iPhone 13 vs Pixel 6 — Apple and Google uberphone showdown
by Myles Illidge · MyBroadbandGoogle’s latest flagship smartphone, the Pixel 6 Pro, was launched this week and is set to take on Apple’s iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, which were released last month.
Both companies say their new smartphones offer improved performance, battery life, and better camera capabilities than their predecessors.
The Pixel 6 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro are almost identical in weight at 207g and 204g, respectively, while the iPhone 13 weighs in at 174g.
Google’s new flagship smartphone is longer, wider, and thicker than the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro.
Apple’s smartphones both have a 6.1-inch display with a pixel density of 460-pixels per inch, while the Pro variation features a 120Hz refresh rate.
The Pixel 6 Pro has a 6.7-inch display and trumps the pixel densities of the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro with 512-pixels per inch, allowing for a more detailed image.
Google’s smartphone also features a 120Hz refresh rate on its display.
A critical feature for many smartphone users is the camera capabilities of their device.
Google’s Pixel 6 Pro has a triple-camera setup, featuring a 50-megapixel primary, a 48-megapixel telephoto, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens.
The iPhone 13 Pro also features a triple-camera setup, consisting of three 12-megapixel sensors linked to wide, ultrawide, and telephoto lenses.
The iPhone 13 has a dual-camera setup with 12-megapixel ultrawide and 12-megapixel wide lenses.
All three devices can record 4K video at 60 frames per second.
It is important to note that megapixel counts alone do not determine overall photo and video quality.
DXOMark has given the iPhone 13 Pro’s camera an overall score of 137, placing it fourth on its rankings. It is outranked by the Huawei Mate 40 Pro+, Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, and Huawei P50 Pro.
No DXOMark score was available for the Pixel 6 Pro at the time of publication.
The Pixel 6 Pro beats both iPhone 13 models when it comes to long-distance photographs, offering 20x digital zoom capabilities, compared to Apple’s 15x digital zoom.
Concerning battery life, the Pixel 6 Pro features a larger battery than both the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, with a maximum capacity of 5,003mAh.
The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro contain 3,240 and 3,095 mAh batteries, respectively.
Again, it is important to note that battery capacity is not an accurate measurement of overall usage times as varied optimisations between devices also affect overall performance.
Google’s smartphone offers faster charging capabilities with 30W wired charging, compared to 20W in both iPhone 13 models.
Hardware showdown
The iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and Pixel 6 Pro specifications are summarised in the table below.
| iPhone 13/13 Pro vs Pixel 6 Pro | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Specifications | iPhone 13 | iPhone 13 Pro | Pixel 6 Pro |
| OS | iOS 15 | iOS 15 | Android 12 |
| Display | 6.1-inch 2,532 x 1,170 OLED, 60Hz refresh rate | 6.1-inch 2,532 x 1,170 OLED, 120Hz refresh rate | 6.7-inch 3,120 x 1,440 AMOLED, 120Hz refresh rate |
| Processor | A15 Bionic | A15 Bionic | Google Tensor |
| Memory | 4GB | 6GB | 12GB |
| Storage | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB |
| Rear Camera | 12MP + 12MP | 12MP + 12MP + 12MP | 50MP + 48MP + 12MP |
| Front Camera | 12MP | 12MP | 11.1MP |
| Ports | Lightning | Lightning | USB Type-C 3.1 |
| Cellular | 5G | 5G | 5G |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 |
| SIM | Dual with nano-SIM and eSIM | Dual with nano-SIM and eSIM | Dual with nano-SIM and eSIM |
| Biometrics | Face ID | Face ID | Under-display fingerprint scanner |
| Battery and Charging | 3,240 mAh, 20W fast charging | 3,095 mAh, 20W fast charging | 5,003 mAh, 30W fast charging |
| Dimensions and Weight | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.65mm (174g) | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.65mm (204g) | 163.9 x 75.9 x 8.9mm (210g) |
| Price | From $699 From R16,999 in SA | From $999 From R21,499 in SA | From $899 – |