iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max will begin arriving to customers and launch in stores this Friday, September 24, and ahead of time, reviews of the devices have now been shared by several tech websites and YouTube channels.

iphone 13 pro review the verge

Image Credit: The Verge

Key features across the iPhone 13 lineup include a faster A15 Bionic chip, camera improvements, longer battery life, and a smaller notch. The two Pro models also feature a ProMotion display with a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz, up to 1TB of storage, and additional camera features like Night mode portraits and ProRes video recording.

The only differences between the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max relate to their respective 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch display sizes, battery life, and the weight of the devices, as the Pro and Pro Max have identical camera systems this year.



We've already rounded up unboxing videos of the devices, and we've shared some highlights from written reviews below.

ProMotion

The Verge's Dieter Bohn said Apple did an "excellent job" with its implementation of a ProMotion display on iPhone 13 Pro models. While previous iPhones are limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, ProMotion enables iPhone 13 Pro models to have an adaptive refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz depending on the type of content that is displayed on the screen, resulting in smoother appearing content while watching videos, gaming, and scrolling text.

When I scroll on the iPhone 13 Pro, the text stays readable instead of turning into a blur. Things moving on the screen are smoother. It feels more like a direct interaction with my finger because the iPhone can literally change its refresh rate to match my movement.

Longer Battery Life

The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern said all four iPhone 13 models last at least an hour longer than the equivalent iPhone 12 models.

In my daily use, all four of the models lasted at least an hour longer than their predecessors. The Pro Max could easily go until the next day. If you want to stretch battery life further, you can turn off 5G. (Power savings aside, it's a fun experiment to see how little 5G really adds to the smartphone experience right now.)

Stern did recommend that customers consider replacing the battery in their current iPhone if they are experiencing shorter battery life, as that would certainly be a more economical option than upgrading to a brand new iPhone.

Cameras

CNET's Patrick Holland was particularly impressed with the new Cinematic mode, which is available on all four iPhone 13 models.

All of the iPhones 13 get a new feature called Cinematic mode. It uses the rear cameras or the True Depth camera array to create a 1,080p video at 30fps. What makes the video compelling is that everything but your subject is out of focus. The iPhone can even execute a rack focus from one subject to another. The effect is dramatic and impressive.

Holland did note that Cinematic mode needs a good amount of light to work best. If conditions are too dark, users are notified to turn the iPhone's flash on.

A15 Bionic

As we saw in early benchmark results, the A15 Bionic chip in iPhone 13 models is around 10-15% faster compared to the A14 Bionic chip in the iPhone 12 lineup. CNET's Patrick Holland shared a chart with Geekbench 5 scores for comparison.

cnet geekbench 5 iphone 13

More Reviews

MacRumors will have our own hands-on iPhone 13 review in an upcoming video, so be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Related Roundup: iPhone 13 Pro
Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

kylelerner Avatar
20 months ago
I’ll be turning off 5G once I get an iPhone equipped with it. Most insane marketing hype for a new technology ever.

Not once in my life have I felt that LTE wasn’t sufficient enough. So, I’ll take the battery savings, thank you very much.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dmylrea Avatar
20 months ago

So this is all hype?


The hype is, what exactly do you need 665Mbps for on a smartphone? As @kylelerner said, LTE has pretty much always been fast enough to do what people do with smartphones.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kahkityoong Avatar
20 months ago
What the hell was going through their minds when the Verge made that photo for the review? Looks like an alien vomited on the wall.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Superhappytree Avatar
20 months ago

So, better display, better camera, better battery life, better SoC...
What more can you want from an upgrade?!
This is a rock solid smartphone, while samsung fold its the opposite - a fragile starter smartphone
People expect WAY too much from smartphones these days as if we’re still in the early to mid 2010s when upgrades were only significant because there was still a lot of features to include and improve upon, but now we’ve reached a point where you can only improve upon the little things.

