If the figures are true and the iPhone 12 mini accounted for only 6% of sales at the peak of the iPhone 12 launch. It’s safe to say that there isn’t much demand for a smaller phone anymore.
Rewind to the iPhone 4, which launched in June 2010, and its 3.5in screen seemed perfectly normal and usable. Now, just over a decade later, we’re used to phones with screens around 7in. It’s not twice as big: it’s four times the display real-estate available on the iPhone 4.
Of course, the screen-to-body ratio is greatly increased. Which is why the iPhone 13 Mini can pack a 5.4in display into a device that’s easy to hold in one hand.
It fits easily in a pocket and is so light compared to most modern phones. That you hardly notice you’re carrying or holding it.
That makes it great for a minority of people with really specific needs: those who want a light, powerful. Pocketable phone with a great camera and are happy to spend a lot of money. Not to mention the one made by Apple.
If this describes you, you’re probably weighing whether to go for the 13 Mini or the 12 Mini. Which are cheaper now than they were a year ago. For anyone wondering if they should upgrade from the 12 mini: no. There is not enough difference to confirm this.
Design & build
- Flat-edge design
- Smaller notch
The most obvious difference between the two mini phones is the color choice. Apple removed the purple and green options and added pink. There is a bright blue, a blue midnight, a white starlight colorway and a dark product (red). And, until 18 March 2022, you can buy one in the new ‘green’ colour.
It’s easy to laugh at Apple’s decision to orient the rear cameras diagonally. As if it’s just to differentiate the 2021 phone from its 2020 counterpart. But if you care about looking like the latest device, it’s a differentiator.
Elsewhere it’s business as usual with that iPhone 4-esque, square. edged design that was (re)introduced in the iPhone 12 series. If you’re a long-time iPhone user, one minor change is that the SIM tray is now on the left side, not below the power button.
It doesn’t make a huge difference, but the screen notch is slightly narrower on the iPhone 13 mini. While the phone is a few grams heavier and fractionally thicker than the 12 mini.
If you’re used to a big, heavy phone, the iPhone 13 Mini will surprise you with how weightless it feels and how usable it is. Despite the narrower screen dimensions.
I was surprised how quickly I adjusted to watching videos and playing games. After a day or two, that 5.4in display felt normal. The only drawback is typing on the small keyboard. Unless you have particularly small fingers. You’ll need to learn to be more precise about stabbing the screen. Apple’s software does a great job of figuring out where you want to press. But it doesn’t seem to work quite as well on the iPhone 13 mini. Where the ‘o’ has become an ‘i’ and instead of deleting letters, ‘m’ is being typed.
Like the iPhone 12 Mini, there’s IP68 water-resistance. Also stereo speakers, Face ID, a Lightning port and 5G support.
Screen
- 4in 2340×1080, 476ppi
- Higher 800 nits brightness
Unlike in the past where Apple’s smallest phones were cheap. And had low-end specs, the iPhone 13 mini feels like a mini flagship.
Its OLED screen is sharp and vibrant with the same wide viewing angles. And ability to display HDR images as its bigger sibling.
There’s a corner cut though: it’s limited to 60Hz, just like regular 13. It doesn’t enjoy what Apple calls ProMotion – a variable refresh rate that goes up to 120Hz – on the Pro and Pro Max.
It’s a relatively subtle difference, but it makes scrolling through web pages. And social media feeds much smoother. Then again, the 13 Mini is cheaper than the 13 Pro and Pro Max.
Specs & performance
- Apple A15 Bionic processor
- 128GB base storage
Last year, your £699/US$699 only bought you 64GB of storage which is arguably too restrictive for most users. So it’s great news that the iPhone 13 mini comes with 128GB as a smallest. But you can go for 256GB or 512GB – all double the capacity of the 12 mini.
As always, there’s also a faster processor. In everyday use you probably won’t notice the difference because even the A14 is still a very fast chip.
The iPhone 13 mini certainly hasn’t been so dubious during my time with it. Navigating around iOS 15 is flawless, apps launch quickly and run smoothly. And you can play games to your heart’s content. There is more performance.
In hard numbers, the iPhone 13 Mini is 13% faster than the 12 Mini in the Geekbench multi-core CPU test. But that doesn’t really give much context.
Its score of 4622 is miles ahead of Google Pixel 6 (2897), Samsung Galaxy S21 (3263) and OnePlus 9 (3492).
Yes, these are only synthetic benchmarks. But they are still a useful sign of relative performance.
iPhone 13 mini performance
Similarly, the iPhone 13 Mini did well in GFXBench’s game test. Note that the screen is limited to 60Hz. So 60fps is the greatest achievable framerate when running on-screen tests, like we do.
It’s a disappointment, but only a slight one. That Apple hasn’t upgraded Wi-Fi to the latest 6E standard: the 13 Mini has Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5, NFC and 5G.
