Apple iPhone 16 vs iPhone 13 mini: Well, it might be time to upgrade

Small phones are unfashionable -- Even Apple, which was one of the last holdouts of compact handsets, abandoned the form factor years ago. The iPhone 13 mini was the last regular iPhone with a screen smaller than 6 inches, and while the iPhone SE lineup exists, it's still fair to say that compact iPhones are off the menu.

Well, the new iPhone 16 is not exactly compact, but the writing's on the wall––it is the most compact new iPhone that Apple has in store for us in 2024. With the same design that has been around for the past few years, but with some notable upgrades. We get two new buttons, an Action Button and a new Camera Controls button, as well as a faster new chip that supports Apple Intelligence.

The iPhone 16, which broke cover on September 9, is the most compact and most affordable new iPhone by a long shot, but sadly, it is nowhere near the iPhone 13 mini when it comes to overall compactness and value for money.

Still, how does the latest iPhone compare against the most compact one lately? Let's compare the two and deduce whether you should upgrade or not.

Both phones employ the same general design language with the now iconic flat displays and frame, which has been slowly adopted by nearly the whole industry. At the front, the iPhone 16 has the Dynamic Island punch-hole design, whereas the iPhone 13 mini has the older notch design language, though it's slightly smaller than the preceding iPhone 12 generation.

Two important new changes coming to the iPhone 16 will be the Action Button, first introduced on the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max. This one substitutes the signature ring switch of old and allows you to assign different features to the Action Button.

Another significant change is the new Camera Control button, which is positioned on the right side of the iPhone 16 and allows you to quickly interact with the iPhone 16 camera. Aside from quickly capturing photos or videos, the Camera Control button also allows you to hold and swipe to select between different camera controls, like exposure, Photographic Styles, and so much more.

At the rear, the camera islands are also different. The iPhone 16 actually features vertically aligned camera lenses to allow the device to capture spatial video intended for the Apple Vision Pro headset. The iPhone 13 mini, on the other hand, features the older diagonally aligned camera lens style.

The iPhone 13 mini features IP68 water and dust-resistance, and the iPhone 16 does so, too. The newer iPhone has a USB Type-C port at the bottom, while the iPhone 13 mini is still a Lightning port holdout.

The iPhone 16 colors this year are a colorful bunch. It comes in Pink, Teal, Ultramarine, Black, and White. Meanwhile, the older iPhone 13 mini was available in Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Green, Pink, and Product RED colors.

Display Differences

As we mentioned, the iPhone 16 arrives with the same 6.1-inch display that has been around since the iPhone 11.

No major changes on deck here: the same OLED Super Retina XDR screen with 60Hz refresh rate, high peak brightness of around 1600 nits, and the new here minimum brightness of just a single nit, making the phone very suitable for usage during the night.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 13 mini also comes with an OLED screen with a 60Hz refresh rate, just smaller and more compact, measuring 5.4 inches across. The peak brightness is pretty standard, at around 1,000 nits, but the main and most important thing about the iPhone 13 mini remains the super compact size and the minuscule display, as per today's standards.

Display Measurements:

Screen measurements

Color charts

Maximum brightnessHigher is better

Minimum brightness(nits)

Lower is better

Color temperature(Kelvins)

Gamma

Delta E rgbcmy

Lower is better

Delta E grayscale

Lower is better

Apple iPhone 16 1012

(Good) 0.99

(Excellent) 6544

(Excellent) 2.16

2.16

(Good) 6.31

(Average)

Apple iPhone 13 mini 825

(Average) 1.9

(Good) 6382

(Excellent) 2.18

0.98

(Excellent) 1.78

(Excellent)

View all

In our tests, the iPhone 16 fares better than the iPhone 13 mini in most use scenarios, including both maximum and minimum brightness levels. However, the iPhone 13 mini has a more accurate color reproduction, as evident in the color charts in the table above. You probably won't notice any difference in real-world scenarios, but hey, this is what the data says, and data is king.

Both devices rely on Face ID for on-device authentication, but the iPhone 16 has the newer Dynamic Island whereas the iPhone 13 mini uses a regular iPhone notch. To be fair, it's smaller than the ones on the iPhone 12 and older.

Performance and Software

A great performance leap

The iPhone 16 features the Apple A18 chip. Just like the Apple A17 Pro that powered the iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro last year, this chip will be built on a 3nm manufacturing node, ensuring exceptional performance and efficiency.

The iPhone 13 mini comes with the Apple A15 Bionic chip, built on a 5nm manufacturing process, so that's a three-generational gap between the two iPhones in favor of the newer iPhone 16. However, phones equipped with the A15 Bionic don't really feel too outdated or sluggish. Still, not a good outlook for the potential future-proofness of the device, which is about to be obsolete in a couple of years' time.

