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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