Where to Buy 2 Generation Old Hardware
The enquiry
- When should yous upgrade if you take an older iPhone?
- A great accommodating package: iPhone 13
- Minor enough for most pockets: iPhone thirteen mini
- The biggest iPhone with the all-time cameras: iPhone xiii Pro Max
- If you're on a budget: iPhone SE (2d generation)
- What if you lot're switching from Android?
- Other good iPhones
- What to expect forrad to
- The contest
When should you upgrade if you lot have an older iPhone?
Our general philosophy almost upgrading (as described by Wirecutter's founder) is that if y'all're happy with what you have, you don't need the latest and greatest. Last twelvemonth'southward iPhone or the one before that (or even the one before that) should go along to serve you well. New phones tend to offer incremental upgrades—they're not revolutionary products that change the experience. Apple tree still issues security updates to older devices, and iOS xv still supports every iPhone from 2015 on; even four-plus years later, older phones are getting new features.
If you take an older telephone that's beginning to feel slower, you lot may want to check the battery's wellness. A bombardment with depleted capacity can slow down your phone due to power-conservation features. If the iOS Bombardment Health screen shows the status "Operation management applied" or "Battery health degraded," consider having Apple tree replace the battery (which can price upward to $69 out of warranty) rather than investing in a new telephone.
A great all-around package: iPhone xiii
Our selection
Apple iPhone 13 (128 GB)
A full-featured iPhone
The iPhone 13 has a fantastic ii-lens photographic camera that tin can use Night Mode for impressive low-light photos, plus a plenty-fast processor, long battery life, and a large border-to-edge OLED screen.
The iPhone 13 is a great phone for almost anyone. It offers many of the aforementioned features as the more expensive and identically sized iPhone 13 Pro model does, and it has similar all-day battery life, excellent cameras that include Night Mode for low-light photos, and a large screen in a not-too-large torso. Compared with the more than affordable iPhone SE, the iPhone 13 offers a longer-lasting bombardment, a larger screen, a ameliorate camera system, a faster processor, and an arguably nicer overall design. If y'all're considering the iPhone xiii Pro, the main comeback in that model is a tertiary camera lens and small enhancements to the other 2; the improved camera system mainly offers better pictures in low-light conditions but otherwise doesn't affect how the phone works almost of the time and isn't worth the big spring in price for most people.
On the iPhone xiii, well-nigh people should go the base 128 GB of storage—paying another $100 for 256 GB is probably overkill. If you're considering the maxed-out 512 GB version because of your usage patterns, yous might be better off with an iPhone 13 Pro.
Apple tree's iPhone processors take e'er been fast—by some measurements, speedier than those of many laptops—and the A15 Bionic in the iPhone xiii continues that trend. We've rarely run into whatever speed issues on any iPhone over the past few years, and the increasingly faster speeds are almost academic at this point. It'due south reductive to say "whatever modern iPhone is fast plenty," but, well, any modern iPhone is fast enough. The iPhone 13 has one fewer graphics-processing core than the iPhone 13 Pro, a difference that Apple says will issue in about xxx% slower speeds. Only it'south nevertheless a bit faster than the iPhone 12, where we never ran into graphics-processing issues.
In our experience, the battery life on the iPhone xiii hands got us through a total day. Even with a heavy twenty-four hours of playing Pokémon Go (a notorious battery pig) and live-tweeting Sun-afternoon football, I was merely nigh able to reach the cease of the solar day before seeing the telephone dip below 10% bombardment. If y'all don't want to or can't top off during the twenty-four hour period, the iPhone 13's extra battery life compared with that of older or smaller iPhones can hateful the departure between being able to use your phone into the evening or worrying virtually information technology going expressionless.
