They say moving home can be one of the most stressful things you’ll ever do. What about choosing between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro? Ok, might not be as stressful. But it’s a big choice and not all of the differences are obvious. If you’re in the market for a new iPhone, who wins in the battle of iPhone 13 vs iPhone 13 Pro.

Comparing the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro

Comparing phones can be quite tough. Sure, you can stack them side by side and read off the features, but there are often subtle differences, easily missed. It’s slightly easier when comparing two iPhones from the same generation.

The current iPhone 13 Series of four phones can be divided into two groups. The iPhone 13 group includes the iPhone 13 itself and the iPhone 13 mini. Nearly all the specs on both phones are identical with the big exceptions being the screen size and battery.

The other group is the iPhone 13 Pro group includes the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max. Again, both phones are nearly identical except for screen size and battery.

With these groups in mind, we’re going to look at the similarities and differences between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro. These are the most popular from the two groups and comparing these will answer most questions you might have.

What is the Difference Between iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro

When you look at the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, it might be hard to see many differences at a glance. But there are a few.

Display

The iPhone 13 Pro boasts a slightly brighter display. Arguably the more noticeable differences are the phones’ refresh rates. The iPhone 13 has a 60Hz refresh rate while the iPhone 13 Pro has a more impressive 120Hz refresh rate. For some, not a noticeable difference, but if you’re a mobile gamer, that’s a clincher.

Because of this refresh rate, the iPhone 13 Pro also features ProMotion. This clever piece of software changes the refresh of your display based on needs, saving power where it can

Battery

This is a really odd feature comparison. The iPhone 13 Pro packs in a slightly smaller battery. But the inclusion of features like the aforementioned ProMotion and other on-board efficiency technology means the iPhone 13 Pro has a longer battery life.

Both should get you through the day, but if you’re a heavy phone user, the iPhone 13 Pro might be the one for you.

Design

The iPhone 13 is made from an aerospace-grade aluminium. The iPhone 13 Pro is crafted from surgical grade stainless steel. The result is the iPhone 13 Pro feeling slightly more premium and being a bit on the heavier side by 30g.

Camera

We’ll go into the similarities between the camera of both phones later, but first let’s look at the differences. The iPhone 13 Pro has an additional primary camera on the rear; a 12MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom.

The iPhone 13 Pro camera also supports advanced shooting formats, including Apple ProRAW and Night mode portraits. When it comes to video, it’s just the iPhone 13 Pro that features ProRes video recording, supporting 4K capture at 30fps.

The LiDAR scanner is a rarely used feature on smartphones, but its presence is reserved for just the iPhone 13 Pro.

Storage and Memory

You can choose a wide range of storage options for both phones, both starting at 128GB. The iPhone 13 Pro offers some larger storage options, stretching up to 1TB if you need it.

In terms of processing power, the iPhone 13 offers 4GB of RAM and the iPhone 13 Pro offers a little more power with 6GB RAM.

The iPhone 13 Pro also has more GPU power with five cores versus the iPhone 13’s four cores.

What are the Similarities Between iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro

In all honesty, both phones share more similarities than differences. Apple designed the iPhone 13 Pro to be an incredible phone, but not to make the iPhone 13 feel obsolete. Both phones are fantastic, and here are the shared similarities that make it so.

Screen Size

While there are some subtle differences between the displays of the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, the size is the same. Both phones have a 6.1-inch display with an 86% body-to-screen ratio. For the most people, the displays will look the same.

A15 Bionic Chip

When Apple launches their new phones every year, the new chips get a large part of the event dedicated to them. The 2021 launch event introduced the A15 Bionic Chip and this features in both the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro.

Camera

The iPhone 13 Series cameras do feature some of the biggest differences, but there are also shared features. Both the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro Series have a 12MP selfie camera with a wide lens. On the rear, both phones also share the same 12MP wide and 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens. You’ll find most of the camera’s software features are also shared, including Portrait Mode, Night mode. and Smart HDR (High Dynamic Range) 4.

Design

Standard across both phones is ceramic shield front glass and a reduction in the size of the notch versus the iPhone 12 Series. Both phones also feature MagSafe and are IP68 rated. There’s no USB-C on either phone, both charging either wirelessly or with Lightning cable.

iPhone 13 vs iPhone 13 Pro: Which Should You Buy?

The first decision you have to make is whether you’re picking your new phone from the iPhone 13 group or the iPhone 13 Pro group. This will come down to price and maybe even your monthly usage, along with the specs you need. Hopefully, from reading this comparison of the iPhone 13 vs iPhone 13 Pro, you’ll know whether or not you need the extra power and features of a Pro iPhone.

Now that you know which group of phones your shopping in, ask yourself if you need or want a bigger screen with bigger battery. With that complete, you should now have arrived at a decision.

Want a smaller iPhone and not a heavy user? The iPhone 13 mini is perfect for you.

Need an iPhone but just for regular day-to-day use? Like most, it’s the iPhone 13 for you.

The Pro features struck a chord with you but you still like a more compact phone? We recommend the iPhone 13 Pro.

Want the best Pro features with a bigger screen and bigger battery? It’s the top-of-the-line iPhone 13 Pro Max for you.

Still not sure? Check out our other handy guides to which iPhone you should buy, and the new iPhone SE.

iPhone 13 vs iPhone 13 Pro: Spec Comparison