iPhone 13 Batteries Positively Excel at Video Streaming Compared to iPhone 12

Apple has made much of its iPhone 13 battery life improvements, noting for example that the 13 Pro Max offers the longest battery life ever in an iPhone. However, when you look at Apple's own battery comparisons versus the iPhone 12 lineup, it's the streaming video performance that the company has eked out of its new smartphones that really stands out.

iphone 13 display

  • iPhone 12 mini: 10 hours
  • iPhone 12: 11 hours
  • iPhone 12 Pro: 11 hours
  • iPhone 12 Pro Max: 12 hours
  • iPhone 13 Mini: 13 hours
  • iPhone 13: 19 hours
  • iPhone 13 Pro: 20 hours
  • iPhone 13 Pro Max: 25 hours

The iPhone 13 lineup features new low-power displays, a more efficient A15 chip, larger batteries, and more power-efficient components, all of which make for dramatic improvements when streaming, as the numbers above show.

For example, Apple claims that when streaming video, the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max last nine hours and 13 hours longer than last year's equivalent models, respectively. Taking the same metric, the battery in the iPhone 13 mini manages 13 hours, which is longer than even the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

With video streaming services so ubiquitous these days, not to mention Apple TV+ (and obliquely, Fitness+), Apple has clearly factored the computations involved into the power optimizations that it has achieved through the tight integration of its hardware and software.

Of course, battery life varies by use case and many other factors, so actual results will vary, but if they're anything near what Apple is claiming, binge-watching your favorite show should be a cinch on these latest devices.

(H/T to Jack for pointing this out!)

Related Roundup: iPhone 13
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Launch Is Just One Month Out – Here's Everything We Know

Saturday August 10, 2024 5:00 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series in the fall, and a possible September 10 announcement date has been floated this year, which means we are just one month away from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design...
macbook pro bb cyber

Apple's M3 MacBook Pro Gets Up to $1,000 Off In Major New Sales, Starting at $1,299 [Updated]

Sunday August 11, 2024 1:54 pm PDT by
Apple's M3 MacBook Pro is seeing multiple high value discounts on Best Buy and Amazon today, with up to $1,000 off select models. This includes a new all-time low price on the entry-level M3 512GB 14-inch MacBook Pro at $1,299.00, down from $1,599.00, and a massive $1,000 discount on the high-end 16-inch model exclusively for Best Buy members. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best...
iPhone 16 Pro Right Side Feature

The iPhone 16 is Getting a New Button: Here's What It Can Do

Tuesday August 13, 2024 4:01 pm PDT by
Multiple rumors have suggested that the iPhone 16 models are going to have an all-new button that's designed to make it easier to capture photos when the devices are held in landscape mode. Apple calls the button the Capture Button internally, and it is going to be one of the most advanced buttons that's been introduced to date with support for multiple gestures and the ability to respond to ...
iOS 18 on iPhone Feature

Everything New in iOS 18.1 Beta 2 and iOS 18 Beta 6

Monday August 12, 2024 2:32 pm PDT by
Apple is beta testing iOS 18 and the first update to iOS 18 concurrently, and we got the second betas of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 today alongside the sixth betas of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia 15. Many of the changes in iOS 18.1 are focused on bringing the .1 betas in line with the standard betas, which recently received updates to Photos and Safari, while...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue Face ID Single Camera Hole

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 17

Thursday August 8, 2024 4:40 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different – already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 2

Next Year's Slim iPhone 17 Could Be an 'iPhone Air'

Monday August 12, 2024 8:43 am PDT by
Apple's rumored iPhone 17 "Slim" could be positioned as an iPhone "Air" to boost sales, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained how the "fourth" model in the iPhone lineup since 2020 (the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 14 Plus, and iPhone 15 Plus) has largely been a commercial failure. In the case of the Plus model,...

Top Rated Comments

DNichter Avatar
38 months ago
This is the first time in years I have zero desire to upgrade my iPhone, but this is pretty impressive.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Serban55 Avatar
38 months ago
of course, that is what promotion is all about
watching video at 24hz will save battery a lot more than stuck on 60hz like all other iphone had it
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ProfessionalFan Avatar
38 months ago

of course, that is what promotion is all about
watching video at 24hz will save battery a lot more than stuck on 60hz like all other iphone had it

I suspect a lot is due to promotion limiting display power consumption.
But the iPhone 13 doesn't have promotion and has 19 hours listed over the 11 hours from the iPhone 12.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ProfessionalFan Avatar
38 months ago
That is a tremendous gain. Nice big leap in tech.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Oblivious.Robot Avatar
38 months ago
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/iphone-12-pro-battery-health.2285325/page-28

Given that some of us had horrible experience with our iPhone 12 Pro Max batteries, I honestly hope that they have rectified and improved them in the 13 series. :confused:

9 months old, 128 cycle, 89% battery health. Went from amazing 2 day battery life, to needing to use low power mode just to make it through the day on a same usage pattern. As it's not 80% or below, Apple Support Rep said nothing is wrong with my battery and can't (won't) replace it under warranty. Sigh.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ian87w Avatar
38 months ago
Should be good news for the mini fans as battery life was one of the 12 mini's downside.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)