With iPhone 14 Incoming, Does Buying iPhone 13 Still Make Sense?
If you wish to save some money or simply do not want to wait any further then the iPhone 13 is definitely worth considering.
It is that time of the year again. As September nears, rumour mills have started working extra shifts in order to push leaks and rumours about the upcoming iPhone 14 series. The tech world is buzzing with iPhone 14 headlines and everyone is making guesses as to what all new features and changes the Cupertino tech giant will bring to its latest phone lineup. It is also that time of the year when the existing iPhone suddenly starts becoming available at surprisingly lower prices from different retailers (witness the latest and forthcoming sales on Amazon and Flipkart).
So even as the world is going gaga over the much-awaited iPhone 14 series, many people are wondering if it still makes sense to buy an iPhone 13-series device, especially with all the offers and deals around. Some might outrightly answer 'no' to this question, considering that we are on the cusp of the launch of a new iPhone series, but there are actually some very good reasons why investing in an iPhone 13-series phone (referred to as "iPhone 13" from here onwards) might still be a good idea.
The bottom line: Prices and deals are better
One of the biggest reasons why it actually makes sense to invest in an iPhone 13 at the moment is its reduced price tag and the deals available on it. The iPhone 13 was launched last year, which makes it a year-old series and with the new iPhone series on the horizon, the prices of the iPhone 13 have been tanking. You are likely to get good discounts on both online and offline platforms and with even more sales coming up, the prices are likely to drop even further. This means you can bag an impressive deal on the iPhone 13 if you plan to buy it now.
If you decide to wait for the iPhone 14, you are not only unlikely to get any discount on the device, but might even end up paying more than you did for the previous edition (one of the rumours around the iPhone 14 series suggests it could come at a higher price). If money problems are non-existent then perhaps one can wait for the new range of iPhones. After all, it makes sense to get the newest technology out there. But if you intend to save some bucks on your next iPhone purchase, we would suggest you consider the iPhone 13.
The A15 Bionic chip still rocks
While leaks and rumours suggest that the iPhone 14 series is going to come with a number of significant changes, this does not take away from the fact that the iPhone 13 series is still quite well equipped to get you through most of your daily and even some extraordinary power hungry needs. In fact, most Android flagships that are being released even now are still being compared to the iPhone 13.
Yes, iPhone 14 is very likely to come with a processor upgrade but the iPhone 13 is powered by Apple’s A15 Bionic chipset, which is still arguably the most powerful smartphone processor in the world at the moment. A processor which is not only more than capable of not only handling all your daily chores but can also easily go through all your power-hungry tasks quite swiftly. You can actually play Call of Duty at maxed-out settings and edit videos on your iPhone 13, without any trouble whatsoever. So, even though the iPhone 14 is likely to come with a new chip (the A16 Bionic?), if you decide to invest in the iPhone 13, the A15 Bionic is unlikely to disappoint you in any of the tasks you assign to it, light or heavy. and will even stand the test of time reasonably well.
The newer iPhones might come with a better processor, but the difference in performance between them and the iPhone 13 is unlikely to be spectacularly exceptional. It will definitely be a step up, but because the A15 Bionic is such a capable chipset, the improvements in performance in the new iPhones are unlikely to stand out very prominently.
The cameras are still snappy
There are rumours that the Pro models of the iPhone 14 series will feature a camera bump up in the shape of perhaps a 48-megapixel wide-angle sensor. This means if you have your eyes and heart set on the Pro models, you will get a significant megapixel boost but the iPhone 14 series is expected to come with improved (but still) 12-megapixel sensors. This means while there will be some improvements, the megapixel count on the non-Pro variants will essentially remain the same.
Like the processor, the cameras on the new iPhone are likely to be better than the ones on the iPhone 13, but the difference is not likely to jump out at you. You are still assured of top-notch photography and excellent videos. Many are still getting very good results even from the iPhone 12's cameras.
It still has the looks (which might not change much, anyway)
When it comes to design, Apple has not come out with something quite radical since it launched the iPhone 11 series. After the iPhone 11 series, subsequent devices (the iPhone SE excluded) have had minor design changes like the flat sides, changes in the camera units on the back in terms of size and placement, and colours. But nothing mind-blowing has come out of those Cupertino gates in terms of iPhone design for quite some time now. We have the same old notch on the front, the very similar camera setup (barring a change of angle of camera placement on the iPhone 13), the glass backs and even more or less the same dimensions when it comes to iPhones in the past few years.
While the Pro models of the iPhone 14 series are expected to come with a slightly different notch this time (some are hinting at a punch or a pill-hole), the non-Pro variants are expected to not differ too much from their predecessors in this regard. Yes, Apple might make some design changes that are too nuanced to catch in the first glimpse but other than that we just don't see a massive design overhaul on the cards for the iPhone 14 series. So if you are not looking to buy the Pro models, the iPhone 14 might not look as significantly different from the iPhone 13. For the record, the iPhone 13 still looks very good indeed.
That (i)OS will stay updated for a while
A major plus point of any iPhone is its software. Many smartphones tend to start lagging behind their successors in terms of performance because even though their hardware remains powerful enough, their software does not get updated to new levels and many new features on new phones are not passed on to earlier ones. That is never the case with an iPhone. Because the iPhone runs on iOS, and the UI is also created and controlled by Apple, the company delivers timely software updates to all iPhones, and unless tied to new hardware, also ensures that older iPhones get the same features as new ones.
So the chances are high that the iPhone 13 will actually get a fair number of software features that the iPhone 14 will come with. What's more, Apple has a reputation of keeping the software on its iPhones updated for five years or more. That means an iPhone 13 will keep getting software updates bang on time for at least another four years, making it a decent long-term investment.
Got the bucks and time? Go for iPhone 14. Want a good deal now? iPhone 13 still cuts it!
All of this does not mean you should not consider buying the iPhone 14 at all. If money is not an issue, you have no problem waiting for a couple of more months, and especially if you are eyeing the Pro models, the iPhone 14 series will is definitely likely to be a worthy upgrade. The iPhone 14 series is expected to come with display, processor, camera, battery improvements, and then some.
But if you wish to save some money or simply do not want to wait any further then the iPhone 13 is definitely worth considering. It still has the looks and the performance. And all those discounts and deals make it worthy of being your iPhone even almost a year after its launch.
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