The tech world is abuzz with excitement as Apple introduces its latest marvel, the iPhone 15. Packed with groundbreaking features and cutting-edge technology, the iPhone 15 is set to redefine the smartphone experience. Let's delve into the specifications that make this device a true game-changer.
Design and Display
The iPhone 15 boasts a sleek, glass and metal design that not only exudes sophistication but also ensures durability. The device features a stunning 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display with a 120Hz refresh rate, delivering vibrant colors and smoother animations for an immersive viewing experience.
Camera System
Capture life's moments with unparalleled clarity using the advanced camera system on the iPhone 15. The triple-lens setup includes a 108MP wide-angle lens, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, and a 12MP telephoto lens. With improved low-light performance and enhanced AI capabilities, your photos and videos will reach new heights.
Performance
Under the hood, the iPhone 15 is powered by the A16 Bionic chip, ensuring lightning-fast performance and efficient multitasking. Whether you're gaming, streaming, or using resource-intensive applications, the device handles it all seamlessly.
5G Connectivity
Experience the future of connectivity with 5G capabilities on the iPhone 15. Enjoy faster download and upload speeds, low latency, and a more reliable connection, making your online experience smoother than ever.
Battery Life
Say goodbye to battery anxiety. The iPhone 15 comes equipped with a larger battery that provides all-day usage on a single charge. The device supports fast charging and wireless charging for added convenience.
iOS 16
Running on the latest iOS 16, the iPhone 15 introduces new features, enhanced privacy settings, and a more intuitive user interface. Stay on top of your tasks with improved Siri integration and seamless app interactions.
Security Features
Protecting your data is a top priority for Apple. The iPhone 15 incorporates advanced facial recognition technology and a fingerprint sensor for secure and convenient authentication.
Storage Options
Choose from a range of storage options to suit your needs, starting from 128GB up to a whopping 1TB. Store more photos, videos, and apps without worrying about running out of space.
iPhone 13 cheat sheet: Everything you need to know about Apple’s flagship phones
Learn all about the key features, specs, pricing, availability and other details about Apple's 2021 release of iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max and the iPhone 13 mini.
announced the iPhone 13, the update to its flagship iPhone, at a digital-only event on Tuesday, Sept, 14, 2021. The trend continues with the iPhone being segmented into different model configurations: the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, with each model containing slightly different spec variations.
The iPhone 13 family changes are primarily focused on performance, battery life and cameras, which is typically seen during the years of iPhone refreshes that do not feature significant design changes.
Let’s walk through the changes to the iPhone 13 and what it means for users, the competition and existing device owners. We’ll also take a look at how the specs and prices compare between the iPhone 13 models.
What are the key features of the iPhone 13?
Camera
The new iPhone 13 Pro showing the new cameras designed for better low-light performance. Image: Apple
The cameras on the iPhone 13 family of devices received one of the largest updates with this cycle, adding a myriad of device changes and software enhancements to increase the quality and production value of photos and videos shot on the iPhone.
The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini introduce a new dual camera system that features a new wide camera that lets in 47% more light for noise reduction and low light performance. It features a 12MP wide camera and a 12MP ultra-wide camera (f2.4 aperture). Apple also detailed that the capture times have been improved, leading to more detail captured and less blurring overall in low light environments.
As for video, a new feature of the iPhone 13 is Cinematic Mode, which allows you to shift focus automatically whenever a person enters the frame of the camera or changes direction to look. This is done through software changes and machine learning. You can also manually shift focus at any time by tapping on a subject on screen. With this mode, your camera will automatically shoot using Dolby Vision HDR.
In keeping with the iPhone 12, the iPhone Pro features a three-camera design on the back of the device. The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max feature a new 77mm telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, an ultra-wide camera, and a wide camera with a f1.5 aperture that increases low light performance by 2.2 times; it also enables macro photography right on the device for the first time. All cameras on the iPhone 13 Pro have increase night mode performance (which previously was exclusive to the iPhone 13 Pro Max).
The iPhone 13 Pro models also introduce a new system called Photographic Styles, which allow a photographer to apply live photo edits while shooting. This is different from filters, which are applied after.
