iPhone 13: I hate that you'll love Apple's recycled iPhone 12 Pro

The big iPhone wasn't as popular amongst western consumers, but they soon got on board, contributing for a total of 222 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus sales, making the iPhone 6 series the best-selling smartphone (not just iPhone) of all time! Wild.

The iPhone 6S series was more or less the same story. Then came iPhone 7 Plus, which added insult to injury for the compact iPhone fans:

• It had a much bigger battery
• It had a sharper display than the iPhone 7
• It had an extra gigabyte of RAM - 3GB vs 2GB on the iPhone 7
• It had an extra camera for 2x zoom and portrait mode - piping hot features in 2015

It was clear as day - Apple was ready to start making two different iPhones for different kinds of people - those who want/need a mild upgrade over the last iteration, and the ones who are more adventurous, and demand new, competitive features.

Why? Well, Apple simply had to adapt. Android phones at the time started getting bigger batteries (Galaxy S7 Edge), better displays (Galaxy S7), and multiple-camera systems (Huawei P9).

Don't get me wrong - Apple does love living in its own world, but the company wasn't going to ignore the competition forever. Also, it's only natural that the iPhone had to get better - perhaps Android just helped speed up the process and make Apple more aggressive.

iPhone X, XS, 11, and 12: One more thing, and many more things

Then, it was time for one more thing. Tim Cook presented iPhone X on September 12, 2017, just after he revealed the modest iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus upgrades. Apple was ready to play. The new iPhone X:

• Had a new look with much thinner bezels
• Introduced Face ID, which to this day is housed in "the iPhone notch" - double "win"
• Gained a comparatively amazing  Samsung-made OLED screen
• Came with the best camera system on an iPhone ever, thanks to dual OIS
• Was the first phone to reach the $1,000 price mark
• Was the first compact iPhone to come with a properly big battery for Apple's standards (2716 mAh vs 1821 mAh on iPhone 8)

And after that, nothing was the same. There was a premium iPhone for those who wanted it and could afford it, and a good iPhone for those who just needed a new iPhone.

Apple did something right. The 2018 iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max were essentially the same phones in two different sizes. But the company realized that many people weren't able to afford a $1,000 iPhone, and that's how the iPhone XR was born.

The iPhone XR outsold the iPhone XS series. To some a compromise, to others a breath of fresh air for those who didn't want to spend a fortune for an iPhone, the XR looked… new.

Then, Apple brought the iPhone 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, and… iPhone 11. Why? Same reason. The result? iPhone 11 became the best-selling phone of 2019, with over 50% higher sales than the 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max.

The iPhone 12 series brought back the properly small iPhone, while the rest was largely the same - the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max carried better cameras. But the smallest iPhone 12 Mini didn't sell well - people didn't want small iPhones. They didn't want anything "mini" that's associated with "less" or "worse". Hence, the standard iPhone 12 was and is the most popular iPhone 12.

iPhone 13 and iPhone 14: More recycled pro models on the way

And we come to today when Apple's released the iPhone 13 series, which set the iPhone 13 Pro even further apart from the standard "for everyone iPhone" - in fact, the furthest ever.

iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max have

• A 120 Hz display
• More RAM (+2GB)
• A completely new camera system
• More GPU power thanks to an additional core
• Massive battery gains (especially on the iPhone 13 Pro Max)

It's clear - the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Mini are for those who want a new iPhone - a good new iPhone. In fact, the iPhone 13 literally borrowed the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max's camera hardware and screen - arguably the two most important aspects in today's smartphone world.

So, save for some software features, iPhone 13 is more or less a recycled iPhone 12 Pro. And as a "power user" - a word that I hate, that's sort of disappointing. Apple keeps playing this game where it looks at the competition and makes improvements for the "Pro" iPhone, while when it comes to the "regular" models, it simply refers back to last year's "pro" models and then recycles.

Samsung can't get away with that. Reportedly, all Galaxy S22 series will carry brand new cameras, thinner bezels, and AMD graphics. And sure, the S21 Ultra is in a league of its own when it comes to hardware, but it's mainly the 10x zoom camera that sets it apart from the S21.  Yes, the S21 is made of plastic, but the Galaxy S21 and S21+ also have 120Hz displays, three cameras, reverse wireless charging, and the same punch-hole design as the more expensive S21 Ultra. 

What is Apple about to do? Reportedly, Apple is on its way to release the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max with a new punch-hole cutout design, an overhauled camera system, led by a 48MP sensor, and a 120Hz display - and these are only the new features we've heard about.

And then we are expecting the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max, which… Well, guess what will happen! Congratulations, you're following along. They'll most likely be an iPhone 13 Pro in disguise, save for the 120Hz screen, because that would be "too" generous. I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt it.

In the end

iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro are now two completely different phones, in my eyes. The iPhone 13 is the iPhone for those who just need an upgrade. The iPhone 13 Pro is for those who want something new, exciting, competitive, cutting-edge.

Every manufacturer needs to make some compromises in order to differentiate the cheaper flagships from the ultra-premium ones. But Apple, arguably, seems to be able to get away with too much here. For example, Samsung's approach of going plastic, instead of cutting off crucial features seems way more reasonable.

In isolation, the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Mini are great devices. And I don't protest against them on a personal level - I know and understand that the iPhone 13 Pro is the one made for people like me - not the iPhone 13.

I simply don't necessarily agree with "a recycled iPhone for the average Joe" practice that's taking place at the moment. But hey - if Joe likes it, who am I to stop him! I just… hate that he'll love it, because Apple will keep doing it. But it's good that he loves it. But I don't.