Our favorite camera feature on the iPhone 13—and a reason to seriously consider it over the iPhone SE—is Nighttime Mode. Through a combination of longer exposure time and software processing, it allows y'all to take legitimately good photos at night or in other dark settings. Shots that previously would have been unusable now look good or even great, fifty-fifty with shockingly low light. The Pro versions have an added lidar sensor and wider-aperture lenses that allow more low-cal in, and nosotros found that their Night Manner photos looked a footling sharper and reproduced colors better. But what the iPhone 13 tin can practice is impressive for capturing a shot you lot wouldn't take been able to in the past, even if the Pro and Pro Max do it a piddling improve.
The iPhone 13, similar the iPhone 12 and xi before it, has a main 12-megapixel broad-angle camera lens and a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens, the latter of which lets you capture more than of a scene. They're now bundled diagonally instead of stacked vertically (the iPhone xiii doesn't have a telephoto zoom lens like the iPhone xiii Pro does). Apple says the wide camera—the main photographic camera for nigh shots—has a larger sensor that lets more low-cal in. Well-nigh of the shots we took were pretty comparable between the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 13, particularly in good lighting, merely if you were to look closely at shots side past side, you might catch some differences.
Physical-size comparison of iPhones
iPhone xiii Pro Max6.7″6.33″iii.07″0.30″8.46 ounces
| Screen size | Peak | Width | Thickness | Weight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 8/SE | 4.7″ | five.45″ | ii.65″ | 0.29″ | 5.22 ounces |
| iPhone 12 | vi.1″ | five.78″ | ii.82″ | 0.29″ | 5.78 ounces |
| iPhone 12 mini | 5.4″ | five.18″ | 2.53″ | 0.29″ | iv.76 ounces |
| iPhone 13 | six.ane″ | 5.78″ | ii.82″ | 0.30" | 6.14 ounces |
| iPhone thirteen mini | five.4″ | 5.eighteen″ | 2.53″ | 0.thirty″ | 4.97 ounces |
| iPhone thirteen Pro | 6.ane″ | 5.78″ | two.82″ | 0.30″ | vii.nineteen ounces |
The iPhone 13 is larger than the iPhone xiii mini or iPhone SE, and it may be hard to use one-handed for anyone with smaller hands.
One of Apple's flagship features for the iPhone 13 lineup is Cinematic Fashion. This video setting dynamically changes the focus in your shots, automatically swapping between what'due south in the foreground and the background based on factors such as whether the person in forepart is looking at the camera. Even more impressive: The mode allows you to change the focus afterwards the fact, because all the depth data is stored in the video file. We found that the feature works (as long as you take good light; it struggles in low light), and it's undeniably neat. But we also think information technology's more than of a party trick than something most people are likely to use with whatever sort of regularity. It's the kind of thing you might employ when shooting a picture, and if you're creating video content for an online audience, yous may observe a skillful employ for it—but less and so for abode movies. Apple has besides added new presets to the camera, chosen photographic styles, that allow you to utilise different color tone and warmth levels without altering skin tones.
The iPhone 13 has the same-size, 6.1-inch screen as the iPhone 12 in an almost identical body; the new telephone is 0.01 inch (0.25 mm) thicker, but the same top and width. The trunk is squared off much similar that of the iPhone 4 and 5, and this blueprint feels great. We've found the iPhone 13 to be much easier to grip than the iPhone 10, XS, or 11, fifty-fifty when the phone is non in a instance. The apartment screen edges take a bit of getting used to if you're coming from rounded edges, simply ultimately the design is an comeback, and information technology should brand a screen protector, if you choose to use one, easier to install. We as well similar the body-color options: Apple is offering a traditional black color, now chosen midnight, equally well equally bluish, pinkish, and reddish versions that wait quite overnice, plus a make-new colour chosen starlight that'southward a silver tinted with statuary.