The iPhone 13 Pro also gains the ability to shoot and edit ProRes video, which is an industry standard for professional video.
All of the camera improvements across the board on the iPhone 13 will lead to improved augmented reality performance using the LIDR sensor and the cameras.
Processor
Apple has created an all-new processor for the iPhone 13 family of devices dubbed the A15 Bionic. This chip boasts more performance all the while increasing power efficiency. The new chip is based on Apple’s 5 nanometer technology that packs 15 billion transistors on a single chip. The chip features 6-cores that are composed of 2 high-performance cores for intense processing tasks and four high-efficiency cores for normal computing tasks. Because of the increased performance on these chips, Apple has been able to create iOS 15 in a way that can perform more tasks on device, like the ability to do on-device processing of directions using Apple Maps, or perform Siri tasks and processing on device.
While Apple doesn’t release the technical specifications of its chips, it did note that the A15 Bionic chip has 50% faster processing power compared to similar devices on the market from other smartphone manufacturers.
The “Bionic” part of the A15 relates to Apple’s machine learning coprocessor included on the chip. This “Neural Engine” features 16-cores that can process 15.8 trillion operations per second for Machine Learning tasks. This is great for apps that rely on CoreML to perform image, text, or camera machine learning tasks, such as Live Text in iOS 15.
GPU
The graphics power on the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini boast 30% faster performance with the new GPU chip design. These models of iPhone feature a 4-core GPU. On the iPhone 13 Pro models, the GPU design changes slightly with a 5-core GPU and 50% faster graphics performance. Apple notes that the GPU chip on the iPhone 13 Pro models is the fastest graphics performance on any smartphone to date.
Display
The iPhone 13 showing the new OLED display panel that includes more brightness than its predecessor. Image: Apple
All iPhone 13 models feature OLED displays that are brighter and include HDR 10 and Dolby Vision support for cinematic quality video playback. The iPhone 13 and 13 mini have a 28% brighter display that can sustain 800nits of brightness, with HDR content and peak brightness topping out at around 1200nits.
The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max feature a new Super Retina XDR Display that is an OLED display similar to the one found on the 2021 iPad Pro 12.9″ that can output 1000nits of peak outdoor brightness.
The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max also feature ProMotion display technology that can allow the screen to refresh from as low as 10hz to as high as 120hz. This ability to refresh the screen at up to 120fps means that you can get super-fluid animations and scrolling performance. This technology has been around on the iPad for a few years, but Apple has finally brought it over to its smallest iOS devices now.
Storage
Apple is dropping the 64GB storage option for all devices starting with the iPhone 13. The iPhone 13 Pro includes the ability to purchase a 1TB model for the first time on an iPhone as well.
The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini come in the following storage configurations: 128GB, 256GB and 512GB.
The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max come in the following storage configurations: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB.
Battery life
With the changes to the A15 Bionic chip, Apple notes that battery life is much improved across the board on all devices. In addition, the physical battery size has increased on all iPhone models, giving you additional battery life and performance.
The iPhone 13 mini features 1.5 hours longer battery life compared to the iPhone 12 mini. The iPhone 13 features 2.5 hours longer battery life compared to the iPhone 12; and, the iPhone 13 Pro features 2.5 hours longer battery life compared to its predecessor. The iPhone 13 Pro features the largest battery ever put into an iPhone and subsequently lasts the longest.
More features of the iPhone 13
iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini come in new colors: (Product) RED, Starlight, Midnight, Blue and Pink. They feature Ceramic Shield front and back glass with aluminum sides.
The iPhone 13 Pro comes in new colors: Graphite, Gold, Silver and Sierra Blue. They also feature Ceramic Shield front glass with a textured matte glass on the back with a stainless steel edge design.
All iPhone 13 models feature IP68 water resistance ratings (maximum depth of 6 meters for up to 30 minutes).
All models of iPhone 13 support the Deep Fusion technology that was previously only available on Pro models. This feature takes up to nine separate photo exposures and fuses them together into a single image.
iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 also support cinema standard wide color gamut for displaying colors precisely on the screen.
