[iPhone 13 Review] Familiar yet New 'iPhone 13'... Returns with Enhanced Substance

Review of Apple's New Smartphone 'iPhone 13'

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] Apple’s new smartphone, the iPhone 13, focuses more on substance than flashiness. Rather than emphasizing noticeable design changes or adding new features, it concentrates on improving fundamental but crucial elements like the camera and display step by step, enhancing the overall completeness of the product.

The first impression, as always, brings a smile. The model tested was the ‘Blue’ color, which felt like a unique shade that needed more than just the ordinary name ‘Blue.’ Especially, the aluminum frame on the side complemented the somewhat dull impression of the back, adding a premium feel and balancing the overall look. However, the color itself did not give a clear impression, so its charm stood out more when viewed in bright, well-lit places.

The overall exterior design has not changed much from the previous model. However, the front and back strengthened glass with Ceramic Shield remains sturdy and sophisticated, and the positions of the side volume buttons and power button have been slightly lowered, improving usability. One of the few visual changes on the front is the notch at the top of the display, which is about 20% smaller than before, but it still remains quite noticeable.

Although the exterior changes on the iPhone 13 are generally minor, there are still some differences. The camera is a prime example. The most easily noticeable difference compared to the previous model is the significantly larger camera. With a bigger sensor that can capture more light, photos taken in dark, low-light environments show relatively less noise and maintain good detail. The shutter speed wasn’t as fast as when shooting in broad daylight, but it operated at about a one-second ‘click’ level, making it convenient to use.

The wide-angle camera’s sensor-shift optical image stabilization (OIS) also seemed to help produce better results. According to Apple, sensor-shift OIS stabilizes the shot by moving the sensor instead of the lens to compensate for vibrations, enabling more stable shooting. It helps reduce subtle hand tremors, so even casual shooting can improve the overall photo quality.

Additionally, the ability to set ‘Photographic Styles’ as default according to personal preference is a small but attractive feature. Photographic Styles allow users to choose from five options?Standard, Rich Contrast, Vibrant, Warm, and Cool?based on tone and warmth settings, with detailed tone and temperature adjustments available within each style. Pre-setting a preferred color tone can reduce the effort of post-editing after shooting, making it a useful feature.

However, the limitations due to the model differences were somewhat disappointing. The basic model and the iPhone 13 Mini lack the ultra-wide camera macro function and telephoto lens that are applied to the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max. Considering that the macro mode with a minimum shooting distance of 2cm is quite useful for food photography and other purposes, this could be a factor to consider when choosing a model.

Among the features of the iPhone 13, the most eye-catching is the ‘Cinematic Video.’ Cinematic mode automatically finds the subject to focus on within the frame, sharply highlighting it while blurring the background with a ‘bokeh’ effect. The depth of field changes in real time for each frame, shifting focus when, for example, person A looks at person B or when new characters like B or C appear. Testing this feature with acquaintances, everyone was impressed. It might be the most fascinating feature applied in this series.

Especially impressive is the ability to adjust the focus after shooting directly on the smartphone if the focus isn’t exactly as desired. While not a feature that everyday users might use daily, considering the increasing number of people recording daily life through vlogs and similar content, this function is likely to gain more interest and usage over time.

The display brightness has also become noticeably more vivid, reaching up to 800 nits outdoors and up to 1200 nits when viewing HDR videos or photos, making the screen appear brighter than before. It was easy to view even in very bright conditions such as direct sunlight outdoors. However, unlike the Pro models, the basic model does not support a variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz, which is a drawback. This is especially notable given that many recent budget Android models commonly feature 120Hz refresh rates.