iPhone 13 Can I get an honest answer what the battery life is like on iPhone 13?

[iHorseHead]

Hey!
I've been thinking about upgrading from 12 mini to something newer, mainly because of the battery. Today I walked to a store and back and I just had AirPods connected with 5G and Apple Music playing and already lost 25% while doing so. I was gone for around an hour. The battery health is 84%, so it's not under 80%.
I've been thinking whether to replace the battery or get a better phone.

So what's the battery life like? I don't really trust YouTube videos. Or should I just get a new battery? It's starting to piss me off that I have to make sure I charge my phone as much as I can. Especially when I use the camera I have to charge it several times a day and not forget my MagSafe battery pack anywhere.

Then again I've been thinking of waiting till they no longer sell iPhone 11 anymore and get iPhone 15 for cheaper.

 

[Reverend Benny]

I don't own the 13 but have a few family members that do. iPhone 13 pro and 14 is the phones I use daily.
I also had a 13 mini as a workphone, but neither the 13 mini or 14 is really representable as I use it mostly for checking mail, Teams meetings and so on.

The 13 pro has the same chipset as the 13 and what I have found is that poor reception and 5G really is draining the battery fast. Was made aware of this when I was over in the UK for a week and wasn't using WiFi at all.
Bit in fairness, I did use a lot of data.

Most seem to agree that the 12mini isn't the best when it comes to battery time and that the 13 mini is a better choice, the regular 13 seem to be even better.

 

[decafjava]

My 13 Pro Max had excellent battery life, even in January of this year (I got it in December 2021) when it was stolen. YMMV of course and make sure you check how old the battery is if you pick up a 13 (reconditioned are also good).

 

[winxmac]

iPhone 11 series and iPhone 13 series are way better than iPhone 12 series when it comes to battery life...

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Generally, iPhone batteries are relatively good vs. competitors. However- as you are experiencing- it's only a matter of so many charging cycles before they will fade quickly. Batteries wear out and yours is likely in that well-worn window.

If you are happy with your phone, get a new battery and you'll have "new battery" life again. That will certainly cost a lot less than buying a new iPhone.

One more thing: since you have a mini, you might want to also look into a mini battery case like this example. That will get you more battery than the only the new replacement battery inside. Pairing a battery case with a new battery should get you much longer use life between charges.

 

[iHorseHead]

I don't own the 13 but have a few family members that do. iPhone 13 pro and 14 is the phones I use daily.
I also had a 13 mini as a workphone, but neither the 13 mini or 14 is really representable as I use it mostly for checking mail, Teams meetings and so on.

The 13 pro has the same chipset as the 13 and what I have found is that poor reception and 5G really is draining the battery fast. Was made aware of this when I was over in the UK for a week and wasn't using WiFi at all.
Bit in fairness, I did use a lot of data.

Most seem to agree that the 12mini isn't the best when it comes to battery time and that the 13 mini is a better choice, the regular 13 seem to be even better.

So I should wait till the new iPhone comes out and the price will drop and get the iPhone 14? I don't want mini anymore. The trust is gone.
Thanks for being honest. I use 5G a lot.

 

[iHorseHead]

Generally, iPhone batteries are relatively good vs. competitors. However- as you are experiencing- it's only a matter of so many charging cycles before they will fade quickly. Batteries wear out and yours is likely in that well-worn window.

If you are happy with your phone, get a new battery and you'll have "new battery" life again. That will certainly cost a lot less than buying a new iPhone.

One more thing: since you have a mini, you might want to also look into a mini battery case like this example. That will get you more battery than the only the new replacement battery inside. Pairing a battery case with a new battery should get you much longer use life between charges.

Thanks! I didn't even know that battery cases exist! Are those safe for the battery?

 

[tekkierich]

Hey!
I've been thinking about upgrading from 12 mini to something newer, mainly because of the battery. Today I walked to a store and back and I just had AirPods connected with 5G and Apple Music playing and already lost 25% while doing so. I was gone for around an hour. The battery health is 84%, so it's not under 80%.
I've been thinking whether to replace the battery or get a better phone.

