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BatteryThe iPhone 13 Pro is the second model from the top in Apple’s 2021 smartphone line-up. The main difference to the top-of-the-line iPhone 13 Pro Max is the smaller 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display (versus 6.7-inch on the Max). However, both models are powered by Apple’s latest A15 Bionic chipset and come with up to 1TB of internal storage. They also share the same camera which has been improved in several areas compared to last year’s iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max models.
The primary camera module features a larger sensor and faster aperture than on the 2020 models. It also uses sensor shift OIS which last year was exclusive to the Pro Max device. The ultra-wide camera comes with a same-size sensor as last year but has gained a faster aperture and and a PDAF autofocus versus the fixed-focus lens on the iPhone 12 series. Sensor size remains unchanged in the tele module but Apple has increased the focal length and the tele now offers a 3x optical magnification compared to the primary cam.
Read on to find out how the all new iPhone 13 Pro camera performed in our DXOMARK Camera tests.
Key camera specifications:
- Primary: 12 MP sensor, 1.9µm pixels, 26 mm equivalent f/1.5-aperture lens, sensor shift OIS, Dual Pixel AF
- Ultra-wide: 12MP sensor, 13mm equivalent f/1.8-aperture lens, PDAF, 2cm macro
- Tele: 12 MP sensor, 77mm equivalent f/2.8-aperture lens, OIS
- 3D sensor
- 4K at 24/25/30/60 fps, 1080p at 25/30/60 fps, HDR video recording with Dolby Vision
- Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field (1080p at 30 fps)
About DXOMARK Camera tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone camera reviews, DXOMARK engineers capture and evaluate over 3000 test images and more than 2.5 hours of video both in controlled lab environments and in natural indoor and outdoor scenes, using the camera’s default settings. This article is designed to highlight the most important results of our testing. For more information about the DXOMARK Camera test protocol, click here. More details on how we score smartphone cameras are available here.
Test summary
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
111
109
111
102
77
82
80
6th
6th
Pros
- Accurate and repeatable target exposure
- Nice color and white balance
- Nice skin tones in most light conditions, even in complex backlit scenes
- Fast, accurate and repeatable autofocus
- Good detail in indoor and outdoor conditions
- Accurate and stable target exposure with fairly wide dynamic range in video
- Well-managed texture/noise trade-off in video
- Accurate white balance indoors and outdoors, smooth transitions in scene changes
- Good autofocus tracking and smooth refocusing
Cons
- Luminance noise on primary, ultra-wide and tele, especially in low light
- Limited dynamic range in challenging high contrast scenes
- Artifacts including flare, slight ringing, and color quantization
- Limited detail in long-range zoom shots
- Occasional pink white balance casts in some conditions and some white balance variations in videos
- Lens flare and ghosting, especially in low light video
- Some loss of texture in video, especially on faces in daylight and indoor conditions
- Sharpness differences between video frames and strong residual motion in video that is recorded while running
With a DXOMARK Camera overall score of 137 the Apple iPhone 13 Pro mingles among the very best devices in our camera ranking. The overall score is compounded by an excellent Photo score of 144. Like for all iPhones color rendering is vivid with nice skin tones and a slightly warm touch and the camera is generally very reliable, consistently producing high-quality images in all shooting situations. Overall Photo performance is quite similar to the 12 Pro we tested last year but improvements have been made in several areas.
Color and contrast have been improved on backlit portraits and images show higher levels of detail, especially when shooting under typical indoor conditions. It looks like Apple’s camera engineers have managed use the new sensor’s bigger pixel pitch to improve detail preservation but, like on the 12 Pro, luminance noise is still visible in most shooting situations.
The camera’s Zoom score of 76 isn’t quite up there with the very best but performance has still been improved over the 12 Pro, thanks to the longer 3x optical zoom versus 2x on the older model.
The outstanding Video score of 119 puts the iPhone 13 Pro at the very top of this sub-ranking, thanks to several improvements in key areas. Tone mapping instabilities that were very visible on the iPhone 12 series model have been fixed and exposure is now generally very stable. Autofocus performance has been pushed as well, thanks to better tracking a very smooth refocusing at the right moments. Our testers did not spot any unwanted focus breathing either.
Overall it’s fair to say Apple has managed to get the most out of its imaging hardware as most higher-positioned devices in our ranking come with larger and higher resolution sensors in their primary cameras.
