I bought a used iPhone 13 Mini and learned a hard lesson

After more than four years of use iPhone 12 Pro MaxApple is thinner and lighter iPhone Air It seemed like a refreshing change. The phone’s promise to offer the same Apple-exclusive perks like iMessage and FaceTime, while being more pocket-friendly, really appealed to me.

Problem: $1000 is too much money for me to pay for a phone right now. In addition to my presence T-Mobile plan Its monthly price is low and it no longer qualifies for larger Get a Phone with Us deals because it’s so old. Switch carriers Getting such a promotion is also a no-no, as is almost everything Wireless plan This is a qualification that will cost me more money per month. The phones themselves are more expensive, with prices for new devices fluctuating due to the ongoing uncertain economic outlook Lack of RAM. Two phones I’ve recently reviewed are $180 Moto G Play and $700 OnePlus 15RBoth have higher starting prices than the models they replace.

That’s when it hit me: Apple had made it more pocket-friendly iPhone Years before airing with hiatus since then iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini. They are both able to run iOS 26 It will likely receive updates for a few more years. What’s even more motivating is that I can get a 13 Mini with 256GB of storage for the same price as a brand new budget phone.

But I have concerns about purchasing such an old phone.

Apple no longer makes the iPhone Mini, so the only way to find one is to buy it used. While sellers promise that their used phones will work and show only some signs of wear, will this actually be the case? Even though it will run iOS 26, will the phone be able to keep up with my daily routine? I decided to take the plunge and test whether a used iPhone 13 Mini could deliver on some of the promise of the iPhone Air at a much lower price.

Find iPhone 13 Mini

For the purposes of this test, I purchased a blue iPhone 13 Mini with 256GB of storage for $353, after taxes, from a seller on Amazon. I’m using the 256GB version of the 12 Pro Max, and didn’t want to sacrifice storage space by switching to a different phone. If you don’t want to go through Amazon, you can find the iPhone 13 Mini on several used phone sites, including Gazelle, Back Market, Swappa, eBay, and others. I often locate Woot for phone deals, and sometimes I see refurbished models of Mini popping up there too.

These sellers often price used phones based on their condition. In this case, I bought one in refurbished condition, which means the phone will show some signs of wear and a battery with at least 80% capacity. Amazon also has a Renewed Premium tier, which costs $60-$90 more and offers phones with at least 90% battery capacity. Refurbished is different from refurbished, the latter meaning that the phone has been repaired or repackaged and sold in like-new condition. In this case, a renewed form must mean that it has been inspected before being sold and mailed.

I decided to go the cheaper route, as I imagined most refurbished phones would have at least a day’s battery life (and later found out this was wrong). Also important is that the phone comes with a generous return policy, allowing me to get a three-month refund if I decide the phone isn’t for me.

Unboxing and setting up the iPhone 13 Mini

The iPhone 13 Mini arrived in a fairly nondescript box. I wasn’t expecting much more than the phone, but it came with a power adapter and Lightning cable, which was a nice bonus.

Upon inspection of the iPhone, I noticed some visible wear along the top right bezel, but that was within my expectations for a phone case. The screen had no cracks, and any signs of prior use would have no impact on its ease of use.

I turned it on, and was surprised to see that the phone had not been factory reset before it was shipped to me. It went straight to the home screen instead of walking me through the initial setup process. Even though I wasn’t signed into someone’s account, I preferred the most recent installation before adding my personal information. So I did a factory reset and used iCloud to transfer my account, apps, and settings.

The iPhone 13 Mini’s battery life is shorter than expected

Since the iPhone 13 Mini is a smaller phone, I expected it to have a smaller battery. I was hoping that — like the iPhone Air — iOS 26’s battery improvements would help keep the phone running all day with the ability to recharge in the evening. However, I didn’t take into account how low battery capacity would affect it.

iPhone 13 Mini battery capacity reached 83%. Apple recommends replacing your iPhone battery when its capacity is less than 80%. My new Mini was above that limit, just barely. I quickly realized that my patience with this low capacity battery would quickly run out.

On my first full day with the iPhone 13 Mini, I took it to work, fully charged, around 7 a.m. and by 6 p.m., the battery life had been drained to 30%. At this time of day, I was mainly using the phone to check notifications, apps, and some light photography. But after work I realized how quickly it drained what was left of that battery. The battery level dropped to 15% after I used GPS over 5G for 30 minutes to get from the office to a trivia night at the bar. This is my place Power bank It came in handy, as the battery was charged to 60% within an hour.