The iPhone thirteen's OLED screen is a higher-quality display than that of the iPhone SE, with a resolution of 2532×1170 pixels. OLED provides better dissimilarity and blacker blacks than LCD because pixels on an OLED brandish emit their own backlight, which can completely turn off while a pixel is displaying blacks; on an LCD, a single console lights all of the pixels at once, regardless of the color each individual pixel is displaying. And the iPhone 13 has a higher maximum brightness level than the iPhone 12 at 800 nits (the unit for display brightness) versus 625 nits, but that isn't something you'd notice unless you lot were comparing the screens side past side.
One minor divergence that is credible across the entire iPhone xiii lineup is a smaller notch: The black blob at the meridian of the screen that houses the forepart-facing cameras and sensors is now narrower and just a hair taller. It's still more prominent than the "pigsty punch" cameras on many Android phones, simply at least its size is moving in the right direction.
The iPhone 13 however supports standard Qi wireless charging at up to 7.5 watts (so y'all can use wireless chargers you already have or buy 1 from another make), likewise as Apple's MagSafe, a magnetic attachment organisation for accessories and fast wireless charging up to 15 watts with (limited) supported accessories. In our testing, MagSafe charging has proven to exist most twice equally fast as standard Qi charging, but both are slower than a wired connexion.
The unabridged iPhone 13 lineup supports 5G cellular networking, merely that solitary is non a reason for you lot to buy this (or any) new phone. Although 5G is theoretically faster than LTE in optimal situations, it still comes with plenty of caveats. If you're in an expanse with the correct 5G implementation, you might run across blazing-fast speeds. Mayhap. Only carriers are still upgrading their networks with uneven results, and most people aren't seeing firsthand speed boosts.
The iPhone 13 is noticeably larger than the iPhone SE, but information technology'due south small enough for someone with medium-size easily to text with i manus without straining to attain the other side of the screen. If you lot already had trouble holding the iPhone 6–era design or plumbing equipment it into pocket-sized pockets, the iPhone 13 makes things a little worse, and you should probably go with the iPhone xiii mini instead.
We notwithstanding don't recommend that you have your phone into the puddle or ocean, but the iPhone thirteen does have an IP68 h2o-resistance rating, which means it tin can survive under six meters of water for half an 60 minutes, an improvement from ii meters on the iPhone 11 and 1 meter on the iPhone SE. If you spill something on it or driblet it in the sink, it's probable to survive without issue.
As of late 2020, no iPhones come with a charger or Lightning earbuds in the box, though they practice include a USB-C–to–Lightning cable. If yous need a charger or headphones, we have recommendations.
Apple tree claims that the iPhone 13'southward glass screen is stronger than previous versions thanks to what it calls Ceramic Shield, a procedure that adds "nano-ceramic crystals" to the glass itself. Afterward a year of using the iPhone 12, which uses the same glass, we tin can't say for sure you'll detect a departure, but ours has held up well, with few scratches. If you're still concerned, consider a screen protector.
Small enough for almost pockets: iPhone 13 mini
Our pick
Most everything about the iPhone 13 likewise holds true for the appropriately named iPhone 13 mini, which is a fully modern, not-budget iPhone that happens to be smaller. It may feel as well small if you've gotten used to the size of a bigger iPhone, but it's probable to be a welcome relief for anyone who has been holding on to an iPhone 7, 8, or second-generation SE.
The iPhone 13 mini has the same processor, cameras, and design as the iPhone 13. It'southward simply mini-er. The edge-to-edge OLED screen measures 5.4 inches on the diagonal, larger than the iPhone 7, 8, or SE'due south display, even so the torso is near ¼ inch shorter and ⅛ inch narrower. For many people, this size will allow for one-handed typing, a better grip, or the ability to fit the phone into a pocket or purse that couldn't accommodate a larger i.
The xiii mini makes some trade-offs for that smaller size, with battery life at the elevation of the list. In the Geekbench diagnostic tests nosotros ran, the battery lasted about 72% as long as the iPhone 13's. If you're planning on heavier use, brand certain you have a way to charge up during the solar day. MagSafe, as mentioned to a higher place, is an option, although the iPhone 13 mini is limited to 12-watt charging rather than the 15-watt speed on the rest of the lineup. Additionally, some people may discover the narrower on-screen keyboard to be besides small, especially if they're coming from a larger screen.
