Reviewed by 
We updated this review in 2023 to guarantee that our pricing information is accurate and that stockist links reflected up-to-date prices. We first wrote this article in 2021 and, while Apple has now released the updated iPhone 14 models, there are only minimal changes between those and the older iPhone 13. Apple still sells it for £749, while you can find it for £699 at retailers like Amazon and Argos – or lower if you look for a refurbished smartphone.
What's special about the Apple iPhone 13?
Apple revealed four new phones in 2021: iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max. We managed to get our hands on everything but the Pro Max handset, and you can scroll down to read our thoughts.
The iPhone 13 mini is great for those who like smaller handsets and comes with all the features from the standard 13. The iPhone 13 Pro is for photographers, as it comes with a third lens and a faster display speed. Finally, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is the largest of the four, though it is also the most expensive.
If you’re thinking of upgrading to this year’s handsets and you’re coming from an older device like the iPhone 11, SE, XR or 10, you’ll appreciate the squared-edge design, better OLED screens and fast 5G data speeds that were all introduced with the 12. However, if you’re jumping up from the 12, you might only notice minor improvements, which we will discuss below.
Here are the main specifications, at a glance:
- Screen size: 6.1 inch
- Resolution: 2532 x 1170
- Processor: Apple A15 Bionic
- Cameras: 2 x rear cameras (12MP wide angle and 12MP ultra-wide angle) 12MP (wide) front camera
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage space: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
- MicroSD card slot: No
- Weight: 174g
iPhone 13: Battery
You’ve likely complained that your phone battery doesn’t last a full day, but Apple claims the new iPhone 13 gets an extra two and a half hours of charge on the iPhone 12, giving you a total of around 19 hours.
iPhone 13: Size and display
It’s the same size as the iPhone 12 at 6.1 inches and the display itself is reasonably similar too, though it’s a little brighter and streaming content will look better and more vibrant.
iPhone 13: Camera
The cameras are also largely the same, though the dual-lens set-up does allow 40% more light in. This means your night-shot pictures should be brighter and clearer, perfect for capturing late-night pictures of wildlife in the garden.
iPhone 13: Storage
If you’ve found yourself running out of room for apps or photos on a 64GB or smaller phone, you’ll be glad to hear there’s also more internal storage, with a choice of 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB.
iPhone 13: Verdict
If you’re making the jump from an older handset then the iPhone 13 could be worth it, but if you already have an iPhone 12 and you’re contemplating an upgrade, we’d recommend holding on before buying. The faster speeds and brighter display are great if you spend a lot of time video-calling your family or watching Strictly Come Dancing on BBC iPlayer, and the cameras are still impressive enough that you won’t be tempted to buy the more expensive iPhone 13 Pro to take better photos.
Is the iPhone 13 still worth it in 2023?
If we’re honest, there’s very little difference between the iPhone 13 and the newer iPhone 14 so we’d recommend that anybody looking to save around £65 go for the older handset instead. It’s still just as good and delivers identical results from its two cameras, almost the same battery life (19 hours instead of 20 hours of video playback) and the same processor, screen size, resolution and storage options. Of course, if you’re on a budget it may be worth considering the iPhone SE but otherwise, there’s no reason not to go for this excellent 2021 model.
Pros
- High-quality cameras
- Almost identical to iPhone 14
- Great battery life
Cons
- No charger in the box
- No telephoto camera
The GH hands-on trial
What we liked
Even if the upgrades are only minor, we think the iPhone 13 is still a great option if you’re an Apple fan. The handset itself is light (though 10g heavier than the iPhone 12) but still feels plush in our hands, with the aluminium band running along the edge of the phone and the expensive-looking glass back.
The two-lens camera can take high-quality images, picking up plenty of detail at varying ranges in a similar way to the iPhone 12, though there are certainly better camera phones out there.
There’s no telephoto lens so zoomed-in shots won’t look as sharp, but mid-to-short range snaps with the wide lens like group photos at a family meal are great, which is likely what you’ll be using it for. We took some close-range shots of our flowerpots and found our pictures had bright colours and highlighted the intricate petal detail.
The selfie camera had no improvements from last year, but we did feel like our snaps were marginally brighter, though the difference between these new photos and pictures on our old iPhone 12 handset was barely noticeable.
Those of you who spend a lot of time on your phone will be happy to see a battery life improvement, which Apple claims has been pushed by an extra two and a half hours on older models, giving you a total of 19 hours. In our tests, we easily got a day’s use out of it with plenty of juice left even after heavy use.
If you like to catch up on TV shows on your phone, the iPhone 13 is a great device to stream on thanks to the brighter display – we could even see the dark corners of the submarine in BBC’s Vigil TV show.
Take note
Apple has stopped putting USB plugs in the box, assuming you’ve likely already got one in your home and aiming to cut down on plastic waste, so all you’ll get is the phone and a Lightning cable.
And while there are more storage options available with the addition of the 512GB model, it’s obviously going to be more expensive to buy, and there is no other way to expand the internal storage with an SD card. You can use cloud services to keep hold of pictures and files, but if you like to store a lot of images on the phone you’ll be limited by the model you buy.
How the GH Tech Team tests smartphones
We test the boot-up time and processing speed of phones, finding out if opening apps, playing games and web browsing can be done with less lag. We also evaluate the call quality, camera performance, speaker sound quality, how responsive the screen is, and how long the battery lasts when playing videos.
Simon Cocks is Good Housekeeping UK’s Technology Editor, overseeing tech shopping content and strategy for the title. He previously also worked across other titles including Esquire UK, Digital Spy, Men’s Health UK and Women’s Health UK.
Simon specialises in testing the latest smart gadgets, home entertainment gear, headphones, speakers, portable chargers, radios, e-book readers and smartphones. He's reviewed top tech products from brands including Google, Apple, Amazon, JBL and Bose.
A magazine journalism graduate from Kingston University in 2014, Simon also worked on the Discovery and Silkroad inflight magazines. He then gained experience writing about entertainment at SFX and Total Film. He also contributed reviews and interviews to TwitchFilm (later ScreenAnarchy), CultBox and Frame Rated.
He joined Good Housekeeping UK as the Editorial Assistant for Special Projects and was part of Good Housekeeping’s Consumer Affairs Team between 2014 and 2019. In this role, he conducted price comparison research, wrote detailed household and money-saving advice guides and edited thousands of in-depth reviews for the Good Housekeeping Institute.
He has focused on technology and gadgets since 2020, where he started by testing out power banks and instant cameras. He writes reviews, roundups, news articles and deals updates, and also covers top tech deals during sales like Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
When not testing out the latest gizmos, you’ll find Simon either catching up with the newest releases at his local cinema or out shooting with his beloved compact camera.
You can follow Simon on Instagram, on Bluesky, on LinkedIn and on Threads.
Owen Gough is an expert in all things tech, including top deals, phone upgrades, wearables, audio gear and gaming. You can get in touch with Owen on Twitter @OwenGough
