Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

The Game 161

macrumors Nehalem
Dec 15, 2010
30,993
20,174
UK
the non pro models aren’t really built to upgrade every year. It’s for people who are due an upgrade and want the latest device to last them even longer. The non pro will never have massive upgrades year on year.
 

The-Real-Deal82

macrumors P6
Jan 17, 2013
17,321
25,479
Wales, United Kingdom
the non pro models aren’t really built to upgrade every year. It’s for people who are due an upgrade and want the latest device to last them even longer. The non pro will never have massive upgrades year on year.

To be fair I don’t know many people who buy the Pro models and upgrade every year either. It’s a lot of money to outlay each year and it’s not just tech enthusiasts who opt for the Pro but many with good deals on contracts. I still see most people upgrading every 2-3 years regardless of model. I think that’s standard across the industry now with technology making such small leaps.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Barbareren

azentropy

macrumors 601
Jul 19, 2002
4,140
5,670
Surprise
The 13 mini is going to be a tough call for me. I think we all know this is going to be the last "premium" small iPhone Apple releases for the foreseeable future. So even though it is looking like an underwhelming upgrade over the 12 mini, do I upgrade now anyway or do I just wait until I really need to upgrade and/or if the 13 mini drops in price when 2022 models arrive? Guess I'll have to see when it is announced and what price it is announced at.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DeepIn2U

DeepIn2U

macrumors G5
May 30, 2002
13,051
6,985
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Agree, some people just like having the latest and greatest, don’t see the point anymore these days, rather wait 2 years so it feels more like a proper upgrade.

Still looking forward to the apple event, hopefully it’s not a snooze fest were they talk about the cameras for 1 hour.

agreed. And considering very poor quality with lens flare in the 12 series, I’ll be keeping a keen eye on camera focused chatter. If that happens, then I know they’re selling hard and too avoid. Snake oil tactics.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LFC2020

satchmo

macrumors 603
Aug 6, 2008
5,223
6,099
Canada
The 13 mini is going to be a tough call for me. I think we all know this is going to be the last "premium" small iPhone Apple releases for the foreseeable future. So even though it is looking like an underwhelming upgrade over the 12 mini, do I upgrade now anyway or do I just wait until I really need to upgrade and/or if the 13 mini drops in price when 2022 models arrive? Guess I'll have to see when it is announced and what price it is announced at.

Normally a good strategy, but if it is indeed the last year for the iPhone mini, they may be snapped up by fans of small phones. There may not be the clearance pricing as what you're currently seeing with the iPhone 12 mini.

And who knows if Apple will even place another order once their initial supply is depleted.
 
  • Like
Reactions: N69AP

azentropy

macrumors 601
Jul 19, 2002
4,140
5,670
Surprise
Normally a good strategy, but if it is indeed the last year for the iPhone mini, they may be snapped up by fans of small phones. There may not be the clearance pricing as what you're currently seeing with the iPhone 12 mini.

And who knows if Apple will even place another order once their initial supply is depleted.
Yep, that is the dilemma. I kinda did the same thing when the 8 came out (having the 7). Wasn't interested in the size increase of the X but at the time didn't think the 8 was a big enough upgrade. But a year or so after when Apple didn't release a 9 and instead transition to even larger models I swiped up a refurb 8. Then went to the 2020 SE, then to the 12 mini.
 

IJBrekke

macrumors 6502a
Oct 24, 2009
700
877
Long Beach, CA
I think the 13 will essentially be a repeat of the 12 but with all the kinks of the 12 "ironed" out, like a much better 5G modem that doesn't murder the battery, a bigger battery, better Wifi, better Face ID, better cameras, slightly better display quality(not a new type, just better quality), etc.

Really "just" a spec bump all around but might end up being a really solid iPhone since it's not a jump in design, displays, cellular modems.

For me I'd think it was a pretty good upgrade if we just saw a larger battery and maybe more RAM in the non-Pro, standard iPhone 13, like up to 6GB from the 4GB in the current one.
This line of thinking is spot-on. The 13 (non-Pro) line will be a classic “S” upgrade, which is consistently the version that ages much more gracefully. Always an underwhelming spec sheet, always a much better device through subtle improvements everywhere.
 