The biggest iPhone with the best cameras: iPhone 13 Pro Max
Upgrade pick
Y'all probably already know if you're a big-screen person or pro-phone person, and if you aren't i, you don't accept a lot of reasons to get the Pro Max version of the iPhone xiii. We remember most anyone volition notice the iPhone thirteen'south screen to be roomy enough, but the iPhone xiii Pro Max has an fifty-fifty larger, 6.7-inch screen that makes games easier to play, video more pleasant to watch, and typing feel less cramped. The screen is even bigger than those on older large phones such as the iPhone XS Max and eleven Pro Max, but the body has grown just a few millimeters. And thanks to that bigger screen and body, there's more room inside the iPhone thirteen Pro Max for a larger, longer-lasting battery than in the other iPhone 13 models. The cameras on the Pro models are better, likewise, and there'due south one more than of them (a telephoto lens for optical zooming). These Pro models also support ProMotion, Apple's variable-refresh-rate screen technology, which is another nice-to-have but not altogether necessary characteristic.
To get off-white comparisons, we ran battery stress tests with the Geekbench 4 diagnostic app. The larger iPhone 13 Pro Max lasted for half dozen hours 58 minutes with the screen brightness turned all the manner up, whereas the iPhone 13 survived for 5 hours 42 minutes in our measurements (y'all're likely to become many more hours out of your phone unless you're consistently using information technology for heavy-duty activities such as gaming). The larger torso has its drawbacks, though, as many people volition detect the 13 Pro Max also big for their hands, their pockets, or both.
Nigh of the 13 Pro Max's features are identical to those of the "plain" iPhone 13. Its camera improvements sound nifty on newspaper, but many people wouldn't notice the difference, specially if they're non comparison its shots against those from other phones side past side. On the dorsum information technology adds a third, f/2.8-aperture camera that offers 3x optical zoom and 15x digital zoom, and the main wide-angle and ultrawide lenses both have wider apertures to allow more than light in, which should assist you take better photos, especially in dark environments. In practice, we found that the xiii Pro Max's Dark Mode photos were a petty sharper than those of the iPhone 13, with ameliorate color reproduction. (Unfortunately, due to the smaller discontinuity of the telephoto lens on the iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max, compared with the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max, long-distance night shots from that camera aren't equally practiced.) You lot tin too take portraits in Night Style, aided by the lidar scanner on the dorsum of the phone. These features are great if y'all use your phone for high-level photography, and if y'all're discerning about photo and video quality, they may be important, and yous may appreciate them.
The ability to take macro photos is unique to this year'due south Pro phones. When the macro way works, it works well, but it'due south not perfect. As of the phones' release, the default broad lens automatically hands off to the ultrawide lens when you get close enough to an object. In well-lit situations, this process usually results in a nice shut-upwards shot with lots of detail. Still, in low lite, the lens change can be problematic, as the ultrawide lens has a smaller aperture and lets in less light, and thus produces a worse shot at times. Without the ability to command which lens the photographic camera uses, y'all may not be able to take the picture show you want. Thankfully, Apple says that "[a] new setting volition be added in a software update this fall to plough off automated photographic camera switching when shooting at close distances for macro photography and video."
ProMotion applied science adjusts, in real time, the screen's refresh rate (how many times a 2d the screen updates) from x Hz up to 120 Hz, which is double the top charge per unit of previous iPhone screens. When we compared the screens side past side, the 120 Hz display appeared smoother, but the difference may not be obvious to you if yous don't know well-nigh it. The lower frame charge per unit y'all go when nix is moving on screen also helps to extend the battery life of the Pro phones over the standard models. But even with the Pro models' camera improvements, nosotros think most people wouldn't miss these extras, and we tin't say they're a reason to commit additional money (and pocket infinite) to this larger phone.