Okay, we lied, one way in which the older chip might feel terribly outdated is artificial intelligence, and Apple Intelligence in particular. The A18 chip inside the iPhone 16 means that it supports Apple Intelligence, though Cupertino's suite of smart AI features isn't here yet and will experience a staggered launch over the coming months.

How's the daily performance? Well, we ran our synthetic benchmarks, and the data is in: to no surprise, the iPhone 16 beats the older iPhone 13 mini in all performance tests. No matter if we're talking about the CPU-heavy Geekbench 6 or the graphics-testing 3DMark Extreme, it's the iPhone 16 that takes the cake.

Performance Benchmarks:

Geekbench 6

SingleHigher is better

Apple iPhone 163264

Apple iPhone 13 mini2285

Geekbench 6

MultiHigher is better

Apple iPhone 167899

Apple iPhone 13 mini5424

3DMark Extreme(High)Higher is better

Apple iPhone 164029

Apple iPhone 13 mini2469

3DMark

Extreme(Low)Higher is better

Apple iPhone 162397

Apple iPhone 13 mini1646

View all

However, the iPhone 13 mini is still a perfectly capable phone that's alive and kicking despite the advances in mobile performance since its release.

Another major change on the iPhone 16 are the 8GB of RAM on board. The reason for that are the tasking hardware requirements for on-device Apple Intelligence processing. As a comparison, the iPhone 13 mini boasts 4GB of RAM, which sounds unimpressive in comparison, but RAM isn't such a major issue with iPhones. Still, it's good to have more, no?

That said, don't expect Apple Intelligence to be available on the iPhone 13 mini. This isn't a big deal currently as no Apple Intelligence features are available out there (and the ones available in beta aren't anything to write home about), but Apple will likely make Apple Intelligence a big deal in the coming years.

Also read: iPhone 16 AI features: Here is what to look forward to

In terms of software support, Apple has officially promised that all of its phones are getting at least five years of software support. However, the company usually underpromises when it comes to device support, as many iPhones older than five years are regularly getting supported for much longer. Case in point, the iPhone Xs series released in 2018 is slated to receive the iOS 18 update, so that's nearly seven years of support, which is nice.

We expect the iPhone 16 to be supported until the end of the decade, and then some. The iPhone 13 mini will likely get sunset around 2028.

Camera

Dual cameras, but better

Both the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 13 mini both boast dual cameras. However, there are major differences, as one could imagine.

The main camera of the iPhone 16 is a high-res 48MP one, delivering greater detail in comparison with the 12MP one on the iPhone 13 mini. The high-res sensor also lets you utilize a 2X crop for a higher-quality digital zoom. The 12MP ultra-wide camera is common between the two devices, but the one on the iPhone 16 has macro support, whereas the iPhone 13 mini doesn't.

One major change is the camera layout. Unlike previous iPhone models, which have diagonal camera alignments, the iPhone 16 will adopt a vertical layout, which has not been seen since the iPhone 12 days. The reason for this repositioning is to allow the new iPhone 16 to record spatial video, which can be watched on the Apple Vision Pro headset.

And we already mentioned the new Camera Control button, which lets you interact with the iPhone 16's camera. You can take photos and videos with a single click, as well as control the exposure and other aspects of the camera with a single click and swipe on the new button.

The iPhone 16 also easily dominates the older phone in the PhoneArena Camera Score. The new phone wins over in both the photo and video tests.

PhoneArena Camera Score:

Photo

Video

Phone Camera

Score Photo

Score Main

(wide) Ultra

Wide Selfie Zoom

Apple iPhone 16 149 154 82 24 28 21

Apple iPhone 13 mini 130 135 75 17 26 17

Find out more details about photo and video scores for all phones we have tested on our PhoneArena Camera Score page

Main Camera

iPhone 16 - Apple iPhone 16 vs iPhone 13 mini: Well, it might be time to upgrade

iPhone 13 mini - Apple iPhone 16 vs iPhone 13 mini: Well, it might be time to upgrade

< iPhone 16 iPhone 13 mini >

In regular daylight conditions, the iPhone 16 is sharper and with better dynamics. Still, the iPhone 13 mini definitely stand This is a testament to just how good the iPhone 13 mini still is, as it doesn't really feel that you're losing much by not upgrading to the iPhone 16.

iPhone 16 - Apple iPhone 16 vs iPhone 13 mini: Well, it might be time to upgrade

iPhone 13 mini - Apple iPhone 16 vs iPhone 13 mini: Well, it might be time to upgrade

< iPhone 16 iPhone 13 mini >

At night, there aren't that many difference either. One thing that immediately stands out is the visible oversharpening with the older iPhone 13 mini (just look at the flowers). Other than that, the dynamics and overall feel of both photos is pretty much similar.

