13 Reasons Why You Don’t Need an iPhone 13

Advertiser Disclosure: At Slickdeals, we work hard to find the best deals. Some products in our articles are from partners who may provide us with compensation, but this doesn’t change our opinions.

Another year, another autumnal iPhone release. As Apple’s legacy smartphone pushes deeper into the double digits, performance expectations have never been higher — and rightfully so, iPhones aren’t cheap! It might be tempting to upgrade your older iPhone or another smartphone, but that decision should come after you’ve researched the finer details of how the iPhone 13 compares to previous models.

Don’t let us discourage you — if you are set on buying an iPhone 13 and know exactly why you want it, you are the most qualified person to make that decision. However, the iPhone 13 does have a few shortcomings worth knowing about. If you’re not completely sold on Apple’s latest creation, consider the top reasons why the iPhone 13 might not be worth it.

The iPhone 13 is Too Similar to the iPhone 12

The iPhone 12 was a definite improvement over the iPhone 11 in terms of display, as the Super Retina XDR panel boosted the 12’s pixels-per-inch figure from 326 to 458. If Apple was capable of making that jump in just one year, why is the iPhone 13 stuck at 460 pixels-per-inch?

Aside from a couple of minute ergonomic changes, all of the iPhone 13 variants are nearly the same size and resolution as their iPhone 12 counterparts. There’s something to be said for consistency (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it), but you may as well save a bit of money by picking up a discounted iPhone 12 instead.

Do You Really Need a Camera Upgrade?

Along with new display technology, camera innovations have been featured front-and-center throughout the debut of the iPhone 13. The diagonal dual-lens rear camera features a Wide and Ultra Wide lens on the iPhone 13 and 13 mini, while the Pro and Pro Max come with an additional Telephoto lens.

Photographers and videographers are likely to enjoy the addition of Photographic Styles’ smart filtering feature and the Cinematic Mode focus-shifting mode, but do you take enough high-quality staged photos and videos to justify the cost?

It’s Been a Rough Year for Tech Innovation

Over a year into the semiconductor chip shortage, we’ve seen all kinds of supply chain disruptions — next-gen consoles remain elusive, manufacturers are having trouble with toy production and companies like RTX and Nvidia have taken to re-releasing older GPUs to meet demand, since new models have become impossible to find.

Whether Apple is willing to publicly admit it or not, there’s no way that the world’s largest and most valuable technology company can weather a massive global commerce disruption without hitting a few snags.

According to SemiAnalysis, Apple’s CPU cores have been widely considered the best-performing consumer option for years. This well-deserved designation is bolstered by the exponential rate at which Apple has been able to expand the iPhone’s capabilities from generation to generation. We know that most companies have struggled to maintain output and sales during the year between the respective releases of iPhone 12 and iPhone 13, so it’s hard to believe that Apple had the material resources required to outshine last year’s iPhone.

5G is Still Not Worth It

Apple is a major proponent of 5G technology and has spent a great deal of time and effort hyping up its possibilities, especially when the company releases its latest technologies. While we are all excited to take a step into the high-speed future, 5G network infrastructure remains rather sparse. Apple’s excessive focus on 5G band innovation was one of our major qualms about the iPhone 12, and the situation hasn’t improved much between iPhone generations.

As long as Apple’s short-range mmWave modems are still routinely confused by trees and walls, 5G isn’t quite ready for primetime.

You Could Save on an Older iPhone Instead

You’re probably reading this Slickdeals article because you’re interested in saving money. It’s not always easy to find major discounts on smartphones (especially iPhones), but there are absolutely alternatives to buying a brand new iPhone at full price. Apple’s release schedule is usually predictable; with a little research, it’s easy to predict a rough timeline for when you should start shopping for smartphone deals.

Remember: New iPhone release season is the best time to save on the iPhones of yesteryear.

Still No Power Adapter or EarPods

Like its predecessor, the iPhone 13 ships without a power adapter or EarPods included. Apple claims that this glaring omission is part of its mission to “reduce package waste,” but this eco-friendly business decision doubles as a convenient money-sponge that forces you to purchase expensive Apple-certified accessories — or take a chance on third-party alternatives.

This may not be a new development, but it’s fair to say that the iPhone 13 lacks a few basic smartphone components.