On days when I used my phone’s camera or my laptop’s wireless hotspot feature, the battery would die. I regularly use my phone for these tasks, and I was shocked to see that just a few of them could drain my iPhone 13 Mini by about 40% in an hour.

Apple’s iPhone 13 Mini runs iOS 26 just fine

Despite the sparse battery life, I really enjoyed using the iPhone 13 Mini. Apple’s iOS 26 improves performance on the smaller screen so much that I barely had to change the way I use it: launching apps, games, video calls, and even watching TV shows.

Although the iPhone 13 Mini’s 5.4-inch screen is much smaller than the iPhone 12 Pro’s 6.7-inch screen or the iPhone Air’s 6.5-inch screen, it meant I held the phone a little closer while watching HBO Max and various cooking videos.

However, I felt limited by screen space when typing. It was a bit uncomfortable to use both thumbs. I was able to get around this problem by using the magnetic keyboard for one-finger typing, although it is difficult to correct a word when it is predicted incorrectly.

The iPhone 13 Mini’s cameras have improved dramatically

I’m not going to pretend that the iPhone 13 Mini’s 12-megapixel camera system can compete with the newer iPhone Air’s 48-megapixel camera. But the Mini has a dedicated ultra-wide camera that’s not found on the Air. Even with its older cameras, the iPhone 13 Mini still manages to take good photos. I regularly test cheap phones, and I can comfortably say that the Mini’s cameras are as good, if not better, than the cameras available on most new devices. Android phones worth $300 -Remember I paid about $350 for a used iPhone.

Zoom in on the image

From a sausage, egg, cheese and tomato sandwich taken while you were out and about, this photo from the main camera shows plenty of detail on the bread (note the seasoning of everything). Even the tomatoes in the photo have a slight shine to them. Although the image isn’t terribly dynamic, it’s an accurate representation and doesn’t need a filter or further editing.

Zoom in on the image

In this photo of a café lobby, notice the vibrancy of color. You can even see the yellow wall texture. In other phones I review typically in the $300 price range, these types of details are often toned down or blend into the yellow color of the wall. I love the way the sunlight streams through the frame from the window to the right and how it contrasts with the plant shadows.

Zoom in on the image

I was expecting to miss the iPhone 12 Pro Max’s telephoto lens since the Mini doesn’t have one and relies solely on digital zoom. This photo taken at 5x zoom of a bird along Florida’s Siesta Key beach is not a great photo in terms of image quality. Suffering from image noise. The bird’s feathers and sand texture are smoothed to a blur as a result of noise reduction.

I took the photo below of the same bird at 5x with Samsung Galaxy S24which has a dedicated 10MP telephoto camera and 3x optical zoom. The photo looks better and you can even see some of the feathers on the bird.

Zoom in on the image

The iPhone 13 Mini has a 12-megapixel front camera, which is more than enough to take quick selfies and make FaceTime calls. I like how the photo below shows the small details of my hair and face. You can also see the details and textures of the tree and plant in the background.

Can I really upgrade to a used iPhone 13 Mini?

Functionally, I enjoyed using the iPhone 13 Mini. Although the phone is much smaller than my iPhone 12 Pro Max, none of the apps I use regularly felt hacky. I especially liked how it took up much less space in my pocket, which I noticed while walking or at the gym, because it didn’t feel heavy. It’s small enough that I even used it as a semi-fidget tool (you can watch the end of my video journal embedded in this story to see what I mean).

The downside is that I can’t get past the battery life issues. However, there are a number of options I can take to remedy this problem but that would involve finding another device that can fit in a pocket. I could return this device and get another iPhone 13 Mini in premium refurbished condition on Amazon, and it is Currently going for $403and will promise a battery with a capacity of at least 90%. This additional cost will be less than the money you pay Apple to replace the battery, which will cost $89.

And if I’m stretching my budget into the $400 range, there are also a few other phones that might be a better upgrade. For example, Apple’s iPhone 15 has a larger 6.1-inch display, but it’s still smaller than the iPhone 12 Pro Max, and can be found at around $470 in refurbished condition with 256GB storage. I could even think of a foldable Android phone, for example Motorola Razr or Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6with both being offered in the $450 to $600 price range, whether used or marked down from holiday sales.

So, while I would return this particular phone due to its poor battery life, there are at least plenty of other options to consider in my search for an affordable, more portable smartphone.