Sierra Blue iPhone 13 : Which iPhone 13 color should I buy?

Sierra Blue iPhones are now a reality

The iPhone 13 Pro comes in Sierra blue

iPhone 13 vs. iPhone 13 Pro: Which should you buy?

iPhone 13 preorders are live : here’s everything you need to know

ike clockwork, there’s a new batch of smartphones from Apple in town.

The iPhone 13 Mini, 13, 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max are all up for preorder now

and keep a similar design to the iPhone 12 family. The updates focus on a smaller notch, improved cameras and better performance.

How to preorder the iPhone 13 Mini, 13, 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max ?

Preorders for the iPhone 13 family are now available from Apple directly, carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon and a range of retailers.

The iPhone 13 and 13 Mini are available in 128GB, 256GB or 512GB storage options, while the 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max are available in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB configurations.

The 13 and 13 Mini are available in blue, pink, Midnight, Product Red or Starlight, while the 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max come in gold, graphite, silver or Sierra Blue.

And like the iPhone 12 last year, there are a range of deals and ways to upgrade to the iPhone 13 right now. If you’re wondering if the upgrade makes sense for you, read our breakdown below and see our decision guide here.

If you’re someone who likes to get a new iPhone every year, the iPhone Upgrade Program is a lease with a credit check required that lets you just do that. After 12 payments (equivalent to 12 months), you get the ability to upgrade. Just pick your iPhone, storage size and carrier as well as AppleCare+ plan that makes the most sense for you. The latter is a bonus, as it’s a monthly cost for the warranty versus an outright expense.

If you’d rather do a normal lease (over a 24-month period) or buy the device outright, there are some ways to save. With any carrier or with Apple directly, you can trade in eligible devices to get credit toward your new device. Via Apple directly, you can save up to $1,000 — if opting for an iPhone 13 — with eligible trade-in.

Another option is to trade in your old device with a service like It’s Worth More or Decluttr. With either of these you’ll get an estimated value for your device after answering some questions, and receive a prepaid label to send your device in. Right now you can get an additional 10% on your trade-in value with code “CNN2021.”

When buying directly from AT&T, you can trade in to get an iPhone 13 Mini, 13 or 13 Pro for as little as $0 when paired with an Unlimited plan. Those who want the 13 Pro Max can get it for as low as $99. Either route is a pretty significant discount and equals out to up to $1,000 off.

On T-Mobile, the carrier known for its wild promotions is giving Magenta Max plan subscribers an iPhone 13 for free with eligible trade-in. It’s a pretty solid deal, and pushing it further is a promise for up to $800 in trade-in every two years as long as you remain a Magenta Max subscriber. The company is also offering other trade-in deals to make the upgrade affordable regardless of plan.

iPhone 13 price

Lastly, Verizon will let you take up to $1,000 off the iPhone 13 family when you’re on select Unlimited plans — mainly you can’t be on starter or kids. That equals out to a base iPhone 13 Mini, 13 or 13 Pro being $0 a month on installment, or a 128GB 13 Pro Max for $99. Verizon will also be accepting damaged phones as eligible trade-in devices. Customers on Verizon’s Unlimited plans have offers for free Apple Music and Apple Arcade subscriptions for a limited time. Verizon’s preorder option is available at the Apple Store directly, along with AT&T’s and T-Mobile’s as well.

We will also note that we’ve been seeing some customers express frustration on Twitter with the preorder process this morning. Specifically, those with an Apple Card haven’t been able to successfully check out for the iPhone Upgrade Program via the Apple Store App, and we have a family member who had the same issue. It seems it’s also spreading to some of the carriers, which might be under stress with demand for the new devices. Our best advice is to keep with it and keep trying to process the order while also reaching out to support.

iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max

As is the norm now, Apple’s also releasing the iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max. And like the 13 and 13 Mini, these keep a similar design to the 12 Pro and deliver updates to the display, camera and performance.

The iPhone 13 Pro features a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display, while the 13 Pro Max extends to a 6.7-inch display. The latter is still the largest display ever in an iPhone. Year over year, the display should still perform as an OLED, with vibrant colors and sharp blacks. The exciting news comes with the long anticipated arrival of a 120Hz-capable screen on an iPhone. While Android phones (even budget ones like the Galaxy A series) have featured 120Hz screens, Apple has stuck with 60Hz. The advantage is a more natural and fluid-looking experience when using the device. It’s most noticeable when scrolling through a list of emails, notes or even a webpage but is also evident when gaming or watching a movie.

The iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max are capable of just that with ProMotion on board, which let’s it scale between 10Hz and 120Hz. We’ve seen adaptive refresh rates before, which change based on application; this is typically how Samsung integrates the feature. Apple’s take here is the ability to track your finger speed to match how you’re moving or interacting with the device. We’ll need to test to see the impact here, but Apple’s offering doesn’t let you just set the device to 120Hz forever. It’s taken Apple several years to deliver 120Hz, but we’re eager to try it on the 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max. Still, though, why not offer this on the regular iPhone 13 or 13 Mini?

