For the past few days, I’ve been using an iPhone 13 Pro (Gold - 1TB). In order to give the device a crash course in handling real world experiences, I took the device with me to the Big E, the third-largest state fair in the U.S.

Before we get to the iPhone 13 Pro’s day at the fair, there is value found in setting the stage a bit. In 2021, there are a handful of iPhone features and attributes that I truly care about and need:

Reliability. This item is designed to be a catch-basin feature that includes everything from performance-related items that allow me to get through my workflows with ease to good enough durability so that a drop or fall doesn’t lead to a cracked screen.
Consistent and carefree cameras. It’s been years since cameras evolved to be just as much about communication as memory capture. I want to be able to quickly take an iPhone out of my pocket and take fuss-free good photos. This includes everything from taking photos of static scenery to trying to capture my 5-year-old and 3-year-old boys (one of the hardest tests for cameras).
Good battery life. There is no worse friction point than having an iPhone turn off in the middle of the day because I forgot to charge it that morning.

I can base my iPhone 13 Pro impressions and reviews on how the device compares in those three categories to the iPhone 12 Pro. A list of objective items can be created to determine if the iPhone 13 Pro is “better” than its predecessor. For me, such an activity is incomplete since it doesn’t reflect what really matters - user experiences. We are very good at identifying good and bad experiences. Accordingly, a more realistic test is to simply use the iPhone 13 Pro for a few days and then ask myself if I would be OK with going back to my previous iPhone. If the answer to the preceding question is “yes,” Apple has a problem on its hands since the newest flagship is in essence leading to a worse user experience. If the answer is “no,” then the various multi-disciplinary teams responsible for developing iPhones succeeded this year and can continue putting the finishing touches on next year’s flagship.

After a few days with the iPhone 13 Pro, I’m perfectly OK with letting the iPhone 11 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Pro be ignored and collect dust. That is one of the best tests for determining that Apple has succeeded with the iPhone 13 Pro.

Here are my initial Impressions:

Setup. The days of needing to set aside a good hour or two for setting up a new iPhone and pairing it with an Apple Watch are over. Setting up the iPhone 13 Pro was a breeze. The number of onboarding screens has been cut significantly. The overall setup process (from iCloud) took about 15 minutes while pairing an Apple Watch Series 6 to the device took a few additional minutes. The biggest hassle was found with signing back into a handful of iOS apps (which isn’t a big deal).

The Front Notch. The iPhone 13 and 13 Pro have a 20% smaller TrueDepth Camera System with much of the volume reduction in the horizontal dimension. Since I never noticed the front-facing notch in the past, the 20% smaller notch was similarly hard to notice. (I watch my videos in landscape mode with black bars on either side.). The notch remains a total nonfactor for me, although I appreciate Apple’s efforts in making it smaller over time.

Screen Shot 2021-09-21 at 1.26.24 PM.png — iPhone 13 Pro (left) vs. iPhone 12 Pro (right)

The Back Cameras Trifecta. While the front notch got smaller, the three cameras located on the back of the iPhone 13 Pro, a setup I’m referring to as the back cameras trifecta, got bigger. Noticeably bigger.

iPhone 13 Pro (left) vs. iPhone 12 Pro (right)

Camera physics adds credibility to the need for physically larger cameras. Apple is right in not trying to hide the camera budges by making the overall iPhone thicker. The thing is, depending on how you hold the iPhone 13 Pro in your hand, the back camera trifecta gets in the way. Based on the way I naturally hold iPhones, my index finger rests very close to the lowest camera. Using an iPhone 13 Pro case (a first-party leather one) actually helps A LOT given that it includes a small lip that my index finger rests on. One can’t help but wonder if Apple’s recent push with first-party cases is partially driven by this fact.

As for the actual cameras found on the iPhone 13 Pro, they are scary good. The era of computational photography involves having the iPhone itself do all the heavy lifting while I just point and tap.

However, the iPhone 12 Pro and 11 Pro cameras were scary good too. Here is a comparison between the iPhone 13 Pro and 12 Pro. If you can tell the difference, let me know.

Cinematic Mode. By bringing depth of field to video, Cinematic Model is Apple’s latest effort to democratize photography and videography. Based on my tests using the performer Hilby The Skinny German Juggle Boy at the Big E, Apple’s ML and computational photography chops live up to expectations. Results were impressive. (Hilby appears at 8:48 in the video below.)

It is important to point out that the preceding video is a result of simply swiping to Cinematic Mode and pointing a camera at a moving subject. There was no additional work, effort, or knowledge required on my part. Hilby is a good 20 to 25 feet away for me, 3x optical zoom was utilized, and there is unknown in terms of what is going to happen both in terms of what will be filmed and how.

Cinematic Mode is not perfect. When objects, like knives and fire sticks, were added to the scene, I found that Cinematic Mode struggled to determine what to keep in focus. Not surprisingly, when it comes to capturing a scene that is more like 50 to 75 feet away, Cinematic Mode, while still available as a choice, did not produce any discernible focus / bokeh effect.

Another useful feature found with Cinematic Mode is being able to adjust the video after recording. Based on my testing, the edit functionality worked fine.

There is a minor learning curve involved in figuring out what exactly is going on and what to edit but aftera few minutes of playing around, and the average consumer should pick it up. Cinematic Mode feels very much like Portrait Mode in terms of usefulness and utility. My expectation is that I will use it just as much as Portrait Mode, which is pretty often.

ProMotion. For the first time, Apple brought ProMotion (120Hz adaptative refresh display technology) to the iPhone. Comparing an iPhone 13 Pro with ProMotion to an iPhone 12 Pro without ProMotion, I was not able to make out any discernable difference between the two. Even though I may not have noticed a difference visually, an added benefit found with ProMotion is power savings, which impacts all users in one way or another.

Battery Life. According to Apple, the iPhone 13 Pro has 1.5 more hours of battery life in real world usage. This means you will be able to get about 90 minutes more usage before needing a recharge. That exact claim was difficult for me to test based on the limited amount of time with the device. I was able to get about eight hours of battery life at the fair on Saturday, which included going to and from it, before clunking out. Nearly half of my battery usage consisted of use by the Photos app. I spent nearly an hour in this app. Since that is far from normal usage for me, I was not able to compare this performance to that of other iPhones.

Screen Size. When it comes to one of the most subjective debates found with the iPhone, screen size, I remain torn on the topic. I’ve been switching between a 6.5-inch and 6.1-inch screen for the past year. The additional screen real estate found with the iPhone Pro Max is great for video. However, the overall larger form factor needed to support that additional screen real estate is a negative for mobility. I totally understand why the iPhone Pro Max form factor is too large for most people.

Pricing. The iPhone 13 Pro starts at $45.79 per month (before trade-in). That’s $8 more per month than the iPhone 13 (or the price of two Starbucks coffees). For some users, the LiDAR Scanner (for Night mode portraits) or better battery life (22 hours video playback with the 13 Pro vs. 19 hours playback with the 13) are worth that difference.

The iPhone business is all about continuous refinement and advancement with new features aimed at improving the user experience. The iPhone business in 2021 is not dependent on year-over-over upgrades and changes that are so shocking and momentous that a billion iPhone users run out and upgrade. Apple would not be able to handle that kind of demand. In addition, it’s not reflective of the iPhone installed base’s heterogenous nature. What may be important to me may not matter as much to you. Trying to satisfy both of us in the same exact way is a fool’s errand.

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