Apple iPhone 13 Pro review

Competition

So, what if you're looking for a high-end phone that is also compact? It turns out your options aren't all that many, and the iPhone 13 Pro might just breeze through comparisons with ease, only pulled back by its steep price.

The Galaxy S21 easily wins on that front, saving you roughly $200/€350 (from reputable retailers, possibly more if you're adventurous). The Samsung is also tangibly lighter, so if not just size but also weight is a top priority, the iPhone loses once more.

The 13 Pro is more of a status symbol than the somewhat nondescript S21, and the Galaxy's plastic back isn't screaming 'premium' either. While each will perform splendidly as a cameraphone, the different image processing approaches aren't quantifiable and will polarize people. Such is the case with the OS divide as well. Ultimately, it takes a special kind of person to be faced with this dilemma in the first place, but the Galaxy does have objective pros in the numbers - the ones we started with.

Another compact top-tier handset that you can get for a bit less than the 13 Pro in Europe (though not as cheap as the Galaxy), the Xperia 5 III is slimmer and lighter than the iPhone, appealing to your quest for pocketability. The Sony also boasts legacy goodies like a headphone jack and a microSD slot - you know who you are, if those put a smile on your face. Even as we write this, we realize this bout is even more theoretical than the previous one, though.

Samsung Galaxy S21 5G • Sony Xperia 5 III • Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max • Apple iPhone 13

Realistically, it's probably one of the other iPhones you'll be comparing the 13 Pro against, and things are pretty clear-cut there. The 13 Pro Max will get you longer battery life (longest ever on an iPhone) and a bigger display for a $100/€100 premium, which is a marginal difference when you've already conceded spending 13 Pro money. The iPhone 13 non-Pro, meanwhile, will save you a more meaningful $200/€250, for which you'll have to part with both close-up photos and zoom capability, but you'll shave 30g off your EDC.

Verdict

With the newfound parity between the two Pro model sizes resulting in a shared camera system, the small Pro is suddenly in a position to be the iPhone of choice for more people than what the 12 was equipped to. While last year you had to go Max to get the ultimate cameras Apple offered, in 2021, it's only decided by dimensions and, somewhat consequently, battery life.

The iPhone 13 Pro may not last as long as the Max, but it's still an upgrade over the 12 Pro, and it's better in some ways than the main competitor across the OS divide. And when it comes to deciding between screen estate and pocketability, the latter wins in surprisingly many cases among ourselves.

With these being the only two points that set the 13 Pros apart, it also means they have common faults. Charging isn't overly fast; even on this small battery, the excessively powerful chipset can be quick to throttle, and the 120Hz refresh rate is yet to gain universal third-party support. And for its reasonable size, the 13 Pro sure is hefty.

But most of those cons have their counterpoints. Despite the weight, the phone remains pocket-friendly and, well, thanks to the weight, it's both sturdy and premium-feeling. The display is all kinds of great, and when HRR compatibility catches up, there'll be nothing to complain about. iOS on the A15 is super smooth, and even if the SoC does throttle, it remains above the competition. The unsightly notch enables quick unlock and great portrait selfies and is home to half of the nice speaker setup.

It might sound like we're making excuses for the iPhone 13 Pro's flaws, but it's really doing a pretty decent job building its own defense. Unless the Max's display and endurance make a difference to the way you use your phone, the 13 Pro is the iPhone to get this year.

Pros

• Outstanding design - sturdy and water-proof.
• One of few properly high-end phones that can pass for 'compact'.
• Brightest OLED screen we've seen, super accurate, Dolby Vision, sort of 120Hz.
• Loud stereo speakers.
• Unmatched performance, 5G.
• Great all-round photo and video quality across all four cameras.

Cons

• Stale looks, the notch should have been gone by now.
• Compact as it may be, the 'small' 13 Pro weighs a lot.
• 120Hz refresh rate not widely available in third-party apps at launch.
• Battery life not up to the Max's standard.
• The chipset is prone to heavy throttling under max load.
• The fast charging isn't very fast and the charger is not bundled.
• iOS (with its limitations) remains a love it or leave it affair.