One possible explanation might be that the A15 Bionic chip inside the 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max is slightly more powerful. It keeps a 6-core CPU and a 16-core Neural Engine, both of which power everyday tasks and enable iOS 15 features like the ability to scan for text in an image. The higher-end iPhones receive a 5-core GPU over a 4-core GPU in the base 13s, which is an extra punch against graphical tasks. It’s possible that Apple is using that extra core to power ProMotion here.

As a whole, though, the A15 inside the 13 Pro or the 13 Pro Max isn’t going to necessarily leapfrog over the A14 with performance. It should be a smooth and efficient experience that runs iOS like a champ, but those coming from an older iPhone should notice more day and night differences. We do anticipate that extra GPU core should improve the experience with gaming and creative tasks.

With the camera, Apple is upgrading the experience with new hardware, enhanced AI and new shooting styles. It’s still a three-camera system that consists of a wide, ultrawide and telephoto lens with a LiDAR sensor.

12-megapixel wide lens: Like on the iPhone 13, this is the largest sensor in an iPhone and will let you capture more light to create an image. It also packs a wider aperture or lens opening, which can let even more light in. This should yield to more vibrant images that pack a lot of details. And with sensor-shift image stabilization, Apple wants to combat shaky hands for clearer images. We expect it to perform in line with, if not better than the main camera on the iPhone 12 series.
12-megapixel ultrawide lens: This is a classic example of an ultrawide lens on a smartphone, as it captures photos in a 0.5x or 120-degree field of view. It can be a unique way to frame a shot or to capture a lot more without physically moving. The difference year over year is Apple’s promise of capturing up to 92% more light in a given image. The other key change is “Phase Detection Auto-Focus,” which is a fancy way of saying that this ultrawide lens can also capture macro images by changing the focus of an image quickly, meaning that you can get up to 2 centimeters away from a given subject (animate or inanimate) and capture with new clarity. It also means for the first time that an iPhone can shoot macro images.
12-megapixel telephoto lens: This is an upgraded 77mm optical zoom lens that features a 3x zoom function. This moves past 2.5x on the 12 Pro Max and 2x on the 12 Pro. Apple is inching closer to 10x, which is commonly found on other smartphones in this price range, but still absent here. It’s still better than just digital zoom on a Pixel, though.

So what does this all mean for everyday shooting? The iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max should represent the most versatile camera system that Apple has released with images that offer more details, better color accuracy and sharper shots as a whole. It also keeps the LiDAR sensor, which in our testing delivers a big jump in focusing times and Night mode shots. We’d hedge that we need to test this new hardware to see direct comparisons as to just how much of an impact this has over the 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max from last year. On paper, it is a significant jump mainly from larger sensors and wider apertures, along with new shooting modes.

iPhone 13 Pro Max Unboxing & Review – Sierra Blue!

Which iPhone 13 color should I buy? Sierra blue, starlight, pink and more

With names like starlight and Sierra blue, it might be hard to choose which iPhone 13 is the right one for you.

The iPhone 13 is coming But what about the colors?

There are five different options for the iPhone 13 (including a millennial pink option) this year and four options if you go with the iPhone 13 Pro or Pro Max.

Whichever color you choose will be with you for the next two years. If you’re not sure which is best for you, I’ve got a quick explainer of each to help.

Phone 13 Midnight

You have almost assuredly owned a black or dark gray phone before. It’s a classic color for a reason, it looks great with just about any accessory and if you use it without a case it’s less likely you’ll see scratches on black glass. The same can not be said of the metal band around the outside of the phone, which in the past has revealed silver underneath if scratched deeply enough.

Put simply, this is the color you get if you don’t care what color your phone is or if your phone is going to live in a case the entire time you own it anyway.

iPhone 13 Starlight

White has been the default alternative option for the iPhone since nearly the beginning, and with good reason. It looks great, and unlike the other color options it’s a lot harder to see scratches on the glass and the metal band around the outer edge of the body.

