First Impressions From New iPhone 13 and 13 Pro Owners

Thursday September 23, 2021 4:47 pm PDT by Juli Clover

It's already Friday, September 24 in Australia and New Zealand, and customers who purchased a new iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, or iPhone 13 Pro Max already have their new devices in hand. We've seen reviews of the new iPhone 13 models from media sites, but now first impressions from everyday Apple users are available.

iphone 13 pro hayden

Image via MacRumors Reader Hindsy

New iPhone 13 and 13 Pro owners are sharing their opinions on the MacRumors forums, and for those awaiting their own new iPhones or considering a purchase, impressions from average consumers provide useful insight.

MacRumors reader Hindsy, who shared several photos of his new Sierra Blue iPhone 13 Pro, said that the 120Hz display is "definitely noticeable" even for "an amateur like me."

MacRumors reader Chris got iPhone 13 models in pink and blue. The pink is "gorgeous" and a must-see in person, and the blue is lighter in person too. Cinematic Mode is "incredibly fluid and fast."

And of course this year’s blue lineup is absolutely stellar! The Sierra Blue is a lot lighter than you’d think in person. pic.twitter.com/LD6vf9T5gU — Chris (@megarangerblue) September 23, 2021

Chris also shared a great video demoing the live wallpapers on the new iPhones.

The Live wallpapers on the #iPhone13 and #iPhone13Pro are stunning! I’m excited for these to release. They are gorgeous phones. pic.twitter.com/eAmXk3ux1f — Chris (@megarangerblue) September 23, 2021

Boardiesboi, who shares his opinions on new iPhone models every year, said that the new iPhone 13 Pro Max doesn't feel heavier in the hands than the 12 Pro Max, even though there is a slight difference in weight. MagSafe does not appear to be stronger than last year.

He also said that the smaller notch is not that noticeable, and that the Sierra Blue color is "absolutely stunning" in person and looks quite different in different lighting situations.

Boardiesboi also shared a nice photo of the Sierra Blue color vs. the Pacific Blue color from last year for those who are interested in seeing the difference side-by-side.

Other impressions from new iPhone owners:

The iPhone 13 Pro display appears to be cooler than the iPhone 12 Pro display
The stainless steel edges of the Pro and Pro Max still show fingerprints
If you're used to the old notch, you can tell the new one is a little bit taller. But it still disappears into the background as you use the phone.

Have a new ‌iPhone 13 or 13 Pro? Let us know your thoughts and we'll add it to our impressions article.

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Top Rated Comments

tgwaste

67 months ago

The fact that you have to touch the screen to get the wallpaper animation to work is one of the most hilariously ridiculous things Apple has ever done. Its up there with the lightning connector on the Pencil.

Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Joe_

67 months ago

We don’t need a new outside design every single year. It’s the inside that counts.

Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)

cmaier

67 months ago

Does not take much to get these guys excited about dropping a grand on a new iPhone 13
Exterior colors and bright wallpaper.

I hear it's not much different from the 12.

Just some camera upgrades. a bigger battery and catchup on the 120 screen.

So you assume we all are upgrading from 12s and not older phones?

Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)

JGWolven

67 months ago

It’s nice. Extremely feminine as I saw it in person. The graphite is darker and very nice.

comments like these always make me lololol. Isn’t that such a random thing to say? Of all adjectives you could come up with you use “feminine”? Sierra Blue is the gateway to drag I guess!

Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)

BradLA

67 months ago

Since Apple finally got a 120hz screen in the pros, and the cameras seem to be much improved, I almost want one even though I’ve been super super critical of Apple lately. However, these colors just ruin it for me, I’ve been waiting for an actual black phone since the iPhone 7! The rumors said Apple was finally going to give us a black color to choose from, and instead we got a bunch of hideous pastels, gaudy gold, “silver” which looks like a dirty off white, and some color that looks like a kid colored it in with a pencil.

ironically, the non-pro iPhones actually come in black! I can’t think of any tool in the professional world, no matter what it may be that’s Barbie blue, nada. I wouldn’t care if they came in hot pink with purple polka dots as long as they also have options for those of us who don’t want a Barbie phone. The only one that looks decent is the silver, but again that isn’t black, so…

Apple needs to seriously fire its designers, what do they actually design anyways? The template they use was done by Jobs and Ive anyways, all they do is select the colors during pre-production. They need to hire someone like me, or anyone else that has some actual taste. 99.999% of people aren’t here on this forum and don’t care about pretending everything Apple does is the best thing ever. I hate to keep harping on it but if websites like this are going to push this narrative on us that these colors are “gorgeous” than there has to be some push back from the real world.

There’s simply no excuse for not having a black when even the iPhone mini comes in black!!

Gotta run, UPS just showed up with my new Snap-On pry bar set, got pastel blue to match my baby blue impact gun and socket set!!🦄

All this because there isn't a black iPhone 13 Pro? Holy ****.

Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)

severe

67 months ago

It’s the inside that counts.

This is what my mother's always told me. Still not sure how to interpret it. 🤷‍♂️

Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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First Impressions From New iPhone 13 and 13 Pro Owners

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