❤ Apple iPhone 13 Mini
The Apple iPhone 13 mini is the most compact flagship smartphone money can buy. It’s also easy enough to outright recommend to anyone looking for this particular type of device. It is astonishingly rare to find such a pocket-friendly smartphone, let alone one of flagship caliber.
Apple launched the first iPhone mini a year ago, and while it did not turn out to be the massive success some hoped for it to be, it was still a popular purchase among the fans of compact phones, Android and iOS alike. But because of the lackluster sales, the rumor has it the iPhone 13 mini will be the last of its kind before it is merged with the iPhone SE in a year or two.
The iPhone 13 mini brings few updates over the iPhone 12 mini – an improved chipset, a better main camera with new sensor and stabilization, about 10% battery capacity increase, and a couple of software features. And a smaller screen notch, of course! But we imagine few if any iPhone 12 mini users will be upgrading to the iPhone 13 mini.
But as a standalone smartphone, the iPhone 13 mini seems like a great offer for a number of reasons – it is the cheapest current flagship iPhone with unmatched compact and lightweight design. It employs the most durable design on the market so far, runs on the most powerful Apple A15 chip with 5G, has excellent cameras, there are loud stereo speakers and a great 5.4″ OLED screen with Dolby Vision support.
Let’s make a quick run through the specs now.
Apple iPhone 13 mini specs at a glance:
| ETWORK | Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – SIM 1 & SIM 2 (dual-SIM) | |
| CDMA 800 / 1900 | ||
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | |
| CDMA2000 1xEV-DO | ||
| 4G bands | 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 – A2628, A2629, A2630 | |
| 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66, 71 – A2481, A2626 | ||
| 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 – A2628 | |
| 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave – A2481 | ||
| 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 – A2626 | ||
| 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 – A2629, A2630 | ||
| Speed | HSPA, LTE-A, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps |
| LAUNCH | Announced | 2021, September 14 |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Available. Released 2021, September 24 |
| BODY | Dimensions | 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.7 mm (5.18 x 2.53 x 0.30 in) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 141 g (4.97 oz) | |
| Build | Glass front (Corning-made glass), glass back (Corning-made glass), aluminum frame | |
| SIM | Nano-SIM and eSIM or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) | |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) |
| DISPLAY | Type | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 800 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 5.4 inches, 71.9 cm2 (~85.1% screen-to-body ratio) | |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~476 ppi density) | |
| Protection | Ceramic Shield glass |
| PLATFORM | OS | iOS 15, upgradable to iOS 17.3 |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Apple A15 Bionic (5 nm) | |
| CPU | Hexa-core (2×3.23 GHz Avalanche + 4×1.82 GHz Blizzard) | |
| GPU | Apple GPU (4-core graphics) |
| MEMORY | Card slot | No |
|---|---|---|
| Internal | 128GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM, 512GB 4GB RAM | |
| NVMe |
| MAIN CAMERA | Dual | 12 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1.7µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, f/2.4, 120˚, 13mm (ultrawide) |
|---|---|---|
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) | |
| Video | 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), stereo sound rec. |
| SELFIE CAMERA | Single | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6″ SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS |
| SOUND | Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers |
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No |
| COMMS | WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE | |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS | |
| NFC | Yes | |
| Radio | No | |
| USB | Lightning, USB 2.0 |
| FEATURES | Sensors | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
|---|---|---|
| Ultra Wideband (UWB) support |
| BATTERY | Type | Li-Ion 2438 mAh, non-removable (9.34 Wh) |
|---|---|---|
| Charging | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min (advertised) 15W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (Qi2) – requires iOS 17.2 update |
| MISC | Colors | Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Pink, Red, Green |
|---|---|---|
| Models | A2628, A2481, A2626, A2629, A2630, iphone14,4 | |
| SAR | 1.19 W/kg (head) 1.19 W/kg (body) | |
| SAR EU | 0.97 W/kg (head) 0.98 W/kg (body) | |
| Price | $ 404.85 / € 453.62 / £ 359.74 |
| TESTS | Performance | AnTuTu: 772512 (v9) GeekBench: 4681 (v5.1) GFXBench: 60fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | |
| Camera | Photo / Video | |
| Loudspeaker | -25.9 LUFS (Very good) | |
| Battery (old) |
Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.