Photo
The Apple iPhone 13 Pro achieves a Photo score of 144. In this section, we take a closer look at each sub-attribute and compare image quality against competitors. Please note the iPhone 13 Pro camera comes with a set of photo styles and users are asked for their preferred option when launching the camera app for the first time. You can choose between pre-defined photo styles or customize your own, using Tone and Warmth sliders. These settings modify both color and exposure. We skipped this option for our tests and used default settings as usual.
Exposure and Contrast
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
101
111
In these tests we analyze target exposure, contrast, and dynamic range, including repeatability across a series of images. Tests are undertaken in a wide range of light conditions, including backlit scenes and low light down to 1 lux. The score is derived from a number of objective measurements in the lab and perceptual analysis of real-life images.
The Apple iPhone 13 Pro produces accurate and repeatable target exposure in most tested conditions. However, dynamic range is often limited, resulting in highlight clipping in high-contrast scenes. It’s also worth mentioning that in the gallery app highlights in photos are rendered almost “aggressively” bright which can contribute to the impression of clipping. On a standard screen the effect is less pronounced.
These samples show the Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s exposure performance in a backlit scene.
In these tests we analyze color rendering, skin tones, white balance, and color shading, including repeatability across a series of images. The score is derived from a number of objective measurements in the lab and perceptual analysis of real-life images.
The Apple’s color rendering and white balance are generally pleasant and the camera captures very nice skin tones. Especially in high-contrast scenes the iPhone 13 Pro’s skin tones are better than the competition’s. It seems like the camera uses adaptive color rendering that adjusts to the captured skin tones and light conditions.
These samples show the Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s color performance in a backlit scene.
Autofocus
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
106
109
In these tests we analyze autofocus accuracy and shooting time, including repeatability, in the lab. We test focus failures, depth of field, and tracking of moving subjects using perceptual analysis of real-life images.
The Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s autofocus is fast, accurate and repeatable in most conditions. Depth of field is slightly limited which is due to the larger sensor compared to the iPhone 12 series. Unlike Xiaomi on the Mi 11 Ultra Apple does not apply any image processing to increase sharpness of background subjects.
This graph shows the Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s autofocus performance in the lab at a light level of 100 lux, with the camera mounted on a tripod.
These samples show the Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s depth of field.
Texture
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
104
111
In these tests we analyze texture on faces and objects, including objects in motion, in a range of light conditions, using several lab test setups and perceptual analysis of real-life images.
Detail in the iPhone 13 Pro is slightly higher than on its predecessor iPhone 12 Pro but still slightly below the best in class, such as the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra. These samples show the Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s texture performance in daylight conditions.
This graph shows the Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s texture performance in the lab across varying light levels.
Texture: detail is slightly higher on the 13 Pro than on the 12 Pro Max in bright light. However, it is still below the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra.
Noise
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
74
102
In these tests we analyze noise on faces and objects, including objects in motion, in a range of light conditions, using several lab test setups and perceptual analysis of real-life images.
Luminance noise is visible in most conditions, especially in low light, and stronger than on some competitors. However, we’re mostly dealing with very fine grained luminance noise here which is much less intrusive than bigger noise “blobs” and can even result in an impression of better detail.
This graph shows the Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s noise performance in the lab across light levels.
These samples show the Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s noise performance in indoor conditions.
Bokeh
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
75
80
For these tests we switch to the camera’s bokeh or portrait mode and analyze depth estimation, bokeh shape, blur gradient, and repeatability, as well as all other general image quality attributes mentioned above. The score is derived from perceptual analysis of real-life images.
The iPhone 13 Pro camera produces a nice bokeh effect but slight depth estimation artifacts can be noticeable. Given the blur effect is quite strong, even small errors are quite visible. Color rendering is more pleasant than on the iPhone 12 Pro Max. These samples show the Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s bokeh simulation in daylight.
Night
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
72
82
In these tests we shoot a selection of images in pitch-black darkness as well as with city lights in the background providing some illumination. We shoot sample images with the camera at default settings in both flash-auto and flash-off modes. We analyze all image quality attributes but we pay particular attention to exposure, autofocus, and color. We do not test night modes that have to be activated manually.
In night images the iPhone 13 Pro captures good detail in faces when the flash triggers. However, dynamic range is limited which leads to highlight clipping and underexposed backgrounds. These samples show the Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s night performance in flash-off mode.
Artifacts
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
67
77
In these tests we check images for optical artifacts such as vignetting, flare, lens softness in the corners, distortion, and chromatic aberrations, as well as for processing artifacts such as ghosting and fusion errors, hue shift, and ringing.