The TrueDepth camera system at the top of iPhones with Face ID (dubbed “The Notch” by many) is now 20% smaller thanks to the technology being shrunk in the latest iPhone 13 models.
The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini feature recycled plastics for the antenna bands, and all models of iPhone 13 feature recycled metals.
What’s the difference between the iPhone 13 models?
iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini share the same features, but different screen sizes. The screen resolution on the iPhone 13 mini is 2340‑by‑1080-pixel resolution at 476 ppi with a physical screen size of 5.4″. The iPhone 13 on the other hand features a resolution of 2532‑by‑1170-pixel resolution at 460 ppi packed into a physical screen size of 6.1″.
iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max also share the same features between devices, with the main difference being the display. The iPhone 13 Pro features a resolution of 2532‑by‑1170-pixel resolution at 460 ppi in a physical space of 6.1″, while the iPhone 13 Pro Max features a resolution of 2778‑by‑1284-pixel resolution at 458 ppi in a 6.7″ display size.
Below is a chart that outlines the specs between models where features differ.
iPhone 13 mini
iPhone 13
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 13 Pro Max
Capacity
128GB
256GB
512GB
128GB
256GB
512GB
128GB
256GB
512GB 1TB
128GB
256GB
512GB 1TB
Size
Height:
5.18 inches
(131.5 mm)
Width:
2.53 inches
(64.2 mm)
Height:
5.78 inches
(146.7 mm)
Width:
2.82 inches
(71.5 mm)
Height:
5.78 inches
(146.7 mm)
Width:
2.82 inches
(71.5 mm)
Height:
6.33 inches
(160.8 mm)
Width:
3.07 inches
(78.1 mm)
Weight
4.97 ounces (141 grams)
6.14 ounces (174 grams)
7.19 ounces (204 grams)
8.46 ounces (240 grams)
Display
5.4‑inch (diagonal)
2340‑by‑1080-pixel resolution at 476 ppi
6.1‑inch (diagonal)
2532‑by‑1170-pixel resolution at 460 ppi
6.1‑inch (diagonal)
2532‑by‑1170-pixel resolution at 460 ppi
6.7‑inch
2778‑by‑1284-pixel resolution at 458 ppi
ProMotion
No
No
Yes
Yes
Water Resistance
Rated IP68
Rated IP68
Rated IP68
Rated IP68
Chip
A15 Bionic
A15 Bionic
A15 Bionic
A15 Bionic
Rear Camera
Wide and Ultra Wide cameras
Wide: ƒ/1.6 aperture
Ultra Wide: ƒ/2.4 aperture and 120° field of view
2x optical zoom out
Digital zoom up to 5x
Wide and Ultra Wide cameras
Wide: ƒ/1.6 aperture
Ultra Wide: ƒ/2.4 aperture and 120° field of view
2x optical zoom out
Digital zoom up to 5x
Telephoto, Wide, and Ultra Wide cameras
Telephoto: ƒ/2.8 aperture
Wide: ƒ/1.5 aperture
Ultra Wide: ƒ/1.8 aperture and 120° field of view
3x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 6x optical zoom range
Digital zoom up to 15x
Telephoto, Wide, and Ultra Wide cameras
Telephoto: ƒ/2.8 aperture
Wide: ƒ/1.5 aperture
Ultra Wide: ƒ/1.8 aperture and 120° field of view
3x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 6x optical zoom range
Digital zoom up to 15x
Front Camera
12MP camera
ƒ/2.2 aperture
12MP camera
ƒ/2.2 aperture
12MP camera
ƒ/2.2 aperture
12MP camera
ƒ/2.2 aperture
Battery
Video playback:
Up to 17 hours
Video playback (streamed):
Up to 13 hours
Audio playback:
Up to 55 hours
Video playback:
Up to 19 hours
Video playback (streamed):
Up to 15 hours
Audio playback:
Up to 75 hours
Video playback:
Up to 22 hours
Video playback (streamed):
Up to 20 hours
Audio playback:
Up to 75 hours
Video playback:
Up to 28 hours
Video playback (streamed):
Up to 25 hours
Audio playback:
Up to 95 hours
Thursday, February 1, 2024
THE 6 BEST SMARTWATCHES FOR KIDS WHO DON’T NEED A SMARTPHONE JUST YET
Smartwatches have become popular wearable pieces of tech that make our day-to-day lives easier. And now, even your child can get a hand (and a wrist) in on these fun accessories. Smartwatches for kids are specifically designed with younger age groups in mind and are less powerful and more affordable than regular smartwatches.