So what's the battery life like? I don't really trust YouTube videos. Or should I just get a new battery? It's starting to piss me off that I have to make sure I charge my phone as much as I can. Especially when I use the camera I have to charge it several times a day and not forget my MagSafe battery pack anywhere.

Then again I've been thinking of waiting till they no longer sell iPhone 11 anymore and get iPhone 15 for cheaper.

the honest answer is always, "Your milage may vary"

an 84% battery, especially in a mini, probably should be changed. The threshold where people start to see performance and unacceptable usage for a full day, really is around 85%.

If you get a new battery in this phone, or get another one that has a new battery, you will likely be satified with its performance for 18-24 months.

If you are looking for an optimal time to buy an iPhone, it is always around the launch of the next flagship in late September every year. Either you get the new shinny, or enjoy previous year's phone for $100 less than they where prior to the new flagship launch.

 

[Reverend Benny]

So I should wait till the new iPhone comes out and the price will drop and get the iPhone 14? I don't want mini anymore. The trust is gone.
Thanks for being honest. I use 5G a lot.

I don't think the 14 will be much better than the 13 tbh, its the same type of modem and similar battery time and CPU.
If you are using 5G a lot the 15 might be a better choice, it has a newer version of the Qualcomm modem that might be beneficial if you use 5G a lot.

But the 13 and 14 will definitely give you better stand-by time than the 12 mini and they also have a newer 5G modem than the 12 mini, might boost 5G performance and battery time further.

Edit:
The iPhone 12 has Qualcomm X55
The iPhone 13 has Qualcomm X60
The iPhone 14 has Qualcomm X65
The iPhone 15 has Qualcomm X70

 

[johannnn]

* you have 12 Mini. that one is known to have ****** battery

* you have 84% battery health. that's a large drop from 100%.

* you mentioned 5G, do you need 5G? otherwise you could go into settings and disable 5G, for normal usage 4G (LTE) is more than enough

* you should definitely an 13/14/15, depending on what your wallet allows

 

[iHorseHead]

I don't think the 14 will be much better than the 13 tbh, its the same type of modem and similar battery time and CPU.
If you are using 5G a lot the 15 might be a better choice, it has a newer version of the Qualcomm modem that might be beneficial if you use 5G a lot.

But the 13 and 14 will definitely give you better stand-by time than the 12 mini and they also have a newer 5G modem than the 12 mini, might boost 5G performance and battery time further.

Edit:
The iPhone 12 has Qualcomm X55
The iPhone 13 has Qualcomm X60
The iPhone 14 has Qualcomm X65
The iPhone 15 has Qualcomm X70

I'll just wait and see how the prices drop. The thing is I got a really great deal on iPhone 12 mini (blue one) and it was like $500 in 2021, which is why I got it over everything else. I haven't seen deals like this in my country ever since. Like the difference was huge and it was even cheaper than iPhone 11 and believe it or not, it was $50 cheaper than XR, so I had to get it.

I haven't had any issues with the 5G speed, but I guess it'll be noticeable once I use it. It's like my coworkers that don't want to switch to iPhone because it has no 120hz display, but the truth is…I just don't see the difference even on Android phones.

 

[iHorseHead]

* you have 12 Mini. that one is known to have ****** battery

* you have 84% battery health. that's a large drop from 100%.

* you mentioned 5G, do you need 5G? otherwise you could go into settings and disable 5G, for normal usage 4G (LTE) is more than enough

* you should definitely an 13/14/15, depending on what your wallet allows

Well, that's why I'm pretty much here. Asking if it's worth to replace the battery or should I just get a new phone. Because in Autumn it ran out of juice way faster than my father's Galaxy a51

 

[iHorseHead]

iPhone 11 series and iPhone 13 series are way better than iPhone 12 series when it comes to battery life...

What happened to the 12 series?