Apple plans to add the power to shoot in ProRes, its advanced video format, to the iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max in a hereafter update. The 128 GB models will exist express to recording in 1080p at 30 frames per 2nd; if you want to shoot in 4K, you'll need a larger-chapters model.
If you're on a budget: iPhone SE (2nd generation)
Upkeep choice
Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation, 64 GB)
The cheapest way to get a great iPhone experience
The iPhone SE has a faster processor than you might expect in such a comparatively inexpensive phone, likewise every bit a proficient camera—and it costs half the price of the iPhone thirteen. Its low price, small size, and Bear upon ID fingerprint reader make information technology an piece of cake upgrade for people who have older iPhones or for anyone wanting to spend less, but its bombardment doesn't terminal every bit long.
The iPhone SE (2nd generation) is more than just a bang-up cheap telephone—it's a groovy phone in its own right, and anyone buying a new iPhone should at least consider it. Even though information technology's smaller than the other phones in Apple's lineup (salve for the iPhone thirteen mini and 12 mini), it uses a modern processor that'southward fast enough for pretty much whatever chore. It besides takes very adept photos, and it offers all of this while costing $400 less than the 128 GB iPhone 13. If you mostly like smaller devices, prefer using a fingerprint instead of Face ID to unlock, or only don't desire to pay the premium for a larger iPhone, the SE is a great option.
Despite its lower price, the iPhone SE should last you for years. It uses the aforementioned A13 Bionic processor as 2019'south iPhone 11 and 11 Pro, and information technology ran apps and played games without any slowdowns or hiccups in our testing. And Apple has shown a commitment to extending the life of its iOS handsets through software updates for ii or 3 years longer than equivalent Android phones like Google's Pixel serial or Samsung'southward Milky way series enjoy; 2015'due south iPhone 6s, for example, can still run 2021's iOS fifteen. We wait a similar lifespan for the iPhone SE.
Other than the cost, the iPhone SE's most highly-seasoned feature is its size. The four.7-inch screen is small plenty for most people to accomplish from the bottom-left corner to the top correct with their thumb without adjusting their grip. With the smaller screen comes a smaller body, besides: Measuring nearly a third of an inch shorter and about a 6th of an inch narrower than the iPhone 13, the iPhone SE fits comfortably in smaller hands and feels downright tiny in big hands. It's not as small as the iPhone thirteen mini, though, and information technology has a lower screen-to-body ratio.
The iPhone SE has just one camera lens; it's comparable (just not quite identical) to the wide-angle lens on 2020'due south iPhone 12, and it supports the groundwork-blurring Portrait Mode (for people, non animals or objects). Since the iPhone SE lacks Dark Mode, its performance in taking low-lite photos falls far curt—if you have a lot of pictures at night or in dark environments, yous'll be far happier with the iPhone xiii or iPhone 13 mini. Although the front-facing camera on the iPhone SE has a lower megapixel count and can't record 4K video, we found its photos to be fine. And the iPhone SE is the only iPhone without Confront ID that tin have Portrait Way selfies, a welcome characteristic.
Rather than offering the Face ID organization for unlocking, the iPhone SE gives you a pressure-sensitive capacitive Home button and Bear upon ID fingerprint sensor to unlock your screen, ostend purchases, and cosign you for various apps. Although Touch ID is fast, it can fail if you don't place your finger on it properly or if your finger is wet. In contrast, Confront ID is generally seamless just can be inconvenient if your phone is in a position where placing your face in front of information technology is awkward (for instance, if it's flat on a desk-bound or in a stand or car mountain) or if you're wearing a mask. I thing nosotros definitely prefer Touch on ID for is Apple Pay: Double-pressing and property your finger on the Domicile button is more than convenient than raising your phone to your face up to pay.
