Apple iPhone 15 vs iPhone 13 mini

74 out of 100
Apple iPhone 15
VS
64 out of 100
Apple iPhone 13 mini

Here we compared two flagship smartphones: the 6.1-inch Apple iPhone 15 (with Apple A16 Bionic) that was released on September 12, 2023, against the Apple iPhone 13 mini, which is powered by Apple A15 Bionic and came out 2 years before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.

Select the amount of RAM to evaluate performance and value for money more precisely
Memory

Key differences

An overview of the main advantages of each smartphone
Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone 15
  • Has a 0.7 inch larger screen size
  • Comes with 943 mAh larger battery capacity: 3349 vs 2406 mAh
  • Delivers 95% higher peak brightness (1655 against 848 nits)
  • Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
  • Shows 25% longer battery life (25:31 vs 20:29 hours)
  • Newer Bluetooth version (v5.3)
  • Uses a faster type of memory: LPDDR5 3200 MHz
  • 17% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (1672K versus 1427K)
  • Has 50% more RAM: 6GB versus 4GB
  • The phone is 2 years newer
Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone 13 mini
  • Better grip in hands – the body is 7.4 mm narrower
  • Weighs 30 grams less

Review

Evaluation of Apple iPhone 15 and iPhone 13 mini crucial features
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Performance
CPU and memory performance (apps, system)
Gaming
Capabilities for playing modern games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
NanoReview Score
Final comparison evaluation
Select your primary usage scenario to get a more accurate NanoReview Score
📱 Primary usage:

Value for money (Beta)

Should I update?
No 62% Yes
Yes, we think most users will notice the upgrade.
Updating from Apple iPhone 13 mini to Apple iPhone 15 makes sense and should feel noticeably better in daily use.
Main improvements: battery life, camera, and performance.

Tests and specifications

Comparison table of technical specifications and tests

Display

Type OLED OLED
Size 6.1 inches 5.4 inches
Resolution 1179 x 2556 pixels 1080 x 2340 pixels
Aspect ratio 19.5:9 19.5:9
PPI 460 ppi 476 ppi
Refresh rate 60 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No No
Max rated brightness 2000 nits 800 nits
Max rated brightness in HDR 1600 nits 1200 nits
HDR support Yes, Dolby Vision Yes, Dolby Vision
Screen-to-body ratio 86.4% 84.8%
Display features - DCI-P3 - DCI-P3
Display tests
RGB color space 99.6% 99.7%
PWM 306 Hz 510 Hz
Response time 2 ms 4.8 ms
Contrast ∞ Infinity ∞ Infinity
Screen space comparison
iPhone 15
6.1″ (19.5:9 ratio) = 14.2 in2
iPhone 13 mini
5.4″ (19.5:9 ratio) = 11.1 in2
~27% more screen space
Peak brightness test (auto)
iPhone 15 +95%
1655 nits
848 nits
Sources: NotebookCheck [3], [4]

Design and build

Height 147.6 mm (5.81 inches) 131.5 mm (5.18 inches)
Width 71.6 mm (2.82 inches) 64.2 mm (2.53 inches)
Thickness 7.8 mm (0.31 inches) 7.65 mm (0.3 inches)
Weight 171 g (6.03 oz) 141 g (4.97 oz)
Waterproof IP68 IP68
Rear material Glass Glass
Frame material Metal Metal
Colors Black, Blue, Green, Pink, Yellow White, Black, Blue, Green, Red, Pink
Fingerprint scanner No No
Repairability Average (2.96/5) -
Drop resistance Good (C) · 90 drops -
Screen-to-body ratio
iPhone 15 +2%
86.4%

Performance

Chipset specifications of Apple iPhone 15 and Apple iPhone 13 mini
SoC
Chipset Apple A16 Bionic Apple A15 Bionic
Max clock 3460 MHz 3200 MHz
CPU cores 6 (2 + 4) 6 (2 + 4)
Architecture - 4 cores at 2.02 GHz: Sawtooth
- 2 cores at 3.46 GHz: Everest
- 4 cores at 2.02 GHz: Blizzard
- 2 cores at 3.23 GHz: Avalanche
Manufacturing TSMC TSMC
Lithography process 4 nanometers 5 nanometers
Neural processor (NPU) Apple Neural Engine Apple Neural Engine
GPU
Graphics 5 core Apple GPU Apple GPU (4 cores)
GPU shading units 640 640
GPU clock 1398 MHz 1338 MHz
FLOPS ~1789.4 GFLOPS ~1712.6 GFLOPS

Benchmarks

Benchmark comparison of Apple iPhone 15 and Apple iPhone 13 mini
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
iPhone 15 +13%
2612
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
iPhone 15 +17%
6705
Compute Score (GPU)
iPhone 15 +26%
22764
Compute Score (GPU) 22764 18055
Single-core score 2612 2303
Multi-core score 6705 5725
Sources: Geekbench [3], [4]
AnTuTu Benchmark 11
iPhone 15 +17%
1672293
1427851
CPU 462812 457297
GPU 453603 339401
Memory 222511 155401
UX 533367 475752
Total score 1672293 1427851
Samples [9 tests] [7 tests]
3DMark Solar Bay
iPhone 15 +21%
3979
Stability 74% 75%
Graphics test 15 FPS 12 FPS
Section 1 20 FPS 16 FPS
Section 2 15 FPS 12 FPS
Section 3 11 FPS 9 FPS
Graphics score 3979 3276
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
iPhone 15 +15%
2868
Stability - 68%
Graphics test 17 FPS 14 FPS
Graphics score 2868 2500
Sources: 3DMark [5], [6]

