I spent an exciting and stressful week last September with my new Apple iPhone 14 before it went on sale. I did everything I could over the course of that week—navigating, surfing the web, recording video, gaming, selfies, ferry rides, selfies on the ferry, you name it—to try to answer the $800 question: Should you buy it?
The answer then, on which I now stand, is “probably not”. It’s a great phone, but it’s no better than the iPhone 13. Sure, it makes sense to choose the 14 if your carrier gives you a great deal or if you spend a lot of time outside of cell range where the new Emergency SOS can be a real lifesaver. Or go for the iPhone 14 Pro if you’re looking for the latest features. But for the rest of us, the iPhone 13 is just as good with the added bonus of costing a bit less.
I’m a woman of my word, so when it became clear it was time to upgrade my iPhone 11 before its replacement value plummeted off a cliff, I headed straight for the iPhone 13 — a Mini, to be exact, which is down to $600. Since the end of last year, I’ve spent a lot of time testing the latest generation of high-end phones: the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, the Google Pixel 7 Pro, and, most recently, the iPhone 14 Pro. They are all great phones in their own way. But when it came time to make my own decision about which phone to buy, I didn’t choose any of these newer, more amazing devices. Nope, I traded my 11 (with a little piece of my soul) to Verizon for the humble iPhone 13 Mini, and I haven’t looked back.
It fits nicely in the outer pocket of Mom’s stylish belt bag on the playground
I picked the Mini because I like a small phone, and it seems very likely that the 13 Mini will be the last good small phone. But even if you prefer a larger phone, I still think the 13 is where it’s at. You don’t get the upgraded camera hardware and processing that the 14 offers, but it’s still a good camera overall – decent portrait mode photos, very good video, and speed for a bit of drama. And you get Photography modes and Cinematic Video mode—both of which I use regularly (rich contrast, unite!).
Outside of the camera, the 13 Mini remains a really good phone by modern standards, even a year and a half after its release. Battery life isn’t for it, but it’s enough for a day of moderate use by a comfortable margin. It fits nicely in the outer pocket of Mom’s stylish belt bag on the playground. It’s fast and responsive with the A15 Bionic processor. It has MagSafe and, accordingly, wireless charging. It also has a physical SIM tray, while the iPhone 14 is entirely eSIM. Most people don’t need to worry about this; I change phones about once a week, and eSIM makes my life hell.
13 Mini is not perfect. There are things I wish it had but mostly won’t get an iPhone 14 anyway — it’s features meant for the pricey 14 Pro. And while the 14 is moderately more expensive than the 13 Mini ($800 vs. $600), the $1,000 14 Pro is a lot More expensive in comparison. A smooth-scrolling 120Hz display, telephoto lens, and always-on display: it’s all Pro only. It’s very nice stuff, but is it $400 nicer? maybe. But not for me, not now.
That’s the question it always comes down to: not what’s the best phone but what’s the best phone for me? This is the question I spend most of my days trying to help people answer. It’s fun declaring winners and losers, but when it comes to something as personal as your phone, choosing the right one to live with is always a little more complicated than that.