An iPhone SE 2022 vs iPhone 13 mini comparison is inevitable if you are interested in an up-to-date, compact iPhone. They are the two most handy options in the market at this time. While the iPhone 13 mini arrived in September 2021, the iPhone SE 2022 arrived months later in March 2022.
The two iPhones are not much different in size and processing power (they are both powered by the Apple A15 Bionic) and they also arrived in the market with iOS 15. The question now is, Which is faster, has better battery life, takes better photos, does more, etc?
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iPhone SE 2022 vs iPhone 13 mini: Physical Build and Handling
As already mentioned earlier, our contestants are similar in size. The SE 2022 is 3 g heavier, is taller, wider and thinner than the 13 mini. The differences in dimensions are minimal and won’t likely make any difference in real-life handling.
Where you will notice a significant difference is in the size and resolutions of their displays. The iPhone SE 2022 has a smallish 4.7-inch IPS display with a measly 720×1334 pixels resolution. iPhone 13 mini beats it resoundingly with a 5.4-inch OLED display with 1080×2340 pixels resolution. The 13 mini also has HDR10 support and ceramic shield protection, while the SE 2022 has ion-strengthened glass for protection of the screen.
They are both made of glass and aluminium – glass front and back – and aluminium frames. While the SE 2022 has an IP67 ingress rating, the 13 mini has an IP68 rating, meaning that the latter is more protected against dust and water.
The iPhone 13 mini is the clear winner in this segment.
iPhone SE 2022 vs iPhone 13 mini: Cameras
Camera technology is one area where Apple differentiates between its budget phone models and its regular line-up, and here the differences are significant. The iPhone SE 2022 has a 7-megapixel selfie camera with 1080p video recording. The iPhone 13 mini has a 12-megapixel selfie wide-angle camera with depth and biometrics sensor support, as well as 4k video recording. And the difference in photo quality is big.
Flip the two phones over, and you will find a 12 MP wide-angle lens at the back of the SE 2022, along with quad-LED flash lights. The 13 mini has two lenses – a more capable 12 MP wide-angle lens with sensor-shift OIS, along with a 12 MP ultrawide lens. There is a dual-LED flash light to go with these. On the 13 mini, video recording includes stereo sound.
In usage, the iPhone 13 mini’s cameras out-shoot the SE 2022’s by a wide margin. The 13 mini is a flagship-grade camera configuration while the SE 2022’s is decidedly mid-range. There is no contest; the iPhone 13 mini wins this round too.
iPhone SE 2022 vs iPhone 13 mini: Battery Life
Apple put a bigger battery in the 13 mini – one with 2438 mAh capacity. The SE 2022 has a 2018 mAh battery. Considering that the two smartphones use the same chipset and the differences in screen size and resolution, this should translate to some better battery life for the 13 mini, and if feedback from hundreds of reviews is anything to go by, it does. The iPhone 13 mini has between 8 and 10 hours of endurance over the SE 2022.
They both have the same wired fast charging speeds – 20W, but the 13 mini has the faster 20W wireless charging (Magsafe) as a bonus to the Qi-standard 7.5W wireless charging in both phones. In all, the iPhone 13 mini wins this round too.
iPhone SE 2022 vs iPhone 13 mini: Performance
The iPhone SE 2022 and iPhone 13 mini have the same Apple A15 Bionic chipset and the same 4GB RAM, so the performance is expected to be similar across both devices. And benchmark results confirm this. The differences in performance tests are so minuscule that you will not notice any difference between the two in every day use.
iPhone SE 2022 vs iPhone 13 mini: Final Words
At this point, it is clear that the only reasons why you might opt for the iPhone SE 2022 is if you really want a Home button (which it has and the 13 mini lacks) and cost. The SE 2022 starts from $399 for the 64 GB storage variant on Amazon, an $449 for the 128GB storage variant. The iPhone 13 mini’s base 128GB storage variant costs $720.
That price difference is massive enough to sway a budget shopper in the direction of the SE 2022. This was the factor that swayed me in buying it over the iPhone 13 mini. I bet it sways many more. And the sales figures suggest so: the SE 2022 is selling more than the 13 mini, according to Counterpoint Research’s list of the global top 10 smartphones in 2022.
Plus, the 13 mini is likely the last mini from iPhone. It must have something to do with those sales figures. It isn’t that it is a bad phone; it is more likely that the SE model, while inferior, is simply better value for money for budget shoppers. Do not forget to have a look at my iPhone SE 2022 review.