Recent User Tests

The latest benchmark tests that have been submitted by users
Apple iPhone 15
DateBenchmarkResult
📘 2026-09-14 (ZUSEPRO)AnTuTu1603687
📘 2026-08-15 (Julian Ludwig)GeekBench GPU24336
📘 2026-08-15 (Julian Ludwig)GeekBench CPU2615 / 6477
📘 2026-08-12 (j0elz)AnTuTu1638319
📘 2026-07-15 (ime)AnTuTu1702585
Apple iPhone 13 mini
DateBenchmarkResult
📘 2026-06-09 -> barout1AnTuTu1251126
📘 2026-05-27 (Spaik)AnTuTu1507453
📘 2026-05-12 (MaximVerni)AnTuTu1470778
📘 2026-04-25 (nh4t)AnTuTu1304181
📘 2026-03-11 (STXZ17)AnTuTu1449341

Memory

RAM
RAM size 6 GB 4 GB
Memory type LPDDR5 LPDDR4X
Memory clock 3200 MHz 2133 MHz
Channels 4 2
Storage
Storage size 128 GB 128 GB
Storage type NVMe NVMe
Memory card No No

Software

Operating system iOS 17 (Can be upgraded to iOS 26.5) iOS 15 (Can be upgraded to iOS 26.5)
OS size 18 GB 12 GB
OS updates 7 years -
Security updates 7 years -

Battery

Capacity 3349 mAh 2406 mAh
Max charge power 20 W 20 W
Battery type Li-Ion Li-Ion
Replaceable No No
Wireless charging Yes (7.5 W) Yes (7.5 W)
Reverse charging Yes No
Bypass charging No No
Fast charging Yes (58% in 30 min) Yes (61% in 30 min)
Full charging time 1:50 hr 1:24 hr
Battery cycles 1000 cycles -
Battery life tests
Web browsing 10:47 hr 07:46 hr
Watching video 16:55 hr 12:00 hr
Gaming 05:36 hr 04:28 hr
Standby 112 hr 106 hr
General battery life
iPhone 15 +25%
25:31 hr
20:29 hr

Main camera

Matrix 48 megapixels 12 megapixels
Image resolution 8064 x 6048 4032 x 3024
Zoom Digital Digital
Flash Dual LED Dual LED
Stabilization Optical Optical
8K video recording No No
4K video recording Up to 60FPS Up to 60FPS
1080p video recording Up to 60FPS Up to 60FPS
Slow motion 240 FPS (1080p) 240 FPS (1080p)
Angle of widest lens 120° 120°
Lenses 1) Standard: 48 MP
2) Ultrawide: 12 MP
1) Standard: 12 MP
2) Ultrawide: 12 MP
Camera features - Bokeh mode
- Pro mode
- Bokeh mode
- Pro mode
- RAW support
Standard lens
Image resolution 48 MP 12 MP
Aperture f/1.6 f/1.6
Focal length 26 mm 26 mm
Sensor - Sony IMX603
Sensor size 1/1.5" (≈ 0.67 inch) 1/1.9" (≈ 0.53 inch)
Pixel size 1 micron 1.7 micron
Autofocus Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
Stabilization Optical Optical
Ultra-wide lens
Image resolution 12 MP 12 MP
Aperture f/2.4 f/2.4
Focal length 13 mm 13 mm
Sensor Sony IMX633 Sony IMX372
Sensor size 1/2.55" (≈ 0.39 inch) 1/3.4" (≈ 0.29 inch)
Pixel size 1.4 micron 1.4 micron
Stabilization Digital Digital

DxOMark main camera tests

Photo quality
iPhone 15 +11%
147
Video quality
Generic main camera score
iPhone 15 +16%
145
Bokeh 80 65
Preview 84 76
Zoom 114 65
Samples Photo samples of Apple iPhone 15 from DxOMark Photo samples of Apple iPhone 13 mini from DxOMark

Selfie camera

Megapixels 12 megapixels 12 megapixels
Image resolution 4032 x 3024 4032 x 3024
Aperture f/1.9 f/2.2
Focal length 23 mm 23 mm
Sensor Sony IMX714 Sony IMX514
Sensor size 1/3.6" (≈ 0.28 inch) 1/3.6" (≈ 0.28 inch)
Pixel size 1.12 micron -
Autofocus Phase autofocus Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 60 FPS 2160p (4K) at 60 FPS
Depth sensor (TOF 3D) Yes Yes
DxOMark front camera
Photo - 127
Video - 143

Connectivity

Wi-Fi standard Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
- Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version 5.3 5
Bluetooth features LE LE, A2DP
USB type USB Type-C -
USB version 2 2
USB features - Charging
- USB-Storage mode
- OTG
- Charging
- USB-Storage mode
- OTG
DisplayPort Yes -
GPS GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared port No No
Network
Number of SIM* - 1
Type of SIM card eSIM Nano
eSIM support* Yes Yes
Hybrid slot No No
LTE Cat* 18 18
5G support Yes Yes

Sound

Speakers Stereo Stereo
Headphone audio jack No No
FM radio No No
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speakers test
Max loudness
81.6 dB
87.7 dB

Other

Category Flagship Flagship
Announced September 2023 September 2021
Release date September 2023 September 2021
Launch price (MSRP) $799 $700
Successor - Apple iPhone 17 -
SAR (head) 0.98 W/kg 0.97 W/kg
SAR (body) 0.98 W/kg 0.98 W/kg
Sensors - Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient light sensor
- Compass
- Face recognition sensor
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient light sensor
- Compass
- Face recognition sensor
Bundled charger Not included -
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.

Conclusion

After analyzing all the data, we think that the Apple iPhone 15 is definitely a better buy.

Cast your vote

So, which phone would you choose?
63 (28.5%)
158 (71.5%)
Total votes: 221

User opinions

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