Sure, it would be nice if we had no notch and TouchID under the display which are coming but apart from that there is nothing more to be done really. People’s minds are still stuck in that 2010s innovative timeframe and they expect the same unrealistic big changes today when they have already been implemented back then. iPhones and phones in general are ‘boring’ now because there is nothing more to add to them. Save for the couple of features I pointed out above the ‘innovation’ that everyone is craving is done and I have no idea why they can’t see that.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
The Game 161 Avatar
20 months ago
MKBHD said on his 13 pro he was at 5 hours screen time with like 50% left
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ghsDUDE Avatar
20 months ago
I really want the 13 Pro Max battery…but I go jogging with my phone in my pocket and that has to feel like a brick.

Really hoping the 13 Pro battery is better than 12 Pro…13 Pro is perfect size for me, just need better battery life.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17 on Phone Feature

Gurman: iOS 17 to Provide Several 'Most Requested Features'

Sunday March 26, 2023 6:05 am PDT by
Apple changed the strategy for iOS 17 later in its development process to add several new features, suggesting that the update may be more significant than previously thought, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. In January, Gurman said that iOS 17 could be a less significant update than iPhone updates in previous years due to the company's intense focus on its long-awaited mixed-reality...
iOS 16

iOS 16.4 Will Add These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday March 26, 2023 8:06 am PDT by
Following nearly six weeks of beta testing, iOS 16.4 is expected to be released to the public as soon as this week. The software update includes a handful of new features and changes for the iPhone 8 and newer. To install an iOS update, open the Settings app on the iPhone, tap General → Software Update, and follow the on-screen instructions. Below, we have recapped eight new features and...
apple mixed reality headset concept by david lewis and marcus kane

Some Apple Employees Seriously Concerned About Mixed-Reality Headset as Announcement Draws Closer

Sunday March 26, 2023 8:25 am PDT by
Some Apple employees are concerned about the usefulness and price point of the company's upcoming mixed-reality headset, The New York Times reports. Apple headset concept by David Lewis and Marcus Kane Initial enthusiasm around the device at the company has apparently become skepticism, according to eight current and former Apple employees speaking to The New York Times. The change of tone...
Steve Jobs Theater dusk

Apple Reportedly Demoed Mixed-Reality Headset to Executives in the Steve Jobs Theater Last Week

Sunday March 26, 2023 5:53 am PDT by
Apple showcased its mixed-reality headset to the company's top 100 executives in the Steve Jobs Theater last week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that the "momentous gathering" is a "key milestone" ahead of the headset's public announcement planned for June. The event was intended to rally Apple's top members of...
top stories 25mar2023

Top Stories: iPhone 15 Pro Design Leak, iOS 16.4 Coming Soon, and More

Saturday March 25, 2023 6:00 am PDT by
We're still almost six months away from the official unveiling of the iPhone 15 lineup, but it seems like every day we're learning more about what to expect from the next-generation models. Notably, this week gave us our clearest look yet at what appear to be some changes for the volume and mute control hardware. iOS 16.4 and associated releases are also right around the corner with some new ...
iOS 16

Apple Releases iOS 16.4 With New Emoji, Safari Web Push Notifications, Beta Changes, Voice Isolation for Calls and More

Monday March 27, 2023 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 16.4, the fourth major update to the iOS 16 operating system that initially came out last September. iOS 16.4 comes two months after the launch of iOS 16.3, an update that added Security Keys for Apple ID. iOS 16‌.4 and iPadOS 16.4 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. It can take a few minutes...
Hero0009

Best Apple Deals of the Week: Samsung's Smart Monitor M8 Gets Massive $250 Discount, Along With Year's Best AirPods Prices

Friday March 24, 2023 10:23 am PDT by
We saw a lot of great deals on Apple products and related accessories this week, including Samsung's iMac-like Smart Monitor M8 for $250 off, a 30 percent off spring sale at Anker, and the year's best prices on numerous AirPods models. All of these deals are still available to purchase right now, so we're recapping them and more below. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these ...
dynamic island

iPhone 15 Dynamic Island to Include New Integrated Proximity Sensor

Friday March 24, 2023 12:27 am PDT by
This year, all iPhone 15 models will include Apple's Dynamic Island that unifies the pill and hole cutouts at the top of the display, but there will also be a material change to the feature that wasn't included in the iPhone 14 Pro models. According to a new tweet by Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the proximity sensor on the iPhone 15 series will be integrated inside the Dynamic Island ...