The iPhone SE is rated for IP67 water resistance, less than the IP68 rating on the iPhone 13; the SE is tested to withstand being nether one meter of h2o for 30 minutes, compared with 6 meters for the 13. Regardless, the SE should be impervious to splashing and incidental water impairment, and information technology should be able to survive a driblet in the pool, the tub, or—let'south face information technology—the toilet. Note, withal, that you shouldn't charge whatsoever phone until it's completely dry.
If you're on a tight budget, the 64 GB of storage on the iPhone SE may be fine. But if you have a lot of photos, or if you lot continue videos or a music library on your phone, consider doubling that storage space to 128 GB for only $50 more than.
What if you're switching from Android?
If you're an Android phone owner and you're thinking almost giving iOS a try, proceed in mind that compared with Android, recent versions of iOS don't require yous to sacrifice equally many customization features as in the past. Few Android phones tin can match the iPhone's overall hardware-software integration, and none can match its software support—the iPhone 6s, released in 2015, is supported in 2021's iOS 15 (with limitations). In contrast, Google'south Pixel 2 phones from 2017 won't be getting Android 12 when the update becomes available in 2021, and that lineup is guaranteed to get security updates for merely three years from launch and operating system updates for two.
Apple has a gratis Android app, Move to iOS, that helps people with a device running Android 4.0 or afterward to motility their contacts, message history, camera photos and videos, web bookmarks, mail accounts, and calendars to a new iPhone during the iPhone setup phase. (The app creates a private Wi-Fi network, secured with a unique x-digit code, between the two devices.) The app isn't, of form, a reason to switch from Android to iOS, only for anyone who is doing so, it appears to be a nice pick that makes the process easier.
Other practiced iPhones
You should consider the iPhone 13 Pro simply if the phone's cameras are your chief concern and you don't want the 13 Pro Max's larger screen or body. Most of its features are identical to those of the "patently" iPhone thirteen. The 13 Pro has the verbal same camera system as the 13 Pro Max, but most people will be more than than happy with the shots they get from the iPhone 13 and the $200-plus they salve. The same goes for ProMotion—squeamish to have, but non worth the extra coin by itself.
What to look frontward to
In March, Apple tree appear a new version of the popular iPhone SE. This new phone introduces 5G to Apple'south upkeep tier of phones, and will be updated with the same processor as the iPhone 13 models released concluding Autumn. The pricing is aggressive, with the base configurations starting at $430, and since information technology has the same dimensions and layout every bit the 2020 version, existing accessories similar cases and screen protectors should also be compatible. We'll update with impressions of the 2022 iPhone SE presently, but until then, unless you absolutely demand a phone in the iPhone SE's price range, yous may want to wait for the new model.
The competition
The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini are even so very skilful phones that offer well-nigh of the same features as the iPhone 13 line. In fact, we'd be probable to recommend them, possibly fifty-fifty over the iPhone 13 line, if the cost difference between the models were not and so pocket-sized. The 12 and 12 mini both have entry-level prices $100 lower than those of their 13 counterparts, but that'due south with merely 64 GB of storage. Bump up to our recommended 128 GB, and the difference shrinks to $50. For a phone that you'll accept for at least a couple of years, perchance longer, the newer phone is worth springing for unless you absolutely can't afford to.
You can yet buy 2019's iPhone xi, but we don't think y'all should. It sports the same 6.1-inch screen size as the iPhone 13 does simply in a larger body that immediately seems dated side by side to the 2021 model'southward squared edges. The cameras aren't as practiced, the screen is lower resolution, the phone doesn't support 5G networks, the glass isn't as strong, the torso doesn't work with MagSafe accessories—all those fiddling things add upwards to make the iPhone xiii worth the college price information technology commands. If you lot want to spend less on your adjacent iPhone, get the iPhone SE, iPhone 12, or iPhone 12 mini.
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