This handset is a great choice if you don’t need a large-screen phone. This handset is a pocket-friendly powerhouse and well worth your attention if you overlook battery life.
For
- Beautiful compact, lightweight design
- Solid performance – The same power as iPhone 13
- Beautiful bright display
- Great camera performance
For
- Battery life isn’t great
- This smaller handset has a big camera housing
- No telephoto zoom lens
- No fast refresh-rate display
The Apple iPhone 13 series replaces the iPhone 12 series. Rumours that we would not see the beloved smaller-scale mini return in the 2021 lineup were unfounded. Because the mini is back, and it’s even better than ever.
The iPhone 13 mini is one of the smallest devices in the iPhone 13 series, which includes the iPhone 13, 13 Pro Max and 13 Pro Max. But don’t let the smaller screen size fool your mind that it’s a less powerful device. The iPhone 13 mini is a small, powerful device that can do great things in small packages.
Compact design
- Finishes: Midnight (Pink, Blue, Starlight), Product (RED).
- Dimensions: 131.5 x 64.2x 7.65mm / Weight: 141g
- Rated IP68 water-resistant
- Front of Ceramic Shield
The Apple iPhone 13 mini design is a direct copy of its predecessor, iPhone 12 mini. The iPhone 13 mini’s design cues are based on the previous model, the iPhone 12 mini. There are a few differences though. One is a smaller notch at its top and a larger housing for the camera. This means that any other cases will not fit.
The iPhone 13 mini continues the flat edge design, but it is a little thicker. Aluminium continues to be the preferred material for the frame. Glass handling duties are on the rear. Although the matte finish isn’t quite as elegant as the iPhone 13 Pro models, it is still a pleasure to hold, even one-handed.
This smaller iPhone has a larger rear camera housing than the other models. The larger lenses, arranged diagonally to accommodate the 2021 design, stand out more on the smaller iPhone. It’s hard to find a smartphone with a rear camera housing that isn’t the dominant design element these days.
The iPhone 13 mini’s small size is refreshing and makes it a great choice for people who don’t need a large-screen phone. It is small, lightweight and portable, but still packs all the power of the larger model.
- Brighter display
- Super Retina OLED Display 5.4 inches
- 2340 x 1080 resolution (476ppi)
- Maximum brightness of 1200nits (HDR).
- True Tone, Haptic Touch
The Apple iPhone 13’s 5.4-inch screen is not the largest in Apple’s portfolio. The iPhone SE, however, has a 4.7-inch display. However, it is the most compact device. The iPhone 13 mini has a Face ID at the top, instead of a Touch ID button below.
Although the iPhone 13 series has a reduced notch, we briefly mentioned it. Except for a few tweaks to Instagram, which will be corrected soon, you wouldn’t notice the reduction unless the older phone was seated alongside the new one. Although it is a nice gesture, it doesn’t make a huge difference.
The iPhone 13 mini has a brighter display (from 1000nits up to 1200nits HDR) than the iPhone 12 min. The display is identical to the 2020 model. Both the resolution and technology remain the same. The screen is bright, vibrant and offers great viewing angles.
The iPhone 13 Pro models, and other flagship smartphones such as Samsung’s Galaxy S21 range of smartphones, retain a standard 60Hz refresh rate. This is in contrast to Apple’s ProMotion technology which provides an adaptive refresh rate (from 10Hz to 120Hz), unlike the iPhone 13 Pro models. Do you notice the difference? You might see if there was a Pro next to the mini. But in reality, it is unlikely.
Dual cameras
- Dual rear cameras:
- Main (26mm): 12-megapixel, f/1.6 aperture, 1.7um pixel size, sensor-shift stabilisation
- Wide (13mm), 12MP, f/2.4 120-degree FOV
- TrueDepth front camera
- 12-megapixel, f/2.2 aperture
- No LiDAR sensor, no optical zoom lens
- Night Mode, Cinematic Video, and Photographic Styles
The iPhone’s ability to produce excellent camera results with minimal effort is one of its best features. Point, shoot, get a decent result.
Apple iPhone 13 mini has a dual rear camera. It includes a 12-megapixel wide camera and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide one. It is claimed that the main sensor can let in 48% more light than the iPhone 12 min, and also has the iPhone 12 Pro Max’s sensor-shift optical image stabilisation. According to the ultra-wide camera, it can capture four times more shots.
You are missing macro mode, which is a third telephoto lens that can be used for optical zoom, as well as ProRes (which will be available later in the year) when compared to larger Pro models. Our iPhone 13 Pro review will show you how the Pro’s camera system performs.
The iPhone 13 mini’s excellent lighting performance and detail are outstanding. Low-light performance is also impressive. We noticed that there was sometimes a delay between pressing the shutter button and Night Mode activating to take the shot. However, the final result is excellent.
You can record 4K HDR video with Dolby vision at 60fps. Dolby Vision or HDR kick in automatically as with the iPhone 12 mini.
Performance and battery
- Battery life up to 17 hours (2438mAh).
- 128GB/256GB/512GB storage sizes
- A15 Bionic processor
- 5G and Wi-Fi 6
The Apple iPhone 13 Mini runs on the A15 Bionic chipset with Neural Engine. It delivers very fast performance according to our experience. The iPhone 13 mini was a step up from the iPhone 12 Pro. We were amazed at the performance improvement, especially considering that the iPhone 12 Pro didn’t feel like it needed one.
Everything loads quickly and the device switches between tasks with no problems. Games and apps also run smoothly. The iPhone 13 Pro is slightly faster than the mini, even though it also uses the A15. It has five GPU cores instead of four.
The iPhone 13 mini’s battery life isn’t as good as the iPhone 13 more oversized, but it should get you through your day.
We find that the claimed battery life of up to 17 hours is too optimistic. In our experience, we get between 12 and 14 hours before it needs a recharge. Battery life depends on how you use your phone and what type of user you are. You’ll quickly see the battery run out if you record 4K video and use 5G for all of your day.
Familiar software – iOS 15
iOS 15 is the operating system for the Apple iPhone 13 mini. It’s available on all iPhone models (from iPhone 6S to later). The 13 has a few additional features that aren’t available on older models such as the Cinematic video mode or the Photographic Styles, but the overall experience is the same.
Instead of diving into the new features included with iOS 15, you can check out our separate iOS 15 feature. It provides a more detailed breakdown of what’s new and what’s not.
What Do We Think?
This small-screen iPhone is a favourite of ours. It is a small, lightweight device that delivers exceptional performance and is comparable to the iPhone 13.
The iPhone 13 mini’s battery lasts less than the larger iPhones. However, the iPhone 13 mini’s rear camera housing is more noticeable. But don’t let that stop you from buying the iPhone 13 mini. These are things you will learn to live within a matter of days.
The iPhone 13 mini is not for you if you prefer a larger screen, such as 6.5 inches, to watch movies and have a longer battery life. For everyone else, the iPhone 13 mini is a tiny powerhouse with colossal potential.
Come to NIX for Your New iPhone 13 Mini
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Where To Buy? At NIX Of Course!
Trade-in your old phones with NIX and leave with a brand new phone.
Remember, the NIX magic number is zero!! How close can you get? Come in and see.
Recycle your old phone with NIX and sign-up to our Premium Membership for even better prices and saving at NIX.
MEGA TIP: NIX Premium Members can trade in multiple devices at once to really reduce the price of the new phone.
