Intro
The good news is that a 6.1-inch iPhone with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio is not as huge as it sounds on paper. It’s quite manageable and some might call it compact by today’s standards, with other phones pushing up to 6.9-inch sizes.
So, since no new mini is in sight — is it time to upgrade from that iPhone 13 mini to an iPhone 16e?
iPhone 16e vs iPhone 13 mini differences:
| iPhone 16e | iPhone 13 mini |
|---|---|
| Bigger size, encased in iPhone 14-like shell | The last mini — the only compact Apple phone for a while |
| Supports Apple Intelligence | No Apple Intelligence |
| 6.1-inch OLED display, 60 Hz | 5.4-inch OLED display, 60 Hz |
| Face ID notch on top | Face ID notch on top |
| Apple A18 chip (3 nm) 8 GB RAM |
Apple A15 Bionic (5 nm) 4 GB RAM |
| Single main camera | Main camera and ultrawide camera |
| Much bigger battery: 3,961 mAh |
Small battery: 2,406 mAh |
| USB-C port | Old Lightning port |
| 20 W wired charging 7.5 W wireless (no MagSafe) |
20 W wired charging 15 W MagSafe charging |
Table of Contents:
Design and Size
Sorry old mini chap
Some people love small smartphones. Be it the iPhone 13 minior the iPhone se with the classic iPhone 8 design (or, even further back — the iPhone se with the iPhone 5s design!). But, unfortunately, it seems that these people are a very tiny segment of the market — various manufacturers tried to maintain a mini or Compact line of sorts, and all of them gave up. And so has Apple.
The iPhone 16e is in the shape and size of a “regular” iPhone — an iPhone 14 to be exact. With some upgrades or amendments. For example, it has the newer Action Button, where the iPhone 13 mini has the old Mute toggle switch. It also has a USB C port (Hallelujah) where the iPhone 13 mini has a Lightning port. Both are limited to USB 2.0 transfer speeds, though, so no real upgrade to be seen here, aside from the convenience of being able to borrow anyone’s charger.
On the back, the iPhone 16e has a single 48 MP camera where the iPhone 13 mini has the 12 MP main and 12 MP ultra-wide camera. The old mini also has a MagSafe ring on the back, so it can work with the plethora of stands, mounts, wallets, batteries, and chargers that have been built for the magnetic system. Oddly, the iPhone 16e doesn’t have MagSafe — $599 will only get you that far, we guess.
Technically, you can buy a case with a MagSafe ring for the iPhone 16e. But one — it still charges slower (7.5 W vs the 15 W on the mini’s old MagSafe), and it still requires you to add a case… what if you don’t want to?
Both phones are made with aluminum and have glossy glass backs. The mini was available in a variety of fun and vibrant colors — blue, red, white, black, pink — whereas the iPhone 16e is a bit boring, available in just white and black. A weird step back on that front.
At least the in-box contents are consistent — you get the phone and a cable.
Display Differences
Both displays seem to be pretty much the same tech. They are OLED panels with 800 nit typical max brightness, 1,200 nits peak brightness. Both have odd resolutions, as Apple typically does, but the iPhone 16e hits 460 pixels-per-inch, the iPhone 13 mini has 476 ppi.
It’s been a while since we checked out the iPhone 13 mini display measurements and it’s a bit shocking how accurate its colors are. Two things to keep in mind — every OLED panel is ever-so-slightly different than the other. Also, the slight deviation into the blues that the iPhone 16e shows here is pretty typical for most modern pentile matrix OLEDs. Still, wow, great colors, iPhone 13 mini!
Both of the phones have a notch on top — not the newer “Dynamic Island” cutout that Apple has been putting on iPhones since the 14 Pro. The notch houses the Face ID sensors, which is now the only biometrics option across all iPhones, since the SE was discontinued.
Performance and Software
Apple A18, downgraded a second time
The iPhone 13 mini has the aging Apple A15 Bionic hexa-core with two 3.23 GHz high-performance cores, and a 4-core GPU. It’s a bit long in the tooth and we expect lower scores. Let’s take a look:
CPU Performance
GPU Performance
Yeah, as expected, the iPhone 16e beats the iPhone 13 mini in every metric. It would’ve been a disgrace if it didn’t. In real life, the iPhone 13 mini still feels great and runs snappy. But the iPhone 16e has that much more headroom.