Cameras
- Cinematic video mode
- Wide and ultra-wide cameras
- No macro
Jargon aside, these are great cameras and the fact that they’re identical to the iPhone 13 means. You’re not compromising by choosing the smaller phone.
Hardware alone isn’t the whole story, and when you combine it with software you can get some great results.
In good light, photos are gorgeous, and portrait shots add a pleasingly blurred background. That – on most occasions – looks realistic. The odd wisps of hair can be missy and blurry, but the overall effect is nice, and it works on the front camera as well.
In years past, iPhone cameras were useless in the dark compared to the best Android phones. But Apple has caught up and can now compete in low light. There is no specific night mode. Instead, the iPhone 13 mini automatically picks a longer shutter speed and instructs you to hold the phone during the countdown.
It’s capable of taking some nice shots, but it has its limitations. leaves blowing in the wind or other moving objects will blur, as you can see in the foreground of Cutty Sark’s photo.
The results look sharp enough overall. But don’t zoom too far because you’ll see the ‘oil painting’ effect: no fine details. It also tends to exaggerate color casts. So night photos aren’t the most natural-looking.
HDR has been improved a bit, and it works well, but it’s the new cinematic video mode that’s the big news. And it looks great not only on the Pro and Pro Max, but on the Mini. Basically it’s portrait mode for video and it allows you to have. That movie-style blurred background in your video.
It will automatically detect faces (and other subjects) and keep them in focus. But even better, the depth effect is non-destructive. This means you can choose where the focus should be when you edit clips. Which is a great feature for those who want or like to make videos. Also, it can record videos in Dolby Vision HDR.
The bad news is that Cinematic mode is limited to 1080p at 30fps: it doesn’t work in 4K and, strangely. You can’t choose to record Cinematic at 24 frames per second.
It’s also worth noting that there’s no macro mode, but most people won’t give a damn about that.
Battery life & charging
- Supports 20W ‘fast charging’
- 15W MagSafe wireless charging
- 7.5W Qi wireless charging
Apple knew battery life was a weakness of the iPhone 12 mini, so it touted the improvements it made for the 13 mini. The A15 offers better power efficiency. But also a larger capacity battery: 2406mAh vs. 2227mAh on the 12 Mini.
It claims to add an more two hours of video playback and an more five hours of audio playback.
Obviously, a small phone has limited battery space. And even with the improvements, it’s still a one-day phone. In my testing I found that, on a moderate usage day, it would end up between 15 and 25%. But on days when I used it more for gaming, video and video editing, it barely made it to bed time.
Unfortunately, this is a sacrifice you have to make if you want a compact iPhone. If you use a 20W charger, it will charge to 50% in exactly half an hour, as Apple says. And there’s also support for 15W MagSafe charging and 7.5W Qi wireless charging.
Note that you won’t get a charger in the box. And the USB-C to Lightning cable may not fit any of your existing chargers that have USB-A ports.
In our usual Geekbench 4 battery test – with the screen set to 120 nits. The iPhone 13 mini managed six hours and 41 minutes nearly an hour longer than its predecessor.
Price & availability
In the UK, as mentioned, the iPhone 13 mini is slightly cheaper than the 12 mini. Although the price remains the same in the US.
The 128GB model costs Apple £679/$699. While the 256GB model costs £779/$799 and the 512GB model costs £979/$999, a price it’s hard to imagine anyone willing to pay.
Of course, there are other ways to buy it: you can trade in an existing model and get £80-610 ($110-790) off. These figures underline how UK buyers pay proportionately more for their iPhones than US buyer
Walls and fun are always around, so check out the best places to buy an iPhone in 13 minutes.
And don’t forget the iPhone 12 Mini is now cheaper. With the 64GB version costing £579/$599 from Apple and the 128GB £629/$649. See our ranking of the best iPhones to see how they compare. Or check out our pick of the best small phones to see some similarly sized Android options.
Verdict
In many ways the iPhone 13 mini is still Apple’s best small phone. Not great considering it has a new processor, upgraded camera. More storage as standard and a slightly bigger battery.
The only things holding it back are the short battery life compared to other phones. The same price (or less) and the price itself this is no budget iPhone.
If none of that is a concern and you don’t want to save a bit by opting for the surprisingly similar 12 mini. You’ll be very happy indeed with the iPhone 13 mini.
It’s worth going to an Apple Store or a phone retailer to try it out, though. Just in case – like me – you find the keyboard a little small for comfort.
Specs
Apple iPhone 13 mini: Specs
- A15 Bionic processor chip
- 128GB/256GB/512GB storage
- 5.4in Super Retina XDR OLED display (2340×1080 at 476ppi)
- Dual 12MP rear-facing camera system: Wide (f/1.6) and Ultra Wide (f/2.4)
- 12MP (f/2.2) front-facing camera
- Face ID
- IP68
- 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.65mm
- 140g
