The giant killer

Spec wise, the 13 twins are as good as last year’s Pro models.

- Nishant Padhiar

Apple iPhone 13 / Mini

What’s the story?

Continuing the tradition to offer more choice when it comes to size and price, the 13 and the 13 Mini embrace the same dimensions as last years 12 and 12 Mini, which is 6.1in and 5.4in respectively. As on the Pro models, the weight has seen the slightest increase due to bigger batteries and we’d live with that over a half-day battery life for the Mini anyday!

Is it any good?

For most of us, the 13 is the ideal phone if you’re invested in the Apple ecosystem but don’t want to sell your soul to stay in it. Both offer the same A15 Bionic processor as on the Pro models, both models gain from brighter OLED screens and they also get all the new photographic goodies like Cinematic Mode and Photographic Styles.

Tell me more!

Stuffing larger sensors and lenses into the shrunken size of the Mini meant Apple had to rejig the position of the cams by 45-degrees. In the process, the 13 Mini and 13 get sensor stabilisation, which was only available on the Pro models last year. Picture quality in daylight is virtually indistinguishable from the 13 Pro.

Why do I need the 13 Pro then?