They're packed full of apps and games to keep your little ones active and occupied, and some even have built-in cameras for snapping selfies. Others are full-fledged communication gadgets that support phone calls, texts, and GPS tracking.
One thing we must mention, but truly hate mentioning is that the SIM-connected watches with GPS and calling functions are for many parents a non-negotiable. In the event of an emergency at your child's school, or if, heaven forbid, someone were to approach your child, having text, voice messaging, and GPS could be a major aid to you and your child.
Ultimately, it's up to you as a parent to determine how you want your child to utilize their smartwatch. Is it just for fun, or is it a watch that you want your child to use with you or others? How can you be sure that your child uses the tech wisely? According to Teodora Pavkovic, youth psychologist, digital wellness expert, and director of community engagement at classroom management technology company Linewize, “An important first step in order to set them up for online safety and healthy technology-use habits is establishing a tech agreement with your child before they begin using the technology, and continue to tweak it as they grow older.”
When considering safety and usefulness, there are four main things to consider when you're looking to buy: age, features or functions, durability, and connectivity.
Age
This is arguably the most important metric to consider when it comes to smartwatches for kids. Younger kids need different things and are better fit for simple watches like the Tobi 2, while tweens and teens may get something closer to what you or I would wear, so it's up to us to guide them to what is appropriate.
Features/Functions
Some of our favorite kids' smartwatches are fairly basic — and that's the beauty of them. They let you get the time, maybe play a few games, have a timer for chores or bathroom use, and usually have a camera just for fun. The next step up includes features like connecting to your phone or Wi-Fi. A step up from that are fully functional smartwatches.
But the more functions it has, the more distracting it could be. Pavkovic notes, “It’s important that parents consider the potential impact the use of this technology can have on their child’s daily habits, their ability to carry out their school work without distraction, and their ability to spend quality time with friends and family.”
A smartwatch for kids is also an excellent middle ground for little ones who are constantly begging for a smartphone. Thankfully, most of our picks don’t offer unrestrained access to the internet like a phone would and most aren’t susceptible to data charges — plus, they’re much cheaper than smartphones.
Durability
Our parenting editor, Cat Bowen, sings the praises of gear insurance for kids, especially teens. Since kids tend to scratch up and break things quickly, we recommend adding a protection plan or insurance policy to your purchase, especially for the Apple watch. Aside from that, you should also look for smartwatches that are waterproof or splashproof, with sturdy, scratch-resistant surfaces and bands that can take a beating.
Connectivity
Most smartwatches for kids don't rely on a data connection, but for teens, we've listed a handful of smartwatches in this guide that do sync with smartphones or have an independent data connection so that your child can send messages to their loved ones.
Pakovic tells Best Products, “The only issue more important than healthy tech habits is data privacy and protection for minors. Yes, privacy policies are long and dull, but it’s imperative for parents to read them and understand what kind of data, especially health- and location-related, will be collected from their children, where it will be stored, how it will be used, and most importantly, who else it will be shared with.”
All of our recommended smartwatches for kids will serve as an excellent transition for giving your child more independence with tech. Shop the best smartwatches for kids below to get your kids excited about getting active.
Two cameras to catch all the fun things kids take pics of
End to end encrypted messages
CONS
Bulky
If your child (5 to 13) wants tons of features, but you still want control of what they do, and with whom they connect, the TickTalk 4 is your best option for that. It's also durable thanks to the shock-absorbing exterior that is reminiscent of an Otter Box.
It's an LTE kids watch that comes with a free sim card, and the connectivity is $9.99 per month. It has two-way HD video and voice calling, two 5MP cameras, free music streaming through iHeart family, GPS location tracking, activity trackers and step counter, end-to-end encrypted messaging, tons of parental controls, and an SOS function.
