Apple iPhone 13 review: specs, battery & used prices

Summary

The iPhone 13 is the default answer to "which used iPhone should I buy": an A15 Bionic that still outruns many new Androids, a 6.1-inch OLED, IP68 sealing and a camera that needs no apologies — now trading around a quarter of its launch price. Our everyday score of 68/100 and compactness of 95/100 describe the sweet spot Apple has been reselling ever since.

Display and design

The 6.1-inch OLED runs at 60 Hz — the perennial iPhone compromise — with an 800-nit typical peak that handles sunlight well; the 39/100 screen score records the refresh rate honestly. At 174 g with IP68, it is the shape every subsequent numbered iPhone has reused: one-handed, pocketable, familiar.

Performance

The A15 Bionic was overpowered in 2021 and remains comfortable today: everyday 68/100, gaming 37/100 — the strongest argument for buying this generation used, since the chip outlives the phone around it. iOS updates arrive for years beyond what the secondhand price implies.

Camera

Dual 12 MP sensors — main with OIS, plus ultrawide — with 4K60 video and the sensor-shift stabilization Apple reserved for flagships. The 22/100 score is a scale artifact of how far phone cameras have since climbed; in absolute terms the stills and video remain very good.

Battery and charging

The 3,227 mAh cell scores 5/100 — small on paper, but A15 efficiency and a 60 Hz display stretch it to a full day of moderate use. Charging at 20 W is the era's standard slow-fast compromise.

Verdict

Used supply is deep and prices are settled: 4/128 units cluster around $235 (eight listings), 4/256 around $252 (two). That is less than a third of the $800 launch price for a phone whose software runway is nowhere near exhausted. The 13 mini suits small-hand loyalists; the 13 Pro adds the 120 Hz screen and telephoto; if only the newest matters, the iPhone 14 is the same idea one year later.