Will Sir Apfelot buy the new Apple iPhone 13?

Buy iPhone 13 - yes or no?

I know that some readers always ask me after the keynote whether I can recommend this or that product. Special attention is usually paid to the iPhone. I was not sure about the iPhone 12 either, so I got the “small” iPhone 12 Pro and then switched to the larger iPhone 12 Pro Max because it has the better camera.

How I decide this year and, above all, why I choose, I would like to tell you briefly here.

Technical data of the iPhone models? Let's drop under the table ...

I know my fellow writer John a detailed article with the corresponding “specs” will be provided here for every new Apple product from this keynote. For this reason, I do not want to go into the technical data of the various iPhone 13 models in detail.

We know this much: Every iPhone 13 model is faster than the previous model and has more CPU and GPU power, requires less power, has an even better screen and the camera is also even more “amazing” than last year. Bottom line: “the best iPhone we have ever built”. So even better, more colorful, brighter, more durable and faster than the last iPhone.

But hey, my iPhone Xs already had so much CPU and GPU power that it already put its feet up in 3D games that render dust particles in the air out of sheer boredom. What more computing power do I need?

The new camera module should be the decisive factor again this year for me to get a new iPhone 13 Pro Max (graphic: Apple).
Can the new camera module be the decisive factor again this year when I get a new iPhone 13 Pro Max? (Graphic: Apple)

More CPU power? For the feet ...

I neither cut my ProRes video data on the iPhone nor do I mine for cryptocurrency. Usually I surf the web, answer emails or watch a YouTube video. And when things get really tough, I'll play some game. But with that, my need for iPhone computing power is more than covered.

I think 90 percent of the other iPhone users feel the same way. So if you're not still on an iPhone X or lower, you don't really need a new iPhone for speed reasons.

Better display? Nice to have, but not more ...

Ok, this year the display has been improved again. The Pro models now even have “Promotion”, ie 120 Hz in the display, which will make scrolling websites and other things noticeably smoother. In addition, it is brighter and easier to read in the sun and it can withstand more than the old display.

All nice things that I like to take with me, but I don't buy a new model for that. The 60 Hz of the current iPhone 12 display seems fluid enough to me personally, but maybe I never want to go back to 60 Hz after seeing promotion. Wait, my iPad Pro HAS a promotion ... what can I say ... I didn't even notice it.

Compatibility with the 5G network is less important here in the country - here you can be happy if there is no dead zone somewhere and LTE is virtually the winner in the lottery. Sometimes shown exaggerated. ;-)
Compatibility with the 5G network is less important here in the country - here you can be happy if there is no dead zone somewhere and LTE is virtually the winner in the lottery. Sometimes shown exaggerated. ;-)

5G - definitely great for people in the city

Apple has been promoting 12G since the iPhone 5. Let me say this much: Until recently, where I lived there wasn't even DSL ... Now we (supposedly) have a fiber optic cable here, but that's all. When I look at the display in my iPhone 12 Pro Max, I have never noticed a 5G in the display around here. I'm afraid by the time it gets here in the country, the people in town will already have the Internet from space by Elon Musk.

So for me 5G is no reason either. In addition, the iPhone 12 already has this radio band.

But I've heard from townspeople that it's pretty nice when huge data is on the iPhone with the snap of a finger. That takes a little longer with LTE.

New camera, larger sensor and macro mode

I have to admit, they really got me in macro mode. You can use such practical additional lenses as the LilScope on the iPhone and take impressive macro shots, but I don't have them in my pocket enough.

And I have to admit that macro photography has always been a weakness of the iPhone so far. Even if you took photos with the telephoto lens, you could never get really close because the iPhone could no longer focus on the subject.

Thanks to the universal attachment, the LilScope macro lenses fit any iPhone and of course any other smartphone with a camera (photos: Sir Apfelot).
Thanks to the universal attachment, the LilScope macro lenses fit any iPhone and of course any other smartphone with a camera - and the iPhone 13 models too (photos: Sir Apfelot).

So my workaround was always to take a photo with the telephoto lens and then crop the image so that the beetle or flower came out big. Of course, a lot of resolution is lost in the process, which in turn was not so great for the image quality.

With a macro photography mode my problems would all be solved and I could take nice macro photos on walks without additional lenses.

What's more: The camera module of the iPhone 13 has been completely redesigned and now has not only larger lenses, but also a larger sensor. This allows you to take even better pictures in poor lighting conditions and apparently even take pictures of the Milky Way with the Pro model.

In my previous macro shots, there is always a lack of details - here is an older photo that I took with my iPhone Xs.
In my previous macro shots, there is always a lack of details - here is an older photo that I took with my iPhone Xs.

This enlargement of the sensor is also a point that speaks for the new Pro model for me. I take all the photos for my blog and also for my private photo collection with the iPhone and every time I switch to a newer iPhone I notice how much better the photos are. If I now look at the pictures on my iPhone Xs compared to those on my iPhone 12 Pro Max, there are actually worlds in between.

With mine Photo comparison between the iPhone Xs and the iPhone 12 Pro camerabut the differences were less clear. So if you go just a generation further, the camera upgrade may be less noticeable.

Bad eyes, big display, iPhone 13 Pro Max

With the iPhone 12 Pro Max, I was initially concerned about the size. The phone is almost the size of a bar of chocolate and is therefore a neat thing in your pocket. However, I never noticed that negatively.

You have to get used to clamping your iPhone in the holder when you sit down in the car, otherwise you really won't have any fun sitting.

You should also take the large iPhone out of your back pocket when you go to the toilet (of course when you are seated!), Because it will definitely slip out. In the worst case, it ends up in the bowl and that is - depending on when it is immersed - not particularly tasty.

So once you get used to the fact that you prefer to take it out of your pocket on certain occasions, then there is not much that bothers about the size, because when walking and standing I don't notice it more or less than any other iPhone model .

Thanks to the Ceramic Shield, the iPhone display should be able to withstand more than ever. For me, the size of the display is more important, but I like to take the Ceramic Shield with me.
Thanks to the Ceramic Shield, the iPhone display should be able to withstand more than ever. For me, the size of the display is more important, but I like to take the Ceramic Shield with me.

I tried it again with the iPhone 12 Pro (not Max) last year, but I have to say that the larger display of the Pro Max suits my ailing eyes very much. The font on websites is therefore pleasantly large and you can see a lot more with films than with the small model.

From my personal point of view, all of this speaks in favor of an iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Sir Apfelot takes the iPhone 13 Pro Max - probably

The new camera system is definitely - once again - the crucial point for me to get a new iPhone. However, when I look at what my favorite iPhone 13 Pro Max model with 256 GB of storage costs (1369 EUR!), Then a few doubts arise.

Ultimately, I can justify it by saying that I have a blog about Apple products and therefore have to have at least one of the new iPhone models in hand, but if I had to decide from the perspective of a private person, the cost of the iPhone 13 Pro Max can not "use" commercially, then I would probably sit out the iPhone 13.

My dream model - the iPhone 13 Pro Max with 256 GB - costs a whopping 1369 EUR - no small thing, but for me the iPhone is a constant companion in which I like to invest.
My dream model - the iPhone 13 Pro Max with 256 GB - costs a whopping 1369 EUR - no small thing, but for me the iPhone is a constant companion in which I like to invest.

It depends, of course, on what personal value the iPhone has for you. For me it is an everyday tool that is definitely worth the price to me. But if you have to pay attention to the money and can still get along well with your iPhone X or Xs, you should perhaps stick with it.

When switching from an old model, you will probably notice the biggest difference in the camera. And if the camera wasn't important to me because I take all the photos with a “real” camera, then I wouldn't be interested in upgrading to a new iPhone.

Do you choose the new iPhone 13?

Do you have questions because you can't decide which model to choose? Or should you even buy a new iPhone? Then please leave a comment.

I will probably get the iPhone 13 Pro Max and then I can tell you how I feel about the upgrade from the 12 Pro Max. But I would be happy to help you if you want to know something about the device. But remember, I'll get it on at the earliest 24.9.2021. ;-)

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11 Responses to "Will Sir Apfelot buy the new Apple iPhone 13?"

  1. No, the differences to the 12 Pro are so small for me that I don't see any advantage for myself in daily use. Apple would give me 12 for my 256 Pro with 575GB. With other buyers I would get maybe 700, - (?), But 669 euros for one year of use? No thank you.

    I take photos with the iPhone when I don't have my Fuji X system with me. So there is always an opportunity. Of course, the new camera unit of the new 13 Pro would also appeal to me. But for “serious” photos I take my Fuji and one of the 10 lenses.

    So for a new iPhone I take at least another year off.

    1. Yes, the prices that Apple offers for their old iPhone are really more. :) I prefer to knock it off to another dealer and pay the full price at Apple. And of course, no iPhone can compete with a Fuji X system camera in terms of photo quality. But I've tried a system camera and I don't even have that with me on the way. : D Just got stuck on iPhone photography.

  2. I can only agree with my two outposts. There are no differences that would justify a change from 12 to 13. And if we are completely honest, there cannot be such decisive innovations in the camera that justify the change, especially at this price.

    I prefer to wait for an iPhone that is really worth it.

  3. Hello, Jens!
    I will not switch. I have been using my iPhones for 3 years before I switch. I am currently using the 12 Pro Max. Completely sufficient for me. A real head start in the camera sector of the iPhone Pro models would be the periscope lenses supposedly in the Apple pipeline. I am waiting for that. That could be a real breakthrough. I won't buy anything new until 2023.
    Greetings Volker

    1. Hello Volker! Thanks for your feedback. I can absolutely understand the three years of waiting. As a private user, I would probably endure that too. Periscope lenses don't sound bad. So basically a kink in the optics to create longer focal lengths?

  4. Hi Jens!
    Exactly. A kink in the optics. There has been something like this before in the field of compact cameras from Olympus. Was very innovative because the focal lengths achieved with it required little space in depth. For an iPhone it would mean that the lens is installed parallel to the battery along the long side and then opens backwards at a 90 degree angle via a periscope. I think that this still needs development time, since a mechanism, however, is also needed to change the focal length.
    Greetings Volker

    1. Sounds pretty exciting though! And it's definitely something that falls apart when you screw your iPhone to the motorcycle. : D

  5. hello,
    I'm thinking between the normal 12 and the normal 13.
    actually the 12er is enough for me from a technical point of view, but since the price difference is “only” 100€ at the moment, I’m already thinking about it. or will the prices of the 12 fall again in the near future?
    many greetings

    1. If the photo function is not so important to you, I would probably stay with the 12 series. The prices - especially for the iPhone 12 used devices from dealers - are likely to fall significantly in the next few weeks. If you can, I would wait another 4-6 weeks to buy the iPhone 12.

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