Apple iPhone 13 mini-review

When it comes to smartphones, the top end of the market has become a bit strange. Anyone who has been in the game for a while will recall that the majority of the activity used to be on phones under £200. However, premium devices that cost far over £1,000 (such as the Galaxy S10 and its V20 successor) are now available, as are entry-level handsets that cost around £150 or less (like the V30 and its successors). 

It's not simply the price differential that separates these two ends of the smartphone industry– there are also significant differences in what they offer. This implies that if you're looking for an affordable mid-range smartphone right now, you won't find many options that meet all of your requirements. And it is for this reason that the iPhone 13 mini is such a handy device. It's a reasonably priced mid-range alternative with enough going on under the hood to feel like a significant upgrade over last year's iPhones.

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The iPhone 13 mini is made for people who want a phone that works well and looks good but don't want to spend a lot of money on it. It's the least expensive Apple phone with the same basic features as the more expensive ones. The build quality and attention to detail that Apple is known for mean that it should last you a good few years. And the core software is the same as on the more expensive models, so you get almost all of the same features. For anyone who wants to try an iPhone but doesn't want to pay the high prices of some of the more expensive models, the iPhone 13 mini is a great option.

The iPhone 13 mini starts at £399 for the 64GB version. This is the one that Apple is selling, and it's also the one that most networks will offer as part of their deals. The 128GB model costs £449, and the highest 256GB model will set you back £499. So really it's pretty cheap for a phone of this quality.

There's no denying that the iPhone 13 mini is a very attractive piece of tech, and it feels even more high-end than last year's model. The front and back are both made of glass, which looks amazing (provided you remember to use a case) but can be a pain to clean. The top and bottom edges are made of stainless steel, which is stronger, and the buttons are made of super-soft silicone that you can feel. The volume buttons are now on the side instead of the top, just like the iPhone 13. 

This is great for people who use their phones in landscape mode all the time. The only difference is that the power button is now on the top of the phone instead of on the side. The phone has an IP68 rating, which means it can stay underwater for 30 minutes. It also works with Qi wireless charging, which is much easier than plugging in your phone every night.

The 13 mini has a 5.8-inch, 1536 x 2248 pixels, 401 PPI True Tone HDR screen. This screen is a little smaller and doesn't have as good of a resolution as the one on last year's iPhone, but it's still a great one for watching videos, reading articles, and using your phone in general. Depending on your point of view, you might notice a difference in quality when reading text on the smaller screen, but for everything else, it's not likely to be a problem.

Siri on the iPhone 13 mini functions identically to Siri on more expensive iPhones, using the same A.I. assistant and App Store applications. This means she may read your messages aloud and respond to them on your behalf, create timers and reminders, assist you with navigation, and discover directions to the locations you desire. She can also control HomeKit-enabled gadgets, send messages, check your calendar, and set reminders, among other things.

The iPhone 13 mini's battery capacity is 2620 mAh. Apple estimates this battery will last around the same length of time as last year's model. As with any battery claims, actual battery life can vary, but 2620 mAh is a respectable amount of power for such a sleek and capable smartphone. If you are a heavy user, you may need to charge your phone at the end of the day. If you're not always staring at your phone, streaming music or movies, or if you can turn off WiFi when you don't need it, you should get a whole day out of it.

The iPhone 13 mini is an excellent option for anyone looking for an affordable, stylish phone that meets all standards. It may lack the power of more expensive phones such as the S10 or the V50, but it has everything you need and many of the same essential features. Keep in mind, though, that while it has many of the same features as more expensive iPhones, it does not have all of them. A few significant features are exclusive to the more expensive variants, such as 5G and a triple camera lens. Therefore, if you want to use your phone for a great deal of photography (especially in low light) or you want to future-proof it so you can be among the first to try 5G, you may want to spend the extra money on the Apple iPhone 13 or the iPhone 13 Pro.