Can an impressive set of improvements replace innovations? This is Apple's bet in 2021, won in many ways. With in particular a new astounding “cinematic” mode and an A15 Bionic chip that leaves the competition far behind, the four iPhone 13 models unveiled last week confirm that, if not revolutionizing, Apple still knows how to fine-tune.

As reviews for these four phones start rolling out this Tuesday morning, the official day the media embargo is lifted, we've been able to try them out since last Saturday. These models are actually divided into two pairs. On the one hand, the iPhone 13 and its little brother, the iPhone 13 mini, are the most "affordable", with screens of 6.1 and 5.4 inches. On the other hand, the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max are more expensive, with 6.1 and 6.7 inch screens, a telephoto lens as a third camera on the back and a graphics processor more powerful.

Diagonal lenses

Let's start with the most "affordable", the iPhone 13 and mini, which still have starting prices that will make many jump, namely $1099 and $949. But that's Apple. Their storage memory is at least 128 GB and can go up to 512 GB, their price then rising to $1509 and $1359.

The iPhone 13 mini, with its small screen, will bring back good memories to those who still have nostalgia for the small phones that Apple produced exclusively until 2014. With a 5.4-inch screen and a weight of 140 g, we have a phone that fits entirely in the hand and slips easily into a shirt or sweater pocket.

Like the standard iPhone 13, it has two rear lenses, which for the first time were placed diagonally. This engineering choice comes from the arrival of a larger sensor for the wide-angle camera, able to process 47% more light. There is also a 120-degree ultra-wide-angle lens, with 2x optical zoom back.

Macro and 120Hz

If we jump to the top category, with the iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max, we have added a telephoto lens with x3 optical zoom at the back. There is also a laser remote sensing system, a LiDAR, which can identify shapes in low light conditions and is also used for augmented reality. The two “Pro”, on the other hand, have a 5-core graphics processor, compared to 4 for the two less expensive models.

Finally, their screen can go up to a refresh rate of 120Hz, ideal for games and action movies, but stay between 10Hz and 120Hz for less demanding activities, in order to preserve the battery .

For the photo, we also have a new "Macro" mode, which compensates for what was one of the great weaknesses of the iPhones, their inability to take close-up photos. You can almost stick the phone on an object and the focus continues to work.

Starting prices for 128GB of storage are $1399 for the Pro and $1549 for the Pro Max. Going up to 1 TB of storage, the bill increases to $2079 and $2229.

As in the movies

That's it for the presentations on what distinguishes the two pairs of iPhone, let's move on to the tests. It is fashionable, every year for Apple, to announce an even more powerful chip, and the A15 Bionic which equips these four models is obviously no exception. We ran both pairs through benchmark Geekbench 5 benchmarks. Whether it is for the power of the central processing unit (CPU) or the graphics processing unit (GPU), the iPhone 13s have no rival worth mentioning, except perhaps… the iPhone 12s. Judge for yourself.

These enhanced capabilities allow us to try out the "Cinema Mode" feature, which Apple highlighted last week. Only iPhone 13s have access to it, although older iPhones have the newest operating system, iOS15.

Essentially, this cinematic mode lets the phone decide, when you're filming, what subject it should focus on. Using machine learning, the iPhone 13 detects who is speaking, who is looking at the lens, who is the center of attention, and shifts the focus. You can even change the focus after recording. We tried it with family members, on a patio table with objects and even with a cat.

Verdict: simply amazing. The transition is seamless, automatically switching from one subject to another. You can also touch the screen with your finger to force manual focus. In our tests, only once did our iPhone make a mistake and choose the wrong person. We were able to correct the error afterwards. All parents who filmed their child's end-of-year shows, and who inherited blurred images because they moved, will appreciate.

Remarkable… or invisible

The other function announced with great fanfare is the “photographic styles”. You can decide, before taking the photo, if it will appear without a filter on the screen, or if the tones will be warm, lively, contrasting. We didn't find this feature very useful, as this kind of processing is usually done after the photo has been taken. Connoisseurs may find it of interest.

In trial, the Cinema Mode feature is obviously a remarkable new feature that will significantly improve your videos. Being able to photograph an object very close is very interesting, and we found this function useful from day one. But the other improvements are very discreet, if not indistinguishable from previous generations of iPhones. Our photos taken with the iPhone 13 have essentially the same characteristics as those obtained with an iPhone 12 Pro Max: same very faithful colors, clearly visible details. As for Night mode and low-light photos, we couldn't get the promised miracles, in a small closed room in the basement. We couldn't see much of it, with the iPhones of this year or last year. Other tests will be necessary, with more time… or more experienced photographers.