 

[iHorseHead]

Generally, iPhone batteries are relatively good vs. competitors. However- as you are experiencing- it's only a matter of so many charging cycles before they will fade quickly. Batteries wear out and yours is likely in that well-worn window.

If you are happy with your phone, get a new battery and you'll have "new battery" life again. That will certainly cost a lot less than buying a new iPhone.

One more thing: since you have a mini, you might want to also look into a mini battery case like this example. That will get you more battery than the only the new replacement battery inside. Pairing a battery case with a new battery should get you much longer use life between charges.

In general I'm happy with my phone. It's still snappy and fast. But the battery life is just awful and I'm thinking whether or not I should get a new battery or a new phone. I don't know what the battery life will be like on iOS 18 even when I'll have a brand new battery.

 

[winxmac]

What happened to the 12 series?

Battery capacity

A13 Bionic [4G LTE]
iPhone 11 - 3110mAh
iPhone 11 Pro - 3046mAh
iPhone 11 Pro Max - 3969mAh

A14 Bionic [4G LTE & 5G]
iPhone 12 mini - 2227mAh
iPhone 12 - 2815mAh
iPhone 12 Pro - 2815mAh
iPhone 12 Pro Max - 3687mAh

A15 Bionic [4G LTE & 5G]
iPhone 13 mini - 2406mAh
iPhone 13 - 3227mAh
iPhone 13 Pro - 3095mAh
iPhone 13 Pro Max - 4352mAh

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Thanks! I didn't even know that battery cases exist! Are those safe for the battery?

Works just fine. Think of it as the extra battery that could be inside if Apple didn't decide to "thinner" phones down so much and create the camera bump. Add more battery back in a battery case and some cases can make the camera bump flush or close to it while adding battery. That's not as good as a bigger battery inside as space is wasted on walls of phone and case where a bigger battery could be... but it will add battery capacity to the one inside.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

In general I'm happy with my phone. It's still snappy and fast. But the battery life is just awful and I'm thinking whether or not I should get a new battery or a new phone. I don't know what the battery life will be like on iOS 18 even when I'll have a brand new battery.

No way to know for sure what iOS18 will do... but a new battery should make battery life similar to as you remember your iPhone 12 when it was new. The wearing battery in there now is what is burning through capacity so fast... a typical outcome after a good number of charges.

 

[Reverend Benny]

What happened to the 12 series?

Its the first generation that had 5G support too, with 5G starting to be more and more available I can imagine that this has an effect on battery-life. But I guess that goes for all 5G enabled iPhones.
But I can imagine the little 12mini suffers the most cuz it has the smallest battery and the most power hungry 5G modem.

 

[Reverend Benny]

Don't forget that your 12mini still holds a decent value and can prob be sold for a few hundred if its in a good nick.

 

[TechnoMonk]

I own a 13PM, it’s the best battery on any iPhones i ever owned. Almost after 3 years, battery health is close to 90%. I take the phone to steam room/sauna five days a week. It is still going strong considering it is exposed to heat. I don’t charge my 13PM on weekends, lasts me multiple days depending on the use.

 

[klasma]

If the battery is the only significant issue, I’d get it replaced by a third party. At least where I live, that’s reliable and not complicated.

Otherwise I’d get a 13 mini, which has better battery life and is still available new from resellers in some configurations.

 

[sleeptodream]

I went from a regular 12 to a regular 13 when they came out, and the battery life was significantly better. Going up to the standard size will help a lot too, I’d say go for it

 

[Ctrlos]

Brilliant, probably the best of only regular iPhone. Mine is on 85% health and still lasts all day with 4-5 hours SOT

 

[iHorseHead]

Brilliant, probably the best of only regular iPhone. Mine is on 85% health and still lasts all day with 4-5 hours SOT

iPhone 13?

 

[iHorseHead]

Thank you for great advice. I'll see what I can do.

Otherwise I’d get a 13 mini

The trust is now gone. My 12 mini's battery life drops like crazy :/