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DisplayThe Apple iPhone 13 mini first graced the market in September 2021 and belongs to our Premium ($600-$799) segment. Let’s take a look at how it did in our Battery protocol tests.
Key specifications:
- Battery capacity: 2406 mAh
- 20W charger (not included)
- 5.4-inch, 1080 x 2340, 60 Hz OLED display
- Apple A15 Bionic (5 nm) chipset
- Tested ROM / RAM combination: 128 GB + 4 GB
About DXOMARK Battery tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone battery reviews, DXOMARK engineers perform a variety of objective tests over a week-long period both indoors and outdoors. This article highlights the most important results of our testing. (See our introductory and how we test articles for more details about our smartphone Battery protocol.)
Test summary
Scoring
Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.
Apple iPhone 13 mini
Key performances
These key points are derived from the lab measurements during testing and do not figure into the overall score. The lab measurements, however, are used for the overall score.
156th
31st
Pros
- Extremely efficient device
- Well-managed night consumption
- Good wireless charging experience
Cons
- Poor autonomy overall
- Low charging efficiency
Thanks largely to a 9.5% increase in battery capacity, the Apple iPhone 13 mini gained 3 points over the older iPhone 12 mini, although neither Apple device comes close to either competitor in the Premium category, the OnePlus 9 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon). Battery capacity, tested charger, display type and resolution, and processor specifications for all four devices are shown in the table below.
| Apple iPhone 13 mini | Apple iPhone 12 mini | OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon) | |
| Battery (mAh) | 2406 | 2227 | 4500 | 4000 |
| Charger
Wireless |
20W (not included)
15W |
20W (not included)
15W |
65W
15W |
25W (not included)
15W |
| Display type | OLED | OLED | OLED | OLED |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2340, 60 Hz | 1080 x 2340, 60 Hz | 1080 x 2400, 120 Hz | 1080 x 2400, 120 Hz |
| Processor | Apple A15 Bionic 5 nm | Apple A14 Bionic 5 nm | Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G 5 nm | Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G 5 nm |
Autonomy (45)
How long a battery charge lasts depends not only on battery capacity but also on other aspects of the phone’s hardware and software. The DXOMARK Battery autonomy score is composed of three performance sub-scores: (1) Stationary, (2) On the go, and (3) Calibrated use cases. Each sub-score comprises the results of a comprehensive range of tests for measuring autonomy in all kinds of real-life scenarios.
Because of its small battery, the Apple iPhone 13 mini offers only 40 hours 51 minutes of autonomy with moderate use, which is below the average in the premium segment. Its autonomy is slightly better than the iPhone 12 mini’s, but far behind its rivals, which both offer more than 10 hours of moderate use.
Battery Life (moderate)
178th
Battery Life (moderate)
33rd
Stationary
Apple iPhone 13 mini
50
104
A robot housed in a Faraday cage performs a set of touch-based user actions during what we call our “typical usage scenario” (TUS) — making calls, video streaming, etc. — 4 hours of active use over the course of a 16-hour period, plus 8 hours of “sleep.” The robot repeats this set of actions every day until the device runs out of power.
Thanks in part to good night management (losing only 1.5%), the iPhone 13 mini lasted 45 hours 33 minutes during our TUS test. That’s 2 hours better than the 12 mini, but about 12 hours less than the OnePlus and the Samsung.
On the go
Apple iPhone 13 mini
50
96
Using a smartphone on the go takes a toll on autonomy because of extra “hidden” demands, such as the continuous signaling associated with cellphone network selection, for example. DXOMARK Battery experts take the phone outside and perform a precisely defined set of activities while following the same three-hour travel itinerary for each device.
The iPhone 13 mini’s performance in camera and social apps was disappointing. It came in ahead of the 12 mini for GPS and calling, but remained behind the OnePlus and Samsung in almost all tests.
