battery percentage, for example. A wasted space that we will see if future updates fix.
The last change on the screen is less noticeable: a typical brightness of 1000 nits, compared to 800 nits of the other previous models, maintaining a maximum brightness of 1200 nits when viewing HDR content. I do not notice changes when I see the screen in broad daylight on the street, it still looks very good, like the one on the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
An unbeatable battery
Apple has achieved what seemed difficult to achieve, that the excellent battery of the iPhone 12 Pro Max is vastly improved by that of the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Much of the fault is the screen, with that dynamic refresh rate that I told you before, the new A15 processor also influences, more efficient as every year, but without a doubt the main differentiating element is the larger battery. The new iPhone 13 Pro Max has a battery with a capacity of 4.352mAh, compared to the 3.687mAh of the iPhone 12 Pro Max. All the models of this year see an increase in the battery, but the one that has achieved the most increase is precisely the largest of the family.
If the iPhone 12 Pro Max was in the Top of autonomy, beating the competition terminals with larger batteries, this iPhone 13 Pro Max is going to set the bar very high. I've had the new iPhone in my hands for a very short time, long enough to see that I arrive at the end of the day with much more battery than before. I need to put it to the test on those demanding days in which the 12 Pro Max did not reach the end of the day due to very intensive use, but it looks like this 13 Pro Max will hold up perfectly.
Better photos, especially in low light
I said it at the beginning, where Apple has put the rest has been in the camera. This larger module that prevents last year's covers from serving us this year more than compensates for this inconvenience. Apple has improved each of the three camera lenses, telephoto, wide-angle, and ultra-wide angle. Larger sensors, larger pixels and larger aperture in the last two, with a zoom that goes from 2,5x to 3x. What does this translate to? In which we get better photographs, which are especially noticeable in low light. The camera on the iPhone 13 Pro Max has improved so much in low light that there are times when the night mode jumps on the iPhone 12 Pro Max and not on the iPhone 13 Pro Max, because you don't need it. By the way, now all three lenses allow night mode.
Apple also includes a new feature called "Photographic styles". Tired of iPhone capturing “flat” photos? Well now you can change how your phone's camera behaves, so that it captures snapshots with higher contrast, brighter, warmer or colder. The styles are predefined, but you can modify them to your liking, and once you set a style it will remain selected until you change it again. These profiles cannot be used if you capture photos in RAW format. And finally Macro mode, which takes care of the ultra wide angle, which allows you to capture images of objects located 2 centimeters from the camera. It is something that happens automatically when you get close, and although at first I thought it was not going to give much, the truth is that it leaves you very curious snapshots.
There is only one thing that I did not like about this change in the camera: the increased telephoto zoom. It is the lens commonly used for portrait mode, and I liked having a 2,5x zoom better than the new 3x because I have to zoom out further to get some photos, and sometimes it's not possible. It will be a matter of getting used to it.
Photos app icon with Macro mode
ProRes Video and Cinema Mode
The iPhone has always been the Top when it comes to video recording. All the changes in the camera that I have mentioned for the photos are reflected in the video recording, as is obvious, but also Apple has added two new features, one that will affect most users little, and another that will give a lot of yes, sure. The first is the recording ProRes, a codec that resembles a "RAW" format in which professionals will be able to edit the video with all the information it includes, but that should not affect the normal user at all. In fact, what it affects is that 1 minute ProRes 4K occupies 6GB of space, so if you don't need it, better leave it disabled.
The Cinematic Mode is quite fun, and with a little preparation and training, it will give you good results. It is like Portrait Mode but in video, although its operation is different. When you use this mode, the video recording is limited to 1080p 30fps, and in return what you get is that the video focuses on the main subject and blurs the rest. The iPhon does this automatically, focusing on the viewer, and changing depending on whether new objects enter the plane. You can also do it manually while recording, or later by editing the video on your iPhone. It has its flaws, and it should be improving, but it must be recognized that it is fun and offers very striking results.
A very important change
The new iPhone 13 Pro Max represents a very important change compared to the previous generation in aspects as relevant to a smartphone as the battery, the screen and the camera. To this must be added the usual changes of all years, with the new A15 Bionic processor that will beat all the benchmarks there and to be. It will seem that you are carrying the same iPhone in your hand, but the reality is that this iPhone 13 Pro Max is very different, even if others do not notice. If that is a problem for you, you should wait for a design change next year, but if you want to have an iPhone much better than the previous one, the change is justified.
Taking the photos like this with the two iPhones side by side you have unknowingly achieved EXCELLENT stereoscopic 3D photographs. I have been taking all my photos in 3D for years, and one of the ways is to use two cameras, another is with the same mobile or camera to take two photos a few centimeters apart as if you had put another mobile next to it -only valid for landscapes in which you do not there is movement, or also another way is using i3DMovieCam, which uses the two lenses of the iPhone that are aligned (in the pro the normal and the zoom, in the 12 and 11 that are not pro the normal and the ultra wide angle, etc. .), by the way this last App also allows you to record video in 3D ... And with higher quality than any other 3D camera including the 3D1 or the recent Lume Pad.