Zoom Quality

iPhone 16 5X - Apple iPhone 16 vs iPhone 13 mini: Well, it might be time to upgrade

iPhone 13 mini 5X - Apple iPhone 16 vs iPhone 13 mini: Well, it might be time to upgrade

< iPhone 16 5X iPhone 13 mini 5X >

When zooming, it's the higher-res camera and newer algorithms of the iPhone 16 that take the cake and deliver significantly better image quality. Here, the iPhone 13 mini is still in the race, but the drop in image quality is immediately visible in comparison with the iPhone 16.

iPhone 16 10X - Apple iPhone 16 vs iPhone 13 mini: Well, it might be time to upgrade

iPhone 13 mini 10X - Apple iPhone 16 vs iPhone 13 mini: Well, it might be time to upgrade

< iPhone 16 10X iPhone 13 mini 10X >

At 10X, the difference in sharpness is palpable, as the iPhone gives us a usable photo, while the iPhone 13 mini outputs a smudgy mess.

Ultra-wide Camera

iPhone 16 - Apple iPhone 16 vs iPhone 13 mini: Well, it might be time to upgrade

iPhone 13 mini - Apple iPhone 16 vs iPhone 13 mini: Well, it might be time to upgrade

< iPhone 16 iPhone 13 mini >

Not many differences in the ultra-wide camera test, as the two phones are essentially using pretty similar hardware. The main difference is the vibrancy of the colors in the iPhone 13 mini sample photo, whereas the iPhone 16 delivers a more natural and down-to-earth look.

iPhone 16 - Apple iPhone 16 vs iPhone 13 mini: Well, it might be time to upgrade

iPhone 13 mini - Apple iPhone 16 vs iPhone 13 mini: Well, it might be time to upgrade

< iPhone 16 iPhone 13 mini >

At night, however, the iPhone 13 mini falloff is once again evident. The iPhone 16 has much better low-light sensitivity and does a much better job at exposing the photo correctly, and even throwing in some great detail to rub it onto the iPhone 13 mini.

Selfies

Not that many differences with the selfie cameras either––we'd pick either one to put on our social media channels.

More Camera Samples

iPhone 16 - Apple iPhone 16 vs iPhone 13 mini: Well, it might be time to upgrade

iPhone 13 mini - Apple iPhone 16 vs iPhone 13 mini: Well, it might be time to upgrade

< iPhone 16 iPhone 13 mini >

Battery Life and Charging

iPhone 16 domination incoming

Coming in with a large 3,561mAh battery, the iPhone 16 is the battery life favorite here, as we have a particular lightweight fighter in the other corner: the iPhone 13 mini with its humble 2,406mAh battery, subpar as per today's standards.

Paired with the more efficient and faster A18 3nm chip, Apple's latest iPhone delivers excellent battery life, while the iPhone 13 mini will only do an outstanding job if you're always near an outlet or carry a MagSafe powerbank with you.

In the PhoneArena custom web browsing battery test, which aims to emulate a browsing workflow, the iPhone 16 outlasts the smaller phone by more than four hours. The same mostly applies to our 3D gaming test, engineered to replicate a mobile gaming experience: the iPhone 16 reaches nearly ten hours, while the iPhone 13 mini doesn't even reach six hours of battery life. The situation is mostly equal in our video streaming test, in which both phones gravitate within an hour of each other.

PhoneArena Battery and Charging Test Results:

Find out more details about battery and charging for all phones we have tested on our PhoneArena Battery Score page

On the charging front, some things have changed. While both phones share 20W charging speeds, the MagSafe wireless charging on the iPhone 16 has scored a serious update to 25W, whereas we only get 15W MagSafe on the iPhone 13 mini. Oh, and the iPhone 13 mini comes with a Lightning port, while the iPhone 16 will use a USB Type-C connector.

Both devices charge at a similar rate, taking them around an hour and forty minutes for a 0-100% charge.

Specs Comparison

Here's how the iPhone 16 vs iPhone 13 mini specs will compare once the former launches this September.

Summary

Although many definitely still bemoan the lack of a compact modern iPhone, this is what it is, and they will have to accept a reality that jumbo-sized phones are becoming the norm. You have to either adapt or hope that Lady Luck smiles your way.

The iPhone 16 could be the best bet for iPhone 13 mini users: at the disadvantage of a slightly larger device, you get faster performance, possibly better battery life, better camera, and access to Apple Intelligence, which will probably be a big thing in the coming years.

In case you would rather not part ways with your compact iPhone 13 mini, you better wait off for the iPhone SE 4th Gen, which might be coming in early 2025. This one will meet your size requirements better than the iPhone 16.

Should you upgrade? Sure, it feels like the iPhone 16 could be your best bet at the moment, delivering sensible upgrades over the aging compact trooper. It might be worth it to trade your iPhone 13 mini and get the new iPhone 16 while the compact phone still carries any value.

Source: https://www.phonearena.com/