Calibrated
Apple iPhone 13 mini
45
100
For this series of tests, the smartphone returns to the Faraday cage and our robots repeatedly perform actions linked to one specific use case (such as gaming, video streaming, etc.) at a time. Starting from an 80% charge, all devices are tested until they have expended at least 5% of their battery power.
Though slightly better than the 12 mini, the iPhone 13 mini put in a below-average performance in our calibrated tests.
Charging (72)
The DXOMARK Battery charging score is composed of two sub-scores, Full charge and Quick boost. Full charge tests assess the reliability of the battery power gauge; measure how long it takes to charge a battery from zero to 80% capacity and from 80 to 100%; and measure how long and how much power the battery takes to go from an indicated 100% to an actual full charge. With the phone at different charge levels (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%), Quick boost tests measure the amount of charge the battery receives after being plugged in for 5 minutes.
Unsurprisingly, the Apple iPhone 13 mini and its 20W charger could not keep up with the OnePlus (65W) and the Samsung (25W). However, it offers a decent wireless charging experience.
Full charge
Apple iPhone 13 mini
74
121
It took the Apple iPhone 13 mini 57 minutes 18 seconds to go from empty to an 80% charge, and 1 hour 54 minutes to achieve a full charge. That’s slightly longer than the 12 mini, which has a smaller battery. The OnePlus 9 and its massive 65W charger takes only 38 minutes 40 seconds to fill its much larger battery.
The iPhone 13 mini took only 1 hour 12 minutes to wirelessly charge up to 80%, while the OnePlus and the Samsung took 1 hour 28 minutes and 1 hour 51 minutes, respectively.
Charging Time 0-80%
141st
Charging Time 0-80%
35th
Quick boost
Apple iPhone 13 mini
69
111
Users can expect almost 3 hours of autonomy after charging the iPhone 13 mini for 5 minutes, which is better than both the iPhone 12 mini and the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon), but far behind the OnePlus 9’s 8 hours 26 minutes when charging with 20% power remaining.
| Apple iPhone 13 mini | Apple iPhone 12 mini | OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon) | ||
| Autonomy boost (hh:mm) | 20% | 3:12 | 2:43 | 8:26 | 2:38 |
| 40% | 3:01 | 2:31 | 5:59 | 2:45 | |
| 60% | 2:07 | 1:53 | 5:28 | 2:09 | |
| 80% | 1:02 | 1:20 | 4:02 | 1:57 | |
| Percentage boost | 20% | 10 % | 9.5 % | 23 % | 7.4 % |
| 40% | 9.5 % | 8.8 % | 16.3 % | 7.7 % | |
| 60% | 6.7 % | 6.6 % | 14.9 % | 6 % | |
| 80% | 3.2 % | 4.7 % | 11 % | 5.5 % | |
| Energy consumed | 20% | 1391 mWh | 1205 mWh | 4923 mWh | 1466 mWh |
| 40% | 1315 mWh | 1119 mWh | 3491 mWh | 1528 mWh | |
| 60% | 925 mWh | 838 mWh | 3188 mWh | 1195 mWh | |
| 80% | 452 mWh | 591 mWh | 2354 mWh | 1088 mWh |
Efficiency (99)
The DXOMARK power efficiency score consists of two sub-scores, Charge up and Discharge rate, both of which combine data obtained during robot-based typical usage scenario testing, outdoor mobility testing, charging evaluation, and power measurements, and then take into consideration the device’s battery capacity.
Thanks to its optimized software and hardware, the two iPhone minis beat both the OnePlus and the Samsung in overall efficiency by a good margin.
Charge up
Apple iPhone 13 mini
58
105
Although its adapter is quite efficient, the iPhone 13 mini puts in a poor performance for charge-up efficiency.
Discharge
Apple iPhone 13 mini
118
121
In contrast to charge up efficiency, the iPhone 13 mini and the iPhone 12 mini are among the very best devices for discharge efficiency in our entire database.
Conclusion
Because of its very small battery and 20W charger, the iPhone 13 Mini cannot offer much in the way of autonomy and charging. However, the device is well optimized and has excellent discharge efficiency.
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