Apple iPhone 13 vs Apple iPhone 12

By Megg Gawat · Last verified 19 Sept 2026

Disclosure: Affiliate programs are not enrolled yet. See Affiliate disclosure. This page is manufacturer desk research, not a hands-on test — see Methodology.

Quick Answer

Both are 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR (2532×1170 at 460 ppi) Lightning phones with Ceramic Shield front, glass back, and aluminum. iPhone 13 (Support KB 111872, year introduced 2021) is A15 Bionic (6-core CPU, 4-core GPU), 128/256/512GB, 174g, 800 nits typical / 1200 nits HDR, Cinematic mode, sensor-shift OIS on the Main camera, video playback up to 19 hours and streamed up to 15 hours. iPhone 12 (Support KB 111876) is A14 Bionic (6-core CPU, 4-core GPU), 64/128/256GB, 164g, 625 nits.

The verdict

Apple iPhone 13 or Apple iPhone 12 — quote the two manufacturer sheets.

Why: Both are 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR Lightning phones with Ceramic Shield fronts, aluminum, MagSafe 15W, and dual 12MP cameras. 13 (Support KB 111872, 2021) adds A15 Bionic, 128/256/512GB (no 64GB), sensor-shift Main OIS, Photographic Styles, Cinematic mode, Dolby Vision 4K at 60 fps, 800-nit typical brightness, and video up to 19 hours / streamed 15 hours. 12 (Support KB 111876) is A14, 64/128/256GB, 625-nit typical, Dolby Vision 4K at 30 fps, video 17 hours / streamed 11 hours. 5G and MagSafe are already on 12.

Buy Apple iPhone 13 if

You want the base 13’s 128GB storage floor, A15, Cinematic mode, and Apple’s longer video/streamed hours on the same 6.1-inch Lightning chassis.

Buy Apple iPhone 12 if

You can date a cheap 12 and already accept 64GB, Lightning, and the older A14 / 625-nit / 4K Dolby Vision 30 fps table.

Spec comparison

OEM rows only. Base iPhone 13 from Apple Support KB 111872 (year introduced 2021). Base iPhone 12 from Apple Support KB 111876. Caption lock: not Pro.

Spec	iPhone 13	iPhone 12
Year introduced (OEM)	2021	Not listed as a Year introduced row on the KB 111876 excerpt (accessed 2026-09-19)
Finish	(PRODUCT) RED, Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Pink, Green	Black, White, (PRODUCT) RED, Green, Blue, Purple
Build	Ceramic Shield front; glass back; aluminum	Ceramic Shield front; glass back; aluminum
Storage	128GB / 256GB / 512GB	64GB / 128GB / 256GB
Display	6.1-inch Super Retina XDR; 2532×1170 at 460 ppi	6.1-inch Super Retina XDR; 2532×1170 at 460 ppi
ProMotion / island	Not listed (notch-era base)	Not listed (notch-era base)
Brightness (OEM)	800 nits typical; 1200 nits HDR	625 nits typical; 1200 nits HDR
Chip	A15 Bionic; 6-core CPU (2p+4e); 4-core GPU; 16-core Neural Engine	A14 Bionic; 6-core CPU (2p+4e); 4-core GPU; 16-core Neural Engine
RAM	Not published by Apple	Not published by Apple
Rear cameras	Dual 12MP: Main ƒ/1.6; Ultra Wide ƒ/2.4, 120°; sensor-shift OIS (Main)	Dual 12MP: Main ƒ/1.6; Ultra Wide ƒ/2.4, 120°; OIS (Main)
Zoom (OEM)	2x optical zoom out; digital up to 5x	2x optical zoom out; digital up to 5x
Video (named rows)	Cinematic mode 1080p/30; Dolby Vision up to 4K/60	Dolby Vision up to 4K/30 (no Cinematic mode row)
Front camera	12MP TrueDepth, ƒ/2.2	12MP TrueDepth, ƒ/2.2
Connector	Lightning	Lightning
Battery — video / streamed / audio	Up to 19 hours / 15 hours / 75 hours	Up to 17 hours / 11 hours / 65 hours
Typical-use hours	Not published as a typical-use hours row	Not published as a typical-use hours row
Fast charge (OEM)	Up to 50% in 30 min with 20W adapter or higher	Up to 50% in 30 min with 20W adapter or higher
Wireless charge	MagSafe up to 15W; Qi2 up to 15W; Qi up to 7.5W (as printed 2026-09-19)	MagSafe up to 15W; Qi up to 7.5W
Weight / size	174g; 71.5 × 146.7 × 7.65mm	164g; 71.5 × 146.7 × 7.4mm
Water	IP68 (6m up to 30 min)	IP68 (6m up to 30 min)
Wireless	Wi-Fi 6; Bluetooth 5.0; Ultra Wideband	Wi-Fi 6; Bluetooth 5.0; Ultra Wideband
US start (dated)	Not published as a current US start-price row on Support (accessed 2026-09-19)	Not published as a current US start-price row on Support (accessed 2026-09-19)