Apple does not like to disclose RAM specs for its iPhones for some reason, but it has been made clear in the past that Apple Intelligence needs 8 GB RAM to operate. So, it’s safe to assume the iPhone 16e comes with 8 GB of RAM. The iPhone 13 mini has 4 GB, which is quite low by today’s standards, and it will freeze more apps in the background.
By all accounts, the iPhone 16e will be the better-performing phone, faster to open apps, better at quick-swapping between them, better at editing images and video and scrolling through multiple webpages.
iPhones typically get 5 years of iOS updates before they reach end-of-support. Which means that the iPhone 13 mini has a year of life left in it, if that’s something you care about (and since updates also come with security patches — you should). The iPhone 16e should be good until 2030, at least.
Camera
Two-on-one action
The iPhone 13 mini is far behind with a 12 MP main camera. It does have the 12 MP ultra-wide secondary camera, if epic landscape or action shots are what you care about. It’s no surprise that the brand-new iPhone 16e has a much better-performing camera.
Main Camera
Well, no surprise here — the new 48 MP camera is better than the 12 MP 4-year-old camera. the iPhone 16e has better dynamics, better details, and better colors.
Zoom Quality
The zoom also works better with that 48 MP sensor. Apple employs all the trickery it has learned with the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 series already to give us some pretty OK zoom quality. The iPhone 16e can also take Portrait Mode pictures at 2x where the iPhone 13 mini is forced to use the wide angle lens — not amazing for portraits.
Selfies
Both selfie cameras have 12 MP sensors, but again, differences can be observed. The iPhone 16e produces much more realistic skintones instead of dialing up vibrancy. Its details also appear less jagged and more refined.
Battery Life and Charging
No MagSafe?
The iPhone 16e comes in a familiar 6.1-inch size, but Apple has managed to cram in a much bigger battery than before, with 3,961 mAh capacity. In comparison, the iPhone 13 mini has a 2,438 mAh battery.
That means the iPhone 16e has a nearly 60% bigger battery cell. That’s a massive difference!
PhoneArena Battery and Charging Test Results:
And no surprise there — the iPhone 16e can outlast the iPhone 13 mini in every one of our tests. The 13 mini had a “passable” battery life even back when it released. Such is the price of having a tiny phone that still packs a relatively fast processor.
However, the iPhone 13 mini has one advantage — MagSafe. Not only does it support all of the MagSafe accessories that exist under the sun currently, it will also charge wirelessly with 15 W of power. The iPhone 16e not only got stripped of its magnets, it only supports the old Qi speeds, meaning 7.5 W. Yikes!
When it comes to wired charging, these phones are not breaking any records, decidedly stuck at 20 W.
Specs Comparison
| iPhone 16e | iPhone 13 mini |
|---|---|
| Size, weight 5.78 x 2.81 x 0.31 inches (146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm) 5.89 oz(167.0 g) |
Size, weight 5.18 x 2.53 x 0.30 inches (131.5 x 64.2 x 7.65 mm) 4.97 oz (141.0 g) |
| Screen 6.1″ OLED 60 Hz ProMotion 1,200 nits peak |
Screen 5.4″ OLED 60 Hz 1,200 nits peak |
| Processor Apple A18 Hexa-core, 4.04 GHz 3 nm |
Processor A15 Bionic Hexa-core, 3.23 GHz 5 nm |
| Versions: 8 / 128 GB 8 / 256 GB 8 / 512 GB |
Versions: 4 / 128 GB 4 / 256 GB 4 / 512 GB |
| Cameras: 48MP main 12MP front |
Cameras: 12 MP main 12 MP ultrawide 12MP front |
| Battery: 3,961 mAh |
Battery: 2,406 mAh |
| Charging: USB-C 20 W wired 7.5 Qi wireless |
Charging: Lightning 20 W wired 15 W MagSafe |
Summary
Whether we like it or not, the tiny smartphone concept is going the way of the dodo. Even if you are clutching to your iPhone 13 mini for dear life, sooner or later — it will need to be upgraded. The iPhone 16e seems to be the painless option here. It’s not too huge, it’s not too expensive, and it will deliver the features you are used to, plus some added extras like the better camera or Apple Intelligence.
