Apple iPhone 13 iPhone 13 Review
The iPhone 13 offers flagship performance and battery life at a budget price, but its camera is starting to feel its age. Is it still worth buying in 2025?
The 30-Second Version
The iPhone 13 is a performance bargain that's held back by an aging camera. Buy it for the speed and battery, skip it if you love taking photos.
Overview
The iPhone 13 is a weird one in 2025. It's a three-year-old phone that still feels fast, looks great, and has killer battery life, but its camera is starting to show its age in a big way. The one thing to know? At around $250 for a refurbished model, you're paying for a rock-solid core experience and accepting that the photos you take will look fine, but not great, especially next to anything modern.
Performance
We were genuinely surprised by how well the A15 Bionic chip holds up. Performance lands in the 91st percentile in our database, which means it still feels snappy for daily tasks and most games. The 4GB of RAM is the real bottleneck here, but for the price, it's hard to complain about a chip that still punches way above its weight class.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Strong build (94th percentile) 94th
- Strong performance (91th percentile) 91th
- Strong battery (85th percentile) 85th
- Strong connectivity (82th percentile) 82th
Cons
Specifications
Full Specifications
Display
| