Does the iQOO 13 Make Last Year’s iQOO 12 Obsolete? Checkout Our Full Specs Comparison to Know More

The iQOO 13 has officially been unveiled as the most affordable Snapdragon 8 Elite smartphone in India. The launch comes on the back of the Realme GT 7 Pro, which was the first phone in the country to incorporate the chip.

If you want to look at our full breakdown of the iQOO 13 vs Realme GT 7 Pro, head on over to the link. However, let's find out how much of an upgrade does the iQOO 13 offer over its predecessor, the iQOO 12, which was our pick for the best flagship killer in 2023.

iQOO 13 vs iQOO 12: Specs Comparison

Design

Both the iQOO 12 and 13 feature glass protection on the back and front as well as an aluminium frame. However, the iQOO 13's Legend variant uses "enamel" glass, which results in a more polished look. On the flip side, the iQOO 12 is also offered in a vegan leather finish.

Additionally, the iQOO 13 gets flagship-grade IP68+IP69 protection against dust and water. Moreover, the iQOO 13 features a slightly larger display, while the rear camera island now features a new 'Monster Halo' design, complete with LED lights and 72 effects. Lastly, the iQOO 13 also ditches the optical fingerprint reader from last year for an ultrasonic one.

Display

The iQOO 13 also features a better screen with a higher resolution and pixel density. It also has more hardware-based eye-protection features baked-in, while offering higher levels of brightness. The iQOO 13's display uses new Q10 light-emitting materials to offer more clarity and better detail, all while consuming less power.

Performance

The Snapdragon 8 Elite chip on the iQOO 13 gives it a major boost in performance over its predecessor. According to the company, the iQOO 12 clocked an overall AnTuTu score of over 2.1 million points, while the iQOO 13 is touted to deliver a score exceeding 3 million points. This suggests a boost in performance upwards of 30%.

The iQOO 13 also features an upgraded Q2 imaging chip, which offers the first-ever 2K Super Resolution and 144 FPS Super Frame Rate, while consuming less power. Moreover, the iQOO 13 also features LPDDR5x Ultra RAM with speeds reaching 9600 Mbps and UFS 4.1 storage, which translates to faster read speeds.

Battery and Software

iQOO latest flagship phone also boasts a 20% larger battery than the iQOO 12. The 3nm chip coupled with the larger battery should translate to improved battery life. Charging support on both phones are the same. The iQOO 13 and iQOO 12 also use the same software, although the former will get one extra OS update as it arrives a year later. The iQOO 13 also supports six years of security patches as opposed to five on the iQOO 12 (four as of now).

Cameras

The iQOO 13 boasts a trio of 50MP cameras, including a Sony IMX921 primary sensor with OIS, an f/1.9 aperture, and a 1/1.56" sensor size, a Samsung S5KJN1 ultrawide lens with an f/2.0 aperture, and a Sony IMX816 telephoto shooter with OIS, an f/1.9 aperture, and a 2x optical zoom. Up front, there's a 32MP selfie camera.

The iQOO 12 also features a triple-camera setup on the back, including a 50MP OmniVision OV50H 1/1.3" primary sensor with OIS and an f/1.7 aperture. The 50MP Samsung S5KJN1 ultrawide lens is the same on both phones, while the third camera on the iQOO 12 is a 64MP OV64B periscope lens with OIS and an f/2.6 aperture. Up front, there's a 16MP selfie camera.

In terms of camera hardware, there are few differences between the two phones, the biggest of them being the higher-res selfie camera on the iQOO 13. Additionally, the other huge difference is the new telephoto camera on the iQOO 13 appears tailored for portraits rather than zoom shots, while the 64MP periscope lens is aimed at taking better shots of far away objects.

However, the new Snapdragon chip also brings with it an upgraded ISP for better image processing. The iQOO 13 also introduces several AI camera features to improve the experience. And lastly, the iQOO 13 can record 4K video at 60fps on its front and rear cameras, while the iQOO 12's front camera is capped at 1080p video capture.

iQOO 13 vs iQOO 12: Final Thoughts

The iQOO 13 features a ton of advantages over its predecessor. The iQOO 13 offers better gaming and AI performance, improved battery life, a more vibrant display with better eye-protection features, and a more robust build. You also get better software support on the iQOO 13, which is expected considering it's a newer phone.

And while the two phones are pretty evenly matched in terms of rear camera hardware, the iQOO 13 comes out on top for selfies and video capture. Moreover, with no price cut to the iQOO 12, the difference in pricing between the two phones is negligible. Not only is the iQOO 13 the obvious winner in this comparison, but it also makes last year's iQOO 12 obsolete.