For a device of this size, the Apple iPhone 13 mini is jam-packed with features. We can’t but appreciate that how Apple made the mini possible without cutting any corners – it is basically a shrunk version of the regular iPhone 13. It even offers Face ID and MagSafe wireless charging. And despite the new improvements, Apple managed to increase the battery capacity, too.
The iPhone 13 mini, just like the iPhone 13, has a regular 60Hz OLED, though that’s hardly surprising. The ProMotion screen is reserved for the iPhone ProModels. And that’s probably the only missing feature worth a mention before we get this review started.
Unboxing the Apple iPhone 13 mini
The iPhone 13 mini may be jam-packed with features, but its retail bundle is the opposite. Inside the thin paper box, you will find the iPhone 13 mini and a USB cable.
If you dig a little deeper, you’ll also discover the SIM ejection pin and one Apple sticker. This year Apple’s removed all plastic wrapping of its boxes and became even greener, so we guess the iconic sticker will be a goner soon enough.
The competition
The Apple iPhone 13 mini is a rare occurrence – it’s not only one of the most compact phones on the market, but it’s also a flagship one. And while people are still hoping for Sony to make a new Xperia mini, Apple is making compact iPhones by the dozen. Not only that, but it also offers budget phones as part of the iPhone SE lineup.
Apple iPhone 13 series
The new iPhone 13 mini is a minor upgrade over the 12 mini model with a smaller screen notch and a brighter panel, a bit faster chipset, doubled base storage, a slightly larger battery, and an improved primary camera. We’d say the battery bump is what got us excited the most about this mini, and it indeed offers improved battery autonomy over the previous model.
The compact class is ruled by Apple, so you can imagine our first alternative recommendations come from Apple’s camp. The iPhone 12 mini is still available, if the new upgrades don’t excite you, you can just as well go for the older model and save yourself €120 and maybe spend them on a pair of AirPods instead.
There is also iPhone SE (2020), which is €320 cheaper than the €799 iPhone 13 mini, but it still offers a great iOS experience, excellent performance, good photo quality, and excellent videos. The bezels and the lack of Night Mode are potential deal-breakers, though.
If the mini is too small for you, then you can consider the iPhone 13 (€100 over the 13 mini) – it’s the same phone but with a larger 6.1″ display. The regular model is still considered compact, and many users may find it striking the best balance between pocketability and multimedia-friendly.
Apple iPhone 12 mini • Apple iPhone SE (2020) • Apple iPhone 13
Outside Apple, we want to mention the Asus Zenfone 8 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G for being one of the most compact Android flagships with outstanding screens, performance, hardware, battery life. The Zenfone is a bit cheaper than the mini, while the S21 5G costs about the same.
Asus Zenfone 8 • Samsung Galaxy S21 5G
Verdict
The Apple iPhone 13 mini is the most compact smartphone on the market right now, with a flagship feature set and surprisingly good battery life for its small size. It has a lively Dolby Vision OLED screen, one of the most powerful chipsets to date, superb stereo speakers, and it offers a proficient trio of cameras that delivers great photo and video quality.
The iPhone 13 mini is also one of the most durable phones – it has a scratch-resistant screen and is IP68-rated for dust and water endurance in up to 6m deep water. Oh, and it’s incredibly thin and lightweight.
The iPhone 13 mini is not perfect, of course, but it’s close. It doesn’t offer a 120Hz refresh rate, it ships without a charger, and iOS is not for everyone. Plus, it’s a minor upgrade over the iPhone 12 mini, and the notch reduction is far from what many were hoping for.
We don’t know if the iPhone 13 mini is the last of its kind, for a while at least, but if it goes extinct, we know many people will miss it dearly. Because it is the phone you get if you want a small yet powerful flagship – it’s that simple. Even with its imperfections, it is the perfect smartphone for fans of compact phones.
Pros
- Striking design – beautiful, lightweight, durable.
- Small yet bright OLED, HDR10 and Dolby Vision support.
- Good battery life for such a small phone.
- Excellent stereo speakers – loud and clear.
- Class-leading performance, 5G.
- Top-notch photo and video quality across all three cameras.
Cons
- Minor update over iPhone 12 mini.
- No high refresh rate.
- Smaller notch is not small.
- The charger is not bundled.
- iOS (with its limitations) remains a love it or leave it affair.
