We subjected the Apple iPhone 13 Pro to our rigorous SBMARK Selfie test suite to measure its performance in photos and videos from an end-user perspective. This article explains how the device performed in a variety of tests and different common use cases and aims to highlight the most important results of our tests with an extract of the acquired data.
Overview
Main specifications of the front camera:
- 12 MP 1 / 3.6 ″ sensor, lens with f / 2.2 aperture equivalent to 23 mm
- 3D sensor
- Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field (1080p at 30 fps)
- HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps; 4K video recording at 24/25/30/60 fps; 1080p HD video recording at 25fps, 30fps or 60fps
Pros
- Precise exposure of the target on the face
- Wide depth of field
- High level of detail in indoor and outdoor conditions
- Quite accurate depth estimate
- Wide dynamic range and precise exposure of the target in the video
- Accurate video white balance
- The wide focus range means all subjects are in focus in group selfie videos.
versus
- Luminance noise
- Sometimes inaccurate skin tones, especially in backlit indoor scenes
- Slight artifacts of anamorphosis (perspective distortion on faces)
- Low subject exposure when using the flash
- High levels of noise in the video, especially in low light conditions
- Residual motion in walking videos
- Loss of detail in videos in low light conditions
The Apple iPhone 13 Pro comes in the upper regions but not quite at the top of the SBMARK Selfie chart. Overall performance is very similar to last year’s iPhone 12 series, which is no surprise given the similar front camera hardware.
However, Apple has managed to improve things a bit, thanks to accurate subject exposure, a wide depth of field, and good detail in bright light and indoor shooting. The 13 Pro is a bit louder than its predecessor.
The difference is a little more noticeable for videos, making the iPhone 13 Pro one of the best devices in this category. For video, Apple has managed to improve the exposure and the color response is now more stable. The new device also has a wider dynamic range in the video.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro vs Ultra-Premium Selfie Scores
This chart compares the overall scores of SBMARK Selfie photos and videos between tested devices and references. The average and maximum scores of the price segment are also indicated. The average and maximum scores for each price segment are calculated based on the SBMARK device database.
Test summary
About SBMARK selfie tests: For scoring and analysis, SBMARK engineers capture and evaluate more than 1,500 test images in both controlled laboratory environments and natural outdoor, indoor and low-light scenes, using the front camera’s default settings. The photographic protocol is designed to take into account the user’s needs and is based on typical shooting scenarios, such as close-ups and group selfies. Assessment is done by visually inspecting images Cons a natural scene reference and making objective measurements on graphical images captured in the lab under different lighting conditions from 1 to 1,000+ lux and color temperatures from 2,300K to 6,500K. For more SBMARK Selfie Test Protocol information, please click here. More details on how we rate smartphone cameras can be found here. The following section collects the key elements of SBMARK’s comprehensive testing and analysis. Comprehensive performance evaluations are available upon request. Contact us to find out how to receive a full report.
Photo
128
Huawei P50 Pro
Huawei P50 Pro
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Photo vs Ultra-Premium scores
Photo tests analyze image quality attributes such as exposure, color, texture, and noise under various lighting conditions. Focus range and presence of artifacts on all images captured under controlled laboratory conditions and in real-life images are also evaluated. All of these attributes have a significant impact on the final quality of the images captured with the tested device and can help in understanding the main strengths and weaknesses of the camera.
Exposure
86
Huawei P50 Pro
Huawei P50 Pro
Color
84
Google Pixel 6 Pro
Google Pixel 6 Pro
Exposure and color are the key attributes for technically good images. For exposure, the main attribute evaluated is the brightness of the face in various use cases and lighting conditions. Other factors evaluated are contrast and dynamic range, eg. the ability to make details visible in both light and dark areas of the image. Repeatability is also important because it demonstrates the camera’s ability to deliver the same rendering when shooting consecutive images in a row.
For color, the analyzed image quality attributes are skin tone rendering, white balance, color shading, and repeatability.
Target face exposure is generally accurate. These samples show the Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s exposure performance in an outdoor scene.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, precise target exposure for the face
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, precise target exposure for the face
Huawei P50 Pro, precise target exposure for the face
Color is generally good, but our testers found some inaccuracies in backlit mixed lighting conditions. These samples show the color performance of the Apple iPhone 13 Pro in an indoor scene.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, orange skin tone rendering
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, orange skin tone rendering
Huawei P50 Pro, skin tone accurate rendering
Focus
91
Huawei P50 Pro
Huawei P50 Pro
Autofocus tests evaluate the accuracy of focusing on the subject’s face, the repeatability of precise focus, and depth of field. While a shallow depth of field can be nice for a single-subject selfie or close-up shot, it can be problematic in specific conditions like group selfies; both situations are tested. The accuracy of the focus is also evaluated in all real images taken, from 30 cm to 150 cm, and in low light conditions up to the outdoors.
