Apple iPhone 13 mini in the test: By far the best small smartphone

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The competition leaves the field of small smartphones entirely to Apple. But even without pressure from other camps, the group does not rest and with the iPhone 13 mini delivers a successful and perhaps even the last evolution of the iPhone 12 mini. If you are looking for a compact high-end smartphone, you can only get it here.

Table of contents

  1. 1 That’s too By far the best small smartphone
    1. Starting price of 799 euros with 128 GB
    2. Technical data at a glance
    3. The smallest current high-end smartphone
    4. New OLED display reaches over 800 cd/m²
  2. 2 A15 Bionic comes in two versions
    1. Apple is increasing the CPU clock rates
    2. < li> Benchmarks outperform the competition

    3. A15 Bionic under constant load in a small case
    4. Apple improves battery life
  3. 3 With 5G does not much, but all the more for the camera
    1. mmWave is reserved for the US market
    2. More modern 5G modem from Qualcomm
    3. The main camera of the iPhone 12 Pro Max
    4. Smart HDR 4 leads to better recordings
    5. Ultra-wide-angle camera stagnates in daylight
    6. At night, the large pixels score
    7. Photographic styles are not filters
    8. Cinema mode follows in the test of the iPhone 13 Pro Max
  4. 4 Conclusion

According to rumors, the rumored “iPhone 14” will no longer be the smallest model in the style of the iPhone 13 mini. If that's actually true, the current year would be the last opportunity for fans of this format to get hold of such a compact smartphone with high-end features and very long software support.

The features of the iPhone 13 mini are practically the same as the larger iPhone 13, except that the display and battery are inevitably a bit smaller. The latter is still larger compared to the iPhone 12 mini and now lasts as long as the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro a year ago (test). And although it is Apple's smallest and cheapest current smartphone, features such as wireless charging and IP68 protection are retained.

Starting price of 799 euros with 128 GB

With this generation, Apple's smallest smartphone starts with 128 instead of 64 GB of memory for 799 euros. The levels after that have also doubled their capacity with 256 GB for 919 euros and 512 GB for 1,149 euros. The iPhone 13 mini now offers a maximum memory expansion that was previously reserved for the iPhone 12 Pro (Max). For the iPhone 13 Pro (Max), Apple has increased this to 1 TB. The iPhone 13 mini has been available in Germany since September 24th in the colors Product Red, Polarstern (test device), Midnight, Blue and Rosé and comes with a one-year manufacturer's guarantee without AppleCare +.

iPhone 13 mini in Polarstern next to black iPhone 12 mini

Technical data at a glance

Apple iPhone 13 mini Apple iPhone 6Apple iPhone 6 PlusApple iPhone 6sApple iPhone 6s PlusApple iPhone 7Apple iPhone 7 PlusApple iPhone 8Apple iPhone 8 PlusApple iPhone 11Apple iPhone 11 ProApple iPhone 11 Pro MaxApple iPhone 12Apple iPhone 12 mini ✔Apple iPhone 12 Pro MaxApple iPhone 12Apple iPhone 13Apple. IPhone 13 iPhone 13 mini ✔Apple iPhone 13 ProApple iPhone 13 Pro MaxApple iPhone SE (2020) Apple iPhone XApple iPhone XrApple iPhone XsApple iPhone Xs Max Apple iPhone 12 mini Apple iPhone 6Apple iPhone 6 PlusApple iPhone 6sApple iPhone 6s PlusApple iPhone 7Apple iPhone 7 PlusApple iPhone 8Apple iPhone 8 PlusApple iPhone 11Apple iPhone 11 ProApple iPhone 11 Pro MaxApple iPhone 12Apple iPhone 12 mini ✔Apple iPhone 12 Pro MaxApple iPhone 12 ProApple iPhone 13Apple iPhone 13 mini ✔Apple iPhone 13 ProApple iPhone 13 Pro MaxApple iPhone SE (2020) Apple iPhone XApple iPhone XrApple iPhone XsApple iPhone Xs Max software:
(when released) iOS 15 iOS 14 Display: 5.40 inches, 1,080 × 2,340
477 ppi , 60 Hz
OLED, HDR, Ceramic Shield Operation: Touch, face scanner SoC: Apple A15 Bionic
2 × Avalanche, 3.20 GHz
4 × Blizzard, 2.00 GHz
5 nm, 64-bit Apple A14 Bionic
2 × Firestorm, 3.00 GHz
4 × Icestorm, 1.82 GHz
5 nm, 64-bit GPU: Apple Quad-Core RAM: 4,096 MB
LPDDR4X memory: 128/256/512 GB 64/128/256 GB 1. Camera: 12.0 MP, 2160p
Quad-LED , f/1.6, AF, OIS 2nd camera: 12.0 MP, f/2.4, AF 3rd camera: No 4th camera: No 5th camera: No 1st front camera: 12.0 MP, 2160p
Display flash, f/2.2 2. Front camera: No GSM: GPRS + EDGE UMTS: DC-HSPA
↓ 42.2 ↑ 5.76 Mbit/s LTE: Advanced Pro Advanced Pro
↓ 2,000 5G: NSA/SA WLAN: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax Bluetooth: 5.0 Location: A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS Other standards: Lightning, NFC SIM card: Nano-SIM , Dual SIM battery:? (9.34 Wh)
permanently installed, wireless charging 2,227 mAh (8.57 Wh), 20.0 W
permanently installed, wireless charging Size (W × H × D): 64.2 × 131, 5 × 7.65 mm 64.2 × 131.5 × 7.40 mm Protection class: IP68 Weight: 140 g 133 g Price: from € 791/from € 882/from € 1,114 from € 639/from € 695/from € 789 €

