Wired
Even as the iPhone grows in size, there is a deep-rooted voice that “I like compact iPhones.” Apple also has a lineup of iPhone SE and iPhone 12/13 mini in response to this voice. Therefore, we will thoroughly compare the latest compact model iPhone 13 mini and the standard compact model iPhone SE (2nd generation) in this article (main unit specifications) and the next article (camera function).
Size and weight
The iPhone SE (2nd generation) uses the same housing size as the iPhone 8 (height 138.4 mm, width 67.3 mm), and is very popular as a small iPhone. On the other hand, the iPhone13 mini is even smaller, with a height of 131.5 mm and a width of 64.2 mm, each a few millimeters down. Also, the weight of 13 mini (140g) is 8g lighter than SE (148g), so if you pursue smallness and lightness, it will be 13 mini than SE.
However, the thickness of the 13 mini is 0.35mm thicker than the SE. The thickness of the lens part of the camera has a great influence, but the thickness you feel when you actually hold it does not change.
The difference you feel when you have both models is the difference in shape. The 13 mini has a straight side design that feels like it’s firmly held in your hand when you hold it. On the other hand, the SE has a rounded design that fits comfortably in your hand. There seems to be no noticeable difference between which one is easier to hold and which one is harder to drop, so this is where the tastes differ.
display
One of the biggest differences between the 13 mini and SE is the display. The body size of the 13 mini is smaller than the SE, but the display size is larger (13 mini: 5.4 inches, SE: 4.7 inches). This is because the home button was abolished and a full-screen display was adopted, but the difference makes a big difference in the display area.
The above picture shows the top page of Yahoo! JAPAN on both models, but you can see that there is a big difference in the amount of information that can be displayed at one time. The 13 mini can also display the photo below the headline, but the SE can only display the headline. At first glance, it is a small difference, but since it is a display that you use all the time, even a small difference can greatly change the usability.
The 13 mini is an organic EL display, while the SE uses a liquid crystal display. Therefore, the 13 mini achieves the high contrast ratio that is characteristic of organic EL displays, and can clearly express black. This ease of viewing is such a difference that once you start using an OLED display, you cannot return to a liquid crystal display. In addition, the pixel density of the display is 476ppi for the 13 mini, while it is 326ppi for the SE, and when compared, the detailed depiction of the 13 mini is fascinating.
Internal performance
Despite being a compact model, the 13 mini is the latest iPhone, and its internal performance has reached a remarkable level. When measuring the performance with the application (Geekbench5) that scores the high internal performance, the 13 mini is 1737 for single core and 4536 for multi-core. This score is comparable to the iPhone 13 Pro with the same chip.
On the other hand, SE is 1328 for single core and 2957 for multi-core, which is, of course, inferior to the latest chips. It is subtle whether this difference in score can be felt in everyday use, but it will be noticeable when doing heavy work. In terms of internal performance, the 13 mini is a high-spec model and the SE is a standard model.
Battery performance
The most important thing to pay attention to in a compact iPhone is battery performance. Due to the small size of the main unit, the battery capacity is inevitably small, and the battery performance is a part that users who use hard can easily feel dissatisfied. In fact, if you use SE with videos, music, web browsing, and SNS from the morning, the battery will be considerably reduced in the evening. The 13 mini responds to this complaint by increasing battery capacity.
The battery capacity of the 13 mini is 2,406mAh, which is inferior to the same 13 series model, but it is about 179mAh higher than the 12 mini. In addition, the battery capacity of SE is 1,821mAh, which is a significant increase in capacity compared to this. As a result, the video playback (streaming) is 8 hours for SE, while the 13 mini is 13 hours, the audio playback is 40 hours for SE, and 55 hours for 13 mini, which makes a big difference. With this difference, the 13 mini will have a battery for a day, even if you use it hard.
Biometrics
One of the differences between the 13 mini and SE is the biometric authentication method. Face ID has greatly evolved the iPhone due to its quick release and high security performance, but recently it has been pointed out that it is inconvenient when wearing a mask. If you use Apple Watch, you can avoid unlocking with Face ID even when you are wearing a mask, but you still need to shift the mask when you use Apple Pay or when you automatically enter a password.
On the other hand, SE uses the old Touch ID, so there is no inconvenience when wearing a mask. Whether Face ID is good or Touch ID is good, this seems to depend on how the user uses it.
Difference in communication function
The supported communication methods differ between the 13 mini and SE. The 13 mini supports up to 5G communication, and the SE supports up to 4G communication. However, at the moment, the area where 5G communication can be used is not so large, so it is not necessary to select a model with this in mind. As the area of 5G communication expands and low-latency, ultra-high-speed communication becomes available on a daily basis, compatible communication methods will become an important option.
What makes a big difference in terms of functionality is whether or not it supports UWB (ultra-wideband communication). The 13 mini supports this communication method, and the search app can use the function to display the distance and direction to the nearby AirTag. UWB is also used to make home and car keys, which can be added to the Home app from iOS 15, more convenient (although the features themselves will not be widespread anymore).
Camera and lens performance
The most important difference between the 13 mini and SE is the performance of the camera and lens. There is a strong demand from users who want to take beautiful pictures and leave impressive videos even with a compact iPhone, and the 13 mini is also made with this in mind. However, the comparison of camera performance, image processing, etc. will be long, so we will compare in detail with[Comparison of actual devices]iPhone 13 mini and iPhone SE (2nd generation) -camera function.
(KAZ)
I want to read together iPhone 13 series related special feature
Source: iPhone Mania