This graph compares the Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s focusing performance at different subject distances.
The fixed focus lens of the iPhone 13 Pro captures high levels of sharpness at all distances
Structure
72
Asus ZenFone 7 Pro
Asus ZenFone 7 Pro
Texture tests analyze the level of detail and texture of subjects in images taken in the laboratory as well as in real-life scenarios. For natural shots, special attention is paid to the level of detail in the facial features, such as the eyes. Objective measurements are performed on map images taken under various lighting conditions from 1 to 1000 lux and different types of dynamic range conditions. The charts used are the proprietary SBMARK (DMC) chart and the Dead Leaves chart.
This graph shows the texture performance of the Apple iPhone 13 Pro in the laboratory under different light levels.
Texture comparison: Typically high levels of detail are captured in outdoor (1000 lux) and indoor (100 lux) lighting conditions.
These samples show the texture performance of the Apple iPhone 13 Pro in an outdoor selfie at a shooting distance of 55cm.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, texture, 55 cm
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, texture, 55 cm
Huawei P50 Pro, texture, 55 cm
Noise
62
Huawei P40 Pro
Huawei P40 Pro
Noise tests analyze various noise attributes such as intensity, chromaticity, grain and texture on real life images as well as graphical images taken in the laboratory. For natural images, special attention is paid to noise on faces, but also on dark areas and in conditions of high dynamic range. Objective measurements are performed on graphical images taken under various conditions from 1 to 1000 lux and different types of dynamic range conditions. The graph used is the SBMARK Dead Leaves graph and standardized measurement such as visual noise derived from ISO 15739.
This graph shows the noise performance of the Apple iPhone 13 Pro in the laboratory under different light levels.
Visual noise is a metric that measures the noise perceived by end users. It takes into account the sensitivity of the human eye to different spatial frequencies under different observation conditions.
Noise comparison: Luminance noise is visible under most conditions tested.
These samples show the noise performance of the Apple iPhone 13 Pro under indoor lighting conditions.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, visual noise
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, visual noise
Huawei P50 Pro, visual noise
Manufactured goods
83
Google Pixel 6 Pro
Google Pixel 6 Pro
Artifact evaluation examines lens shading, chromatic aberrations, distortion measurement on the dot and MTF chart, and ring measurements on the SFR chart in the lab. Particular attention is paid, among other things, to ghosting, quantization, halos and variations of shades on the face. The more severe and frequent the artifact, the greater the point deduction from the score. The main artifacts observed and the corresponding point loss are listed below.
These samples show slight instability in distortion correction on consecutive shots. The camera was mounted on a tripod to acquire these samples. If you look closely at the edges you can see that the field of view is slightly wider on the left image.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, slightly wider field of view
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, slightly narrower field of view
Main penalties for photographic artifacts
Bokeh is tested in a dedicated mode, usually in portrait or aperture mode, and analyzed by visually inspecting all images captured in the lab and under natural conditions. The goal is to reproduce portrait photography comparable to that taken with a DSLR and a wide aperture. The main image quality attributes to look out for are depth estimation, artifacts, blur gradient, and bokeh blur spotlight shape. The attributes of the portrait image quality (exposure, color, texture) are also taken into account.
These samples show the Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s bokeh mode performance in an outdoor scene.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, accurate depth estimate for the subject
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, similar results to iPhone 13 Pro
Huawei P50 Pro, no blur gradient but very good depth estimate
video
143
Huawei P50 Pro
Huawei P50 Pro
About SBMARK Selfie Video Tests
SBMARK engineers capture and evaluate more than 2 hours of video in controlled laboratory environments and natural scenes in low light conditions, indoors and outdoors, using the default settings of the front camera. The assessment consists of visually inspecting natural videos taken under various conditions and carrying out objective measurements on graphical videos recorded in the laboratory under different conditions from 1 to 1000+ lux and color temperatures from 2,300 K to 6,500 K.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro vs Ultra-Premium video scores
Video tests analyze the same image quality attributes as still images, such as exposure, color, texture, or noise, as well as temporal aspects such as speed, exposure uniformity and stability, white balance, and autofocus transitions.