Who each phone is for

iPhone 13 is the leftover/refurb base to buy if you want Apple’s 128GB floor, A15, Cinematic mode, and the 19h / 15h video table on a 6.1-inch Lightning phone.

iPhone 12 is the older twin that already had 5G and MagSafe. The 64GB SKU is the value trap: date the ticket and compare equal storage.

What’s shared (do not invent MagSafe as new)

Same 6.1-inch 2532×1170 panel class, Lightning, Ceramic Shield + aluminum, dual 12MP ƒ/1.6 + ƒ/2.4, Face ID, IP68, MagSafe 15W. Neither base model lists ProMotion or Dynamic Island.

Chip, storage, and camera software

A15 versus A14, both with 4-core GPUs on these base SKUs (the 5-core GPU is a Pro story). Storage floor 128GB versus 64GB. 13 adds Photographic Styles, Smart HDR 4, sensor-shift OIS, Cinematic mode, and Dolby Vision 4K/60. 12 is Smart HDR 3 and Dolby Vision 4K/30.

Battery

Copy Apple’s rows. 13: video 19h, streamed 15h, audio 75h. 12: video 17h, streamed 11h, audio 65h. Neither Support page prints a typical-use hours row. Fast charge is 50% in 30 minutes with 20W on both.

Pro old-vs-old: iPhone 14 Pro vs iPhone 13 Pro. Current hub: iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro. Legacy upgrade: iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro.

Frequently asked questions

Is this iPhone 13 Pro vs iPhone 12 Pro?

No. This URL is locked to base iPhone 13 (Support KB 111872) versus base iPhone 12 (Support KB 111876). 13 Pro’s ProMotion, LiDAR, and triple camera are not in this table. For island-era Pros see /phones/iphone-14-pro-vs-iphone-13-pro/.

Did iPhone 12 already have 5G and MagSafe?

Yes. 12 Support lists 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) and MagSafe wireless charging up to 15W plus Qi up to 7.5W. 13 also lists MagSafe up to 15W (and, on the 2026-09-19 Support excerpt, Qi2 up to 15W and Qi up to 7.5W). Do not sell MagSafe or 5G as a 13 exclusive.

What storage floors does Apple print?

13: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB. 12: 64GB, 128GB, 256GB. There is no 64GB 13 and no 512GB 12 on those Support pages.

What is Cinematic mode on 13?

iPhone 13 Support lists Cinematic mode (1080p at 30 fps) on the rear and TrueDepth cameras. That row is not on the iPhone 12 Support excerpt. 13 also lists HDR video with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps; 12 lists Dolby Vision up to 4K at 30 fps.

Do these phones use USB-C?

No. Both Support pages list a Lightning connector. In-box cables are USB-C to Lightning. Current Pros are a different cluster: /phones/iphone-18-pro-vs-iphone-17-pro/.