Image flare is frequently visible in all conditions. The same is true for ringing, aliasing, ghosting and color quantization. However, compared to the iPhone 12 Pro Max the latter has been reduced. This image shows an example of the Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s most common artifact (flare).
In these tests we analyze the image quality of the preview image and the differences between preview images and captured images, particularly in terms of exposure, dynamic range, and bokeh effect. We also check the smoothness of the field-of-view changes in the preview image when zooming with both buttons or when using the pinch-zoom gesture.
As with previous iPhones, the preview rendering is mostly very close to the final captured image. In this example the iPhone 13 Pro preserves highlight detail noticeably better than the Huawei P50 Pro.
Zoom
The Apple iPhone 13 Pro achieves a Zoom score of 76. The Zoom score includes the tele and wide sub-scores. In this section, we take a closer look at how these sub-scores were achieved and compare zoom image quality against the competitors.
Wide
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
44
58
In these tests we analyze the performance of the ultra-wide camera at several focal lengths from 12 to 20 mm. We look at all image quality attributes, but we pay particular attention to such artifacts as chromatic aberrations, lens softness, and distortion.
On the iPhone 13 Pro night mode is now available on the ultra-wide camera. The camera also automatically switches to the ultra-wide when a macro scene is detected (2-20cm shooting distance) which cannot be disabled. Neither of these two features is currently covered by our test protocol, though.
This sample shows the performance of the Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s ultra-wide camera in outdoor conditions.
Tele
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
97
140
In these tests we analyze all image quality attributes at focal lengths from approximately 40 to 300 mm, paying particular attention to texture and detail. The score is derived from a number of objective measurements in the lab and perceptual analysis of real-life images.
Compared its predecessor the iPhone 13 Pro’s tele zoom has been improved at medium range settings but with its relatively short optical tele still shows limitations at long range. Like for the ultra-wide it’s worth mentioning that night mode is now available on the tele lens but this is not currently tested under our protocol.
These samples show the Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s performance at a long-range tele setting.
Video
In our Video tests we analyze the same image quality attributes as for still images, such as exposure, color, texture or noise, but we also include such temporal aspects as speed, and smoothness and stability of exposure, white balance and autofocus transitions.
NOTE: The sample video clips in this section are best viewed at 4K resolution.
The Apple iPhone 13 Pro achieves a Video score of 119. A device’s overall Video score is derived from its performance and results across a range of attributes in the same way as the Photo score. In this section we take a closer look at these sub-scores and compare video image quality against competitors.
The iPhone 13 Pro’s video exposure is accurate all around, with smooth transitions in changing light conditions. These sample clips show the Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s video autofocus performance in indoor conditions.
Color
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
105
107
White balance is accurate in bright light and under indoor conditions, with smooth adaptations when the scene changes. In low light pink casts and slight instabilities can be noticeable. These sample clips show the Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s video color in an outdoor scene.
The iPhone 13 Pro’s video autofocus has good tracking capabilities refocuses smoothly when the scene is changing. This can also be seen in Apple’s new Cinematic Mode” which automatically switches focus between foreground and background subjects, based on scene content. This new mode is not covered by our current test protocol, though.
These sample clips show the Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s video autofocus performance in daylight.
Texture
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
93
99
The iPhone 13 Pro manages the texture/noise trade-off well in video but texture rendering artifacts can be visible, especially on faces when recording in bright light or indoors. These sample clips show the Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s texture performance in low light.
This graph shows the Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s detail preservation in video under different light conditions.
Video texture comparison: texture acutance has improved compared to the 12 Pro Max but the level of detail in low light is still low compared to some competitors.
These sample clips show the Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s noise performance in low light.
This graph shows the Apple iPhone 13 Pro noise performance in the lab.
Video noise comparison: noise level is quite low in all tested lab conditions
Artifacts
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
72
85
For video artifacts, we check for the same kinds of artifacts mentioned in the Photo section, along with such video-specific artifacts as frame rate variation in different light conditions, judder effect, and moving artifacts (artifacts such as aliasing, color quantization, and flare can often be more intrusive when moving than in a still image).
This video shows a flare effect in low light.
Stabilization
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
101
103
In these tests we analyze residual motion when handholding the camera during recording, as well as when walking and running with the camera. We also look for stabilization artifacts such as jello effect, sharpness differences between frames, and frame shift (abrupt changes of framing).
Sharpness difference between frames is sometimes visible and strong residual motion is visible in running motion. These sample clips show the Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s stabilization performance in daylight.
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