The SOS function allows your child to immediately call their emergency contact by simply holding down a button. It's one of those necessary features that makes your chest hurt and your eyes sting to consider, but it will give you some peace of mind knowing they have it.
If you’re worried about the watch being a distraction in class — don’t. It has a do-not-disturb mode (controlled by you) that silences everything but the SOS feature. It also has 50-plus pre-programmed reminders to help guide your kids’ day.
With this smartwatch for kids, you get to choose who they call and can block numbers and access to certain features during specified times of the day. You can see their calls and texts, where they are, and how they've been using the watch.
It's not waterproof, but it's fairly water-resistant, shockproof, and sturdy. Plus, it has a 62-hour battery life.
Our parenting editor, Cat Bowen's tween daughter has been wearing this smartwatch for about three weeks, and both our editor and her daughter are impressed with both its durability and its functionality. She loves to see how many steps she's taken, and she loves listening to music as she walks home from the bus. Cat loves being able to see where her daughter is in real-time, and just how many times she texts her brother "Did you eat all the ramen, again?"
One user described this watch to Best Products as "a little like an invisible fence, but 100% less painful." She was referring to the safe zones you can set up that allows your child to remain in a certain perimeter in your neighborhood, only alerting you if they leave it. It gives your child a little bit of freedom, but it's still heavily-monitored thanks to the GPS functionality.
Your child can send and receive text messages and calls from a pre-approved list of contacts. They can even send photos, thanks to the built-in 2mp camera. It has an exceptionally-long battery life at 72 hours in passive mode, which is one of the longest available right now.
One thing we loved about this watch is that the activity platform doesn't feel forced or manipulative. Your child can simply go about their day being active, and that wins them coins that they can use in the Xplora app to unlock age-appropriate content.
And don't worry about your kids getting distracted at school. You can set it up with a "school mode" that only allows certain functionality of the watch. Plans start at $9.99 per month.
VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch DX2 is one of the highest-rated kids' smartwatches on Amazon — and for good reason. It's packed with activities, games, and intuitive challenges that'll keep your little one busy all day long.
Your child can play with its built-in voice changer and snap photos and videos using the camera. Once they take those pics, they can add fun filters and you can download it directly to a device without having to move it to the cloud first. Other features include an alarm, a timer, a stopwatch, a calendar, a calculator, and a pedometer.
It's durable, easy to use, and loads of fun. It also comes in blue and purple and offers several different watch faces to pick from. The watch is splashproof and scratch-resistant, making this an all-around good pick.
If you want to make your son or daughter’s year and don’t mind spending the money, the Apple Watch is one of the best smartwatches you can buy. It may be too powerful for most kids, but iPhone-wielding teens will be able to figure it out in no time. It’s decently waterproof and hard to scratch, but we still recommend investing in an insurance policy.
The Apple Watch SE is Apple’s most inexpensive smartwatch. It does a fine job of tracking your teen’s fitness to get them involved in their own health and wellness. With phone-call and text-message capabilities, your teen can’t say that they missed your messages, either. We’d recommend getting the smaller and more affordable 40-millimeter watch for a teen (over the 44-millimeter model).
The Apple Watch comes in several different color and band combinations that vary in price. Just note that it doesn't work with Android smartphones — it requires an iPhone. It also comes with a new Family Share option for kids.
More fitness-oriented than anything, so it might not appeal to all
The vívofit jr. 3 from Garmin is a waterproof fitness tracker that helps get your little one up and moving. It tracks steps and sleep quality, and it records their active minutes to help them form positive habits. Parents can set daily activity goals, customize an “in case of emergency” screen with their contact information, and participate in fitness challenges using fitness trackers of their own.
The watch even gives you the option to send customizable alerts and chores lists to the device, and you can reward your child with virtual coins for completing goals — fitness or otherwise. As a bonus, the vívofit jr. 3’s built-in battery lasts for a whole year.
They may not be old enough to get an Apple Watch just yet, but this age-appropriate smartwatch is an educational gift for kids disguised as a toy.
It'll help them learn how to tell time, and also features plenty of games to keep them entertained: a calendar, stopwatch, timer, reminder list, alarm clock, and two built-in cameras for taking funny photos and videos with friends.
