When picking up a new phone, you may have thought that choosing a smaller storage option would only affect your storage...but that's not the case when it comes to the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max.
The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max have ProRes video capabilities, but the 128GB model is limited to recording at 1080p and 30fps. Higher storage models offer 4K at 30 fps instead.
ProRes is, as Apple explains, "an advanced video codec widely used as a final delivery format for commercials, feature films, and broadcast, offering higher color fidelity and less compression. It is favored by the film industry and is likely to be of great benefit to filmmakers and other creative professionals.
However, the cheapest iPhone 13 Pro model has a resolution cap, buried in the small print of Apple's iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max press releases. iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max have 128GB storage options with 1080p 30fps, and the Camera app supports ProRes video recording at up to 4K 30fps with 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage options.
In other words, if you want to get the best resolution in ProRes mode, you need to buy at least 256GB of storage. Why? Perhaps it has something to do with file size and the fact that 4K ProRes files may take up a bit of storage.
It would also explain why this limitation affects the larger and more expensive iPhone 13 Pro Max. If Apple believes that 128GB of storage is insufficient to handle 4K ProRes, it makes sense that the 128GB variant of both models would have the same limitation.
The iPhone 13 Pro starts at $999 for 128GB, so to get the highest ProRes resolution, you would need $1,099 for 256GB, $1,299 for 512GB, and $1,499 for 1TB. iPhone 13 Pro Max costs $1,099 for 128GB to $1,199 for 256GB, $1,399 for 512GB, and $1,599 for 1TB.
Thus, if you were going to buy either phone and take advantage of ProRes, you should definitely keep this in mind: 1080p video is not particularly bad, especially when it has all the benefits that Apple claims ProRes offers. However, you need to decide if you are okay with that level of resolution or if you would prefer to have the option of 4K.
Both the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max will be available for pre-order starting Friday, September 17, and will go on sale Friday, September 24. iPhone 13 pre-order deals can be found here.
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