The Apple iPhone 13 Pro achieves a selfie video score of 95. A device’s overall video score is derived from its performance and results on a number of attributes in the same way as the photo score. In this section, we take a closer look at these sub-scores and compare the video image quality to the competition.
Exposure tests evaluate facial brightness and dynamic range, eg. the ability to make details visible in both light and dark areas of the image. The stability and temporal adaptation of exposure are also analyzed. Image quality color analysis examines skin tone rendition, white balance, color shading, white balance stability, and its adaptation when the light changes.
These video samples show the video exposure performance of the Apple iPhone 13 Pro under indoor lighting conditions.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, precise target exposure with wide dynamic range. Adaptation to exposure is also quick and smooth with no visible instabilities
Huawei P50 Pro, less facial exposure
These video samples show the Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s video color performance in an outdoor scene.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, pleasant and natural skin tone with neutral white balance
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, very similar to the iPhone 13 Pro with slightly higher saturation
Huawei P50 Pro, cold white balance with inaccurate rendering on light to medium skin types
Structure
73
Asus ZenFone 6
Asus ZenFone 6
Consistency tests analyze the level of detail and texture of real-life videos, as well as graph videos recorded in the lab. Natural video recordings are evaluated visually, with particular attention to the level of detail of the facial features. Objective measurements are performed on images of graphs taken under various conditions from 1 to 1000 lux. The chart used is the Dead Leaves chart.
Evolution of the sharpness of the texture with the level of illuminance
This graph shows the evolution of texture sharpness with the lux level for two sealing conditions. Texture sharpness is measured on the Dead Leaves graph in the Close-up Dead Leaves setting.
Texture retention in video is good, but slightly outperformed by the other devices in this comparison.
These video samples show the Apple iPhone 13 Pro’s video texture performance under lighting conditions of 100 lux and a distance of 55cm in the laboratory.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, the level of detail is good, but lower than the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, the level of detail is good, but lower than the Apple iPhone 13 Pro
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon), high level of texture with many fine details
Noise
56
Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
Noise tests analyze various noise attributes such as intensity, chromaticity, grain, texture, temporal aspects on real-life video recordings and graph videos taken in the laboratory. Natural videos are evaluated visually, with particular attention to noise on faces. Objective measurements are performed on card videos recorded under various conditions from 1 to 1000 lux. The graph used is the SBMARK visual noise graph.
Spatial evolution of visual noise with the level of illuminance
This graph shows the evolution of spatial visual noise with the level of lux. Spatial visual noise is measured on the visual noise graph in the video noise setting. SBMARK visual noise measurement is derived from the ISO15739 standard.
Time evolution of visual noise with the level of illuminance
This graph shows the evolution of temporal visual noise with the level of lux. Visual temporal noise is measured on the visual noise graph in the video noise setting.
These video images show the video noise performance of the Apple iPhone 13 Pro in indoor light conditions.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, the strong luminance noise is visible in all conditions and especially in low light conditions
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, strong luminance noise is also visible but it is slightly better than the 13 Pro
Huawei P50 Pro, noise reduction is very efficient, even in videos in low light conditions
Stabilization
78
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
The stabilization assessment verifies the device’s ability to stabilize footage using software or hardware technologies such as OIS, EIS, or any other means. The assessment examines overall residual motion on the face and background, smoothness and yellow artifacts, during walking and panning use cases under various lighting conditions. The video below is an excerpt from one of the tested scenes.
This sample clip shows the video stabilization of the Apple iPhone 13 Pro in outdoor conditions.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, some residual movements are visible in the background of videos captured while walking
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, stabilization behavior very similar to the Apple iPhone 13 Pro
Huawei P50 Pro stabilization is more effective than both iPhones with less visible residual motion
Manufactured goods
87
Apple iPhone 12 mini
Apple iPhone 12 mini
Artifacts are evaluated with MTF and ring measurements on the SFR graph in the lab, as well as frame rate measurements using the Universal Timer LED. Natural videos are visually evaluated with special attention to artifacts such as quantization, hue shift, and face rendering artifacts, among others. The more severe and frequent the artifact, the greater the point deduction from the score. The main artifacts and the corresponding point loss are listed below
Main penalties for video artifacts
This graph shows the ringing video output of the Apple iPhone 13 Pro. This curve shows the normalized edge profile of the maximum ring in the field.
Ringing: Lab measurements show the iPhone 13 Pro exhibits more rings than some of its competitors, but no other serious artifacts are visible in its videos
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