The smallest current high-end smartphone

64.2 × 131.5 × 7.65 mm (W × H × D) at 140 g is practically everything you need to know about the design of the iPhone 13 mini. Even a Pixel 5 from Google (test), which is actually not particularly large, has significantly larger dimensions of 70.4 × 144.7 × 8.00 mm and 151 g. The iPhone 13 mini is the only current smartphone that can still be operated largely with one hand. Only for – depending on the left or right hand – the iOS Control Center or the notifications you have to change your hand briefly, but even then a second hand is not necessary.

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Shiny glass back in the new color Polarstern
iPhone 13 mini in Pole Star next to black iPhone 12 mini

Small stands for advantages in handling

In terms of design, only the colors and the arrangement of the camera lenses on the iPhone 13 mini are new. These are now arranged diagonally opposite one another instead of vertically on one axis. In the hand, however, the mobile device feels exactly like an iPhone 12 mini: high-quality workmanship, timelessly elegant and, above all, safe. In contrast to many other current smartphones, the compact dimensions ensure that you don't always have the feeling that the handling is like carrying the ten commandments on giant stone tablets down from Mount Sinai.

The Face-ID-Notch shrinks by 20 percent

As little as the basic design has changed, the adjustments to the screen are just as small but relevant. First of all, Apple has reduced the area required by the Face ID system by 20 percent, which is particularly noticeable in the slightly more space left and right of the “notch”. However, this gained area is not used sensibly, for example through additional displays such as the battery level in percent. Ultimately, there is just a touch more space for the displayed content, whereby the gain with the small iPhone 13 mini is visually greater than with the giant iPhone 13 Pro Max (test to follow).

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5.4 inch OLED display with over 800 cd/m²
OLED panel in known high quality
The 20 percent smaller notch of the iPhone 13 mini (left)

New OLED display reaches over 800 cd/m²

The display itself is unchanged in size at 5.4 inches and still has a resolution of 1,080 × 2,340 pixels at 60 Hz. The variable refresh rate from 10 to 120 Hz is reserved for the iPhone 13 Pro (Max). However, there is one important adjustment: The new OLED panel is now advertised with a maximum of 800 instead of 625 cd/m². In the test, it was even possible to determine up to 858 cd/m² in the worst-case scenario with a completely white screen. In HDR mode, up to 1,200 cd/m² are possible selectively. The peak brightness can be called up in both manual and automatic mode. With the iPhone 13 Pro, the maximum values ​​of 1,000 cd/m² (SDR) can only be achieved with the automatic mode. The brighter display ensures that the iPhone 13 mini is noticeably easier to read in the sunshine.

«Previous display brightness max.Display brightness min.Display contrast Next»

Very good coordination ex works

Of these features apart from that, the iPhone 13 mini has the same, very good display that Apple offers in practically all OLED iPhones. The panel, calibrated at the factory, has a very natural display and shines in HDR playback with great contrast and a large color space. If desired, True Tone and night mode can be switched on again, on the one hand to adapt the panel to the ambient light in terms of the white point and on the other hand to reduce the blue light component at night.

Apple has followed up but not only with the brightness of the OLED screen, but also with the built-in processor: the new A15 Bionic.

On the next page: A15 Bionic comes in two versions