  • Like
Reactions: N69AP

tcgod829

macrumors newbie
Sep 4, 2021
4
2
This line of thinking is spot-on. The 13 (non-Pro) line will be a classic “S” upgrade, which is consistently the version that ages much more gracefully. Always an underwhelming spec sheet, always a much better device through subtle improvements everywhere.
They should just call it the 12s if it's just a minor upgrade.
 

tcgod829

macrumors newbie
Sep 4, 2021
4
2
the non pro models aren’t really built to upgrade every year. It’s for people who are due an upgrade and want the latest device to last them even longer. The non pro will never have massive upgrades year on year.
Understandable, but the price gap needs to reflect that. If they only add massive upgrades to the pro year on year, there's less incentive to get the non pro if the price gap is only a marginal $150-200 betwee non-pro and pro.
 

tcgod829

macrumors newbie
Sep 4, 2021
4
2
Some very fair points. The non pro models are premium priced phones with very minimal difference from the previous models.
A lot of base model Android phones already have triple camera array, 128GB base storage and 90-120Hz display
 
  • Like
Reactions: N69AP

TechLord

macrumors 6502a
Apr 28, 2020
692
911
Faster refresh rate and a triple camera clearly won’t happen on the 13. But if apple can up the base storage to 128, up the ram, and then give decent incremental upgrades across the board performance wise without hiking the price it could be a very solid phone long term. it’ll still miss some important features for a phone of it’s price but it’ll be a very solid performer for someone who doesn’t care about top notch camera specs and fast refresh rate.

I love my 12 but I do think it could become ram starved long term and it’s possible the comparison between standard 12/13 may slightly mirror the 6/6s long term (but obviously not to the same extent since the a14 is a beast). That’s of course assuming apple up the ram this year.
 

palemonkey

macrumors 6502a
Sep 26, 2013
581
893
It's incredibly wasteful, too. Why are people tossing perfectly good premium phones every year?

So much of the discourse is around "what's the difference from a 12 -> 13" instead of "what's the difference from a X or a XS -> 13" or "from this Android phone to iPhone", which are far more likely upgrade paths for most people.
You realise people don’t throw their old phone in the bin each year right? ?
People are selling them to other people, recycle companies, etc. All these phones are finding new homes and living on for many many more years.
 

FlyingTexan

macrumors 6502a
Jul 13, 2015
942
784
A lot of base model Android phones already have triple camera array, 128GB base storage and 90-120Hz display
Yea but zero of those have the whole package. Everyone picks one thing off a phone they like. You can’t find a single android phone that is anywhere near the iPhone mini.

Also what’s with people talking about wanting more memory? When has your mini felt like it didn’t have enough?
 
  • Like
Reactions: ChoiMinji

fuchsdh

macrumors 68020
Jun 19, 2014
2,030
1,831
You realise people don’t throw their old phone in the bin each year right? ?
People are selling them to other people, recycle companies, etc. All these phones are finding new homes and living on for many many more years.

Yeah, but it's still generating unnecessary waste. I get that it's a Mac/Apple enthusiast forum, but I wish people weren't so cavalier about their environmental impacts.
 

ricehotdog

macrumors newbie
Sep 5, 2021
2
3
Faster refresh rate and a triple camera clearly won’t happen on the 13. But if apple can up the base storage to 128, up the ram, and then give decent incremental upgrades across the board performance wise without hiking the price it could be a very solid phone long term. it’ll still miss some important features for a phone of it’s price but it’ll be a very solid performer for someone who doesn’t care about top notch camera specs and fast refresh rate.

I love my 12 but I do think it could become ram starved long term and it’s possible the comparison between standard 12/13 may slightly mirror the 6/6s long term (but obviously not to the same extent since the a14 is a beast). That’s of course assuming apple up the ram this year.

According to Apple Insider, there is a possibility the RAM will go up this year if they add ProRAW to the non-pro models.
Apple could expand ProRAW to the entire "iPhone 13" lineup due to changes in the image signal processor. It is unknown why Apple restricted the feature to the iPhone 12 Pro models, but it may have something to do with the difference in RAM. The standard iPhone models have 4GB of RAM and the pro models have 6GB of RAM.

An Apple ProRAW file is the combination of computational photography and a DNG file for the maximum amount of data the sensor can provide. Taking a ProRAW photo is such an intensive process that Live Photos become disabled, so RAM may be a limitation. Apple could improve the ISP in the "iPhone 13" or add additional RAM to the standard models.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: TechLord

EM2013

macrumors 68020
Sep 2, 2013
2,490
2,326
It drives me crazy how people expect massive upgrades every year. I have a 2021 Ford Mustang and from what I hear the 2022 Mustang is only going to have 55 more horsepower and look the same. How does Ford expect me to upgrade this year and spend another 40k with that "underwhelming" upgrade? Yeah sounds pretty ridiculous....
lol these car-phone comparisons need to seriously stop.

But yeah you can get 2-3 years out of new iPhone. Every year it’s the same upgrades processor, camera.

(2023 mustang is supposed to be a redesign btw ?)
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.