The iPhone 13 Pro might no longer be the very best iPhone around, yet if you can find it for a good price there are still some excellent features here – and it’s a better overall buy than the iPhone 14.

Great to finally see a 120Hz display on an iPhone, Good battery life, Seriously impressive camera system, You’ve been longing for a 120Hz display on an iPhone: The 120Hz ProMotion screen here is glorious; it’s great to see Apple finally add the feature we’ve been enjoying on Android phones for...

Other phones have better zoom, The notch feels dated, You want the best zoom camera: I love the camera on the iPhone 13 Pro, but it would be nice to see Apple follow Samsung’s lead (among many others) and utilise a periscope zoom. Until then, the iPhone’s zoom will never be quite the best.

The iPhone 13 Pro is Apple's most accomplished phone this year, with the Bionic 15 chip, 5G, a battery to last at least a full day and the best camera system on any smartphone. So yes, this is our pick from this year’s iPhone lineup. Since all phones have a bigger battery and the identical camera can be found on the 13 Pro, it’s harder to make a compelling argument from the iPhone 13 Pro Max, unless you’re a content creator glued to your iPhone. However, for £170 less, the iPhone 13 is a compelling alternative which offers an improved battery, the latest Bionic chip, 5G and an incredibly impressive camera powers. What it lacks is that third telephoto lens and the adaptive refresh rate, so it really boils down to your smartphone priorities. All the advancements you see here are incremental, but when you add them all up, it’s not insignificant. Some of the features seem a bit overkill, but a larger battery and boosted camera is exactly the kind of meaningful upgrade users so desperately wanted and now, with the iPhone 13 Pro, get.

Superb camera; All day battery;

Weighty;

The iPhone 13 Pro isn’t a massive leap from last year’s model, and that’s okay. You cannot expect every new iPhone generation to be crazy different. This year’s iPhone range focuses on iterative updates. But there’s plenty of new features that make the new iPhone 13 Pro worth taking a look at.

Superb camera; All day battery;

Weighty;

The iPhone 13 Pro is in many ways the Goldilocks of the iPhone range – just right. It has the very best of iPhone features in a body that is a bit more pocket-sized and hand-friendly without sacrificing any major features.

Stunning screen quality, Solid and sturdy build, Excellent camera array

Shorter battery life than Pro Max (but the latter is massive), Notch (iPhone 14 Pro goes 'Dynamic Island'), Comes at a premium price

While it's a shame that picture and sound quality haven't been upgraded, the iPhone 13 was great in these regards and the iPhone 14 is, too Excellent display Admirable headphone performance Solid build quality No upgrades to picture or sound Familiar design Notch is still present

Ultimately it feels like Apple's 2021 iPhones are all about refining rather than offering anything brand new. That's not going to be exciting for those eager to get new toys and tech, but the iPhone 13 Pro is as a refined an Apple phone as you can buy - so if you're in the market for an upgrade from an older generation then it'll still feel genuinely impressive.

ProMotion screen brings 120Hz smoothness; Better battery than predecessor; Easy-to-use and effective cameras;

A15 Processor isn't a huge leap forward compared to A14; No always-on display; Battery life challenged under heavy demands; Macro mode auto switching can get confused at times;

Last year’s iPhone 12 Pro didn’t offer enough to make it worth the extra money over the excellent iPhone 12 , but Apple has significantly beefed up the iPhone 13 Pro. The super-slick 120Hz screen significantly improves the experience of using the phone, bringing it up to par with top Android phones.

Pros: better cameras, 3x optical zoom, Face ID, longer battery life, great performance, brilliant 120Hz screen with smaller notch, durable and easy to hold, 5G, long software support.

Cons: no USB-C, need your own charger, heavy, expensive, not cutting edge.

All things considered, is the iPhone 13 Pro worth it? On standalone terms, yes. Its cameras are definitely better than its predecessors, and so are its display, performance and battery life.

It seems likely that Apple expects at least a significant number of its customers to skip generations of its phones, given that upgrades each time are generally fairly modest. That means that from iPhone to iPhone the differences are somewhat minimal, but if you’ve missed a generation, you’ll notice...

Cheaper than last year’s iPhone 12 Pro, Excellent macro/close-up focusing, Same cameras on both Pro and Pro Max

No advanced controls in native app, Price still high, Relatively restricted zoom