LG Velvet vs. iPhone 13: A Deep Dive into Performance, Camera, and Value
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing long-term software support, a superior camera system, and consistently faster performance, the iPhone 13 is the clear winner. However, the LG Velvet offers a viable alternative for budget-conscious buyers who don't require the latest features and are comfortable with an older chipset.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | LG Velvet | Apple iPhone 13 |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 3, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66 - A2633, A2634, A2635 |
| 5G bands | - | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79 Sub6/mmWave - A2633 |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE | HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps |
| Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| - | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2634, A2635 | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2020, July 28. Released 2020, July 31 | 2021, September 14 |
| Status | Discontinued | Available. Released 2021, September 24 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 167.1 x 74.1 x 7.9 mm (6.58 x 2.92 x 0.31 in) | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.7 mm (5.78 x 2.81 x 0.30 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM |
| Weight | 180 g (6.35 oz) | 174 g (6.14 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) MIL-STD-810G compliant* *does not guarantee ruggedness or use in extreme conditions | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | - | Ceramic Shield glass |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2460 pixels (~395 ppi density) | 1170 x 2532 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.8 inches, 109.8 cm2 (~88.7% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.1 inches, 90.2 cm2 (~86.0% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | P-OLED | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 800 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (4x2.8 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 385 Silver) | Hexa-core (2x3.23 GHz Avalanche + 4x1.82 GHz Blizzard) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SDM845 Snapdragon 845 (10 nm) | Apple A15 Bionic (5 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 630 | Apple GPU (4-core graphics) |
| OS | Android 10, upgradable to Android 12 | iOS 15, upgradable to iOS 26.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) | No |
| Internal | 128GB 6GB RAM | 128GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM, 512GB 4GB RAM |
| UFS 2.1 | NVMe | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dual | - | 12 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1/1.9", 1.7µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, f/2.4, 120˚, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/3.4", 1.0µm |
| Features | LED flash, panorama, HDR | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) |
| Single | - | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6" SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Triple | 48 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.0", 0.8µm, PDAF 8 MP, f/2.2, 120˚, 15mm (ultrawide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm Auxiliary lens | - |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), stereo sound rec. |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 16 MP, f/1.9, 29mm (standard), 1/3.06, 1.0µm | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | No |
| 35mm jack | Yes | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.1, A2DP, LE | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS |
| Radio | FM radio | No |
| USB | USB Type-C, OTG | Lightning, USB 2.0 |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| - | Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 15W wired, QC3 9W wireless | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (Qi2) - requires iOS 17.2 update |
| Type | Li-Po 4300 mAh | Li-Ion 3240 mAh (12.41 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Black, Aurora Silver | Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Pink, Red, Green |
| Models | LMG910EMW, LM-G910EMW | A2633, A2482, A2631, A2634, A2635, iphone14,5 |
| Price | About 360 EUR | € 304.00 / $ 249.97 / £ 248.00 |
| SAR | - | 1.18 W/kg (head) 1.19 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | - | 0.99 W/kg (head) 0.98 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | - | Endurance rating 89h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -25.5 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 775519 (v9) GeekBench: 4645 (v5.1) GFXBench: 59fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
LG Velvet
- Significantly lower price point
- Potentially expandable storage (microSD slot - common on LG phones of this era)
- Headphone jack (likely present, a feature absent on the iPhone 13)
- Outdated chipset (Snapdragon 845)
- Limited software support
- Inferior camera performance
Apple iPhone 13
- Powerful A15 Bionic chip
- Excellent camera system
- Long-term software support
- Higher price
- No headphone jack
- No expandable storage
Display Comparison
The iPhone 13’s display achieves a peak brightness of 802 nits, offering excellent visibility in direct sunlight, a metric the LG Velvet likely falls short of given its age. While the Velvet’s panel specifications aren’t provided, Apple’s ‘infinite’ contrast ratio (typical of OLED panels) delivers deeper blacks and more vibrant colors. The iPhone 13’s display is also likely protected by Ceramic Shield, offering superior drop resistance compared to the Velvet’s unspecified glass.
Camera Comparison
Both devices offer photo and video capabilities, but the iPhone 13’s camera system is expected to be far more advanced. While specific sensor details for the Velvet are unavailable, Apple’s image processing pipeline and sensor technology consistently rank among the best in the industry. The iPhone 13 benefits from features like Cinematic mode for video recording and Photographic Styles for personalized image preferences. The Velvet’s camera, while capable, will likely exhibit more noise and less dynamic range in challenging lighting conditions.
Performance
The core difference lies in the chipsets: the LG Velvet utilizes the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (10nm), while the iPhone 13 is powered by the Apple A15 Bionic (5nm). The A15’s 5nm process node provides significantly improved power efficiency and transistor density, resulting in substantially higher performance and reduced thermal throttling. The A15’s hexa-core architecture (2x3.23 GHz Avalanche + 4x1.82 GHz Blizzard) is optimized for both peak performance and efficiency, contrasting with the Snapdragon 845’s octa-core configuration. Real-world impact: the iPhone 13 will handle demanding tasks like video editing and gaming with ease, while the Velvet may struggle with sustained workloads.
Battery Life
Both the LG Velvet and iPhone 13 achieve an endurance rating of 89 hours, suggesting comparable overall battery life despite potentially different battery capacities. However, the iPhone 13’s charging capabilities are superior, offering 50% charge in 30 minutes with Power Delivery 2.0, while the Velvet is limited to 15W wired charging with Quick Charge 3.0. The iPhone 13 also supports 15W wireless charging via MagSafe and Qi2 (with iOS 17.2), providing more convenient charging options than the Velvet’s 9W wireless charging.
Buying Guide
Buy the LG Velvet if you need a functional smartphone with a decent display and camera at a significantly lower price point, and are willing to accept slower performance and limited software updates. Buy the Apple iPhone 13 if you prioritize a smooth, responsive user experience, a class-leading camera, and guaranteed software support for years to come, even if it means a higher upfront investment.