The starlight version of the iPhone also lends itself well to decals and texture patterns, having a brightly colored surface with a bright white base looks amazing, while offering a little extra protection in should you decide you don’t need a case.

iPhone 13 Product Red

In the past Apple has released the Product Red version of the iPhone separately from the primary colors, but this year it’s one of the top options. This sharp color stands out in every possible way no matter what lighting you are in, making it a lot harder to accidentally lose in the couch cushions. Every Apple product with the Product Red label sold means a donation to HIV/AIDS treatment programs (though Apple has never said how much).

iPhone 13 Pink

Apple fans have been asking for a pink option for a very long time. Not a metallic rose gold, but a proper pink. And it’s here, you can now own a pink iPhone. It’s also a subtle color, not nearly as loud as the Product Red or blue options, so if you’d rather your phone have a little personality without attracting too much attention in public this is the phone for you. Additionally, because it’s such a light shade, it’s likely scratches on the body will be a lot less visible than other models.

iPhone 13 Blue

Apple didn’t give this color an over-the-top name like starlight or midnight, because it’s unnecessary. You know exactly what color this is when you see it. This phone is blue, in fact it’s the most blue phone you can buy today and that includes the more washed-out looking sierra blue offered by the iPhone 13 Pro this year. It’s a phone that stands out everywhere, and all but demands you use a clear case if you’re going to use one at all.

iPhone 13 Pro Graphite

The matte black of the graphite iPhone 13 Pro is choice you get when you aren’t interested in showing off your phone. Whether you know your iPhone is going to live in its case for the entire time you own it or you’re just not all that interested in expressing yourself through color, this is your default option. It’s a solid option, in fact it’s the original color, and the fact that it’s not exciting or new should not deter you.

iPhone 13 Pro Sierra blue

Every year Apple has a new color option for the iPhone, and this year the new color is Sierra blue.

It’s a much lighter and brighter shade of blue than the Pacific blue of last year, which in some lighting would be so similar to graphite you could barely tell them apart. This iPhone 13 Pro is undeniably blue, and it will draw attention anywhere. This is the perfect iPhone for someone who wants to use their phone with a clear case or no case at all and let everyone know they have the latest gadget.

iPhone 13 Pro Silver

It’s not as catchy a name as starlight, but the silver iPhone 13 Pro is a classic color with a lot of style to it. Not only is it a nice light color that will look nice underneath a textured decal, but if you manage to scratch the silver version of the phone it will be a lot more difficult to notice the damage thanks to this being so much closer to the natural color of the metal and the lighter glass being more reflective. This is a great iPhone for someone who can’t stand owning matte black everything and would appreciate a lighter touch.

iPhone 13 Pro Gold

Apple has made a lot of gold-colored products, and they are all a little different. There have been many attempts to play with different shades of gold, including a Champagne and the infamous rose gold. This year’s iPhone is a classic, light shade of gold. It’s less obvious than the standard shade of gold you would find on a timepiece, with less yellows and a generally softer look and feel. It’s the perfect color for someone who appreciates gold, but has no interest in being loud about it.

iPhone 13 vs. iPhone 13 Pro: Which should you buy?

The all-new iPhone 13 lineup is officially here.

As has become the norm, the lineup is split into the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro. On the surface, the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro are very similar phones. They both feature a 6.1-inch display and the A15 Bionic processor inside, but look closer and you’ll notice some key differences.

If you’re trying to make a buying decision between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, head below for everything you need to know about the iPhone 13 vs iPhone 13 Pro comparison.

In this comparison, we focus specifically on the 6.1-inch iPhone 13 and the 6.1-inch iPhone 13 Pro.

There are many similarities between the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13, and the iPhone 13 Pro Max, but there are also some key differences. Stay tuned to 9to5Mac over the coming days and weeks for additional comparisons between Apple’s iPhone lineup as it stands today.

iPhone 13 vs iPhone 13 Pro: Display

The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro feature 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR displays using OLED technology with a resolution of 2532 x 1170 pixels. This equals 460 pixels per inch. The iPhone 13 Pro, however, features a max brightness of 1000 nits, compared to the iPhone 13’s at 800 nits. For HDR content, however, both can reach a max brightness of 1200 nits.

There is one major difference between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro displays: ProMotion technology. Exclusive to the iPhone 13 Pro, Apple’s ProMotion display technology brings adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz to the iPhone for the first time. This means the refresh rate of the iPhone 13 Pro’s screen can scale between 10Hz and 120Hz depending on what you’re doing on your device.

In real-world usage, this should mean things like scrolling and animations are significantly smoother. ProMotion also makes the display more efficient because it can scale all the way down to 10Hz when you’re doing something such as reading.

Other display features on the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro include:

2,000,000:1 contrast ratio
True Tone display
Wide color gamut (P3)
Haptic Touch
HDR display

Design

In terms of design, the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro are similar, with flat edges and nearly edge-to-edge displays. Both devices also feature slightly smaller notches at the top, which measure in at roughly 20% smaller in terms of width.

One major difference is that the iPhone 13 is made out of what Apple refers to as “aerospace-grade aluminum” while the iPhone 13 Pro is made from “surgical-grade stainless steel.” This means that the iPhone 13 has a brushed aluminum finish, while the iPhone 13 Pro features a shiny stainless finish.

The difference in materials makes the iPhone 13 Pro slightly heavier than the iPhone 13. The iPhone 13 weighs in at 6.14 ounces (174 grams), while the iPhone 13 Pro weighs in at 7.19 ounces (204 grams).

The dimensions are the same between the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 :

Height: 5.78 inches (146.7 mm)
Width: 2.82 inches (71.5 mm)
Thickness: 0.30 inches (7.65 mm)

The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro are both rated for IP68 splash, water, and dust resistance.

Under this rating, the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro can withstand submersion to a maximum depth of 6 meters for up to 30 minutes.

Performance and battery life

Apple’s new iPhone 13 is better battery and improved cameras, starting at $799

The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro are both powered by an A15 Bionic processor, packing a 6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores. The A15 Bionic processor also features a new 16-core Neural Engine to power machine learning and artificial intelligence tasks.

One difference between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro is that the former features a 4-core GPU, while the latter features a 5-core CPU. It remains to be seen what kind of difference this leads to in real-world performance, but it is a notable change for Apple to be segmenting the iPhone 13 lineup in this way for the first time.

Apple has not made any changes to the RAM configuration this year, with the iPhone 13 packing 4GB of RAM and the iPhone 13 Pro packing 6GB of RAM.

Both the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro feature notable improvements in battery life this year compared to their predecessors. The iPhone 13 Pro is able to edge out the iPhone 13 in some areas, according to Apple’s claims.

iPhone 13 battery estimates:

Audio playback: 75 hours
Video playback (streamed): Up to 15 hours
Video playback: Up to 19 hours

iPhone 13 Pro battery estimates:

Audio playback: 75 hours
Video playback (streamed): Up to 20 hours
Video playback: Up to 22 hours

Both devices support fast charging, for getting up to a 50% charge in 30 minutes with a 20W power adapter. There’s also support for 7.5W Qi wireless charging and 15W wireless charging when using a MagSafe wireless charger.

iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro: 5 reasons to upgrade

The iPhone 13 is here. Whether you have an iPhone 12, 11, or even older, there’s plenty of reasons to upgrade to this year’s iPhone. Head below as we recap five of the top reasons why you should consider upgrading ahead of pre-orders opening tomorrow.

As you probably know, Apple is bringing the same iPhone 12 sizes to this year’s iPhone: 5.4 inches, 6.1 inches, and 6.7 inches. This means you can choose between the iPhone 13 mini up to the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Now, let’s dive into the five reasons to upgrade to this new phone:

Sierra Blue and pink iPhones are now a reality

Ever since Apple brought back fun colors with the iPhone XR, one of the things I look forward to on a new iPhone are the color changes. This year, Apple nailed not only the iPhone 13 Pro with the new Sierra Blue, but also the iPhone 13 with a brand new pink option.

For the regular models, you still can get Midnight, Starlight, Blue, and Red, while on the Pro version, there’s Graphite, Silver, and Gold, which all look really premium.

And, even though you shouldn’t upgrade just for the color, lots of people enjoy showing off that they have a new phone based on its color. Can you blame them? It’s Sierra Blue/pink!

The iPhone 13 is all about cameras – really

Apple says that the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini include a “massive leap in camera design” with a new Wide camera that gathers 47% more light for less noise and brighter images. Apple has also added sensor-shift optical image stabilization to all new iPhones.

These new phones also introduce a new Cinematic mode feature, which records videos of people, pets, and objects with a depth effect and automatic focus changes.

Apple is also introducing something it calls Photographic Styles, which it describes as customized preferences and filters that intelligently apply the right adjustments to different parts of the photo to ensure the important elements, like skin tones, are preserved.

If you want to go even further, the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max feature an Ultra-Wide camera with a 92% boost in low light performance, the Wide camera has up to 2.2x improvement in low light performance, while the telephoto camera includes a new 3x optical zoom sensor.

With the cameras, Apple is introducing macro photography, Smart HDR 4, ProRes video recording, and improved Night mode for all three cameras.
Twice the storage for the base and the higher models

It’s a shame Apple’s iPhone 12 only has 64GB. Fortunately, the company doubled the storage with the iPhone 13, and it now starts with a 128GB configuration. This means that more people will feel comfortable spending less on a new phone and still have enough storage.

For those who really want an external SSD as an iPhone, Apple is giving the iPhone 13 Pro users a 1TB configuration choice. So, whether you’re going with the most affordable iPhone or the most expensive, Apple now has you covered.

You can choose between 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB in all models and up to 1TB with the Pro versions.
iPhone 13 has better battery longevity than any other iPhone

2021 has been considered an “S” for the iPhone line, but Apple knows how to charm its customers. After making the iPhone 12 battery smaller, this year’s iPhone has the largest battery ever in an iPhone.

Apple promises 1.5 hours more on the mini and Pro models compared to their previous versions and up to 2.5 hours more on the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro Max, compared to the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro Max. For example, on its specification page, the iPhone 13 Pro Max can be used for 95 hours of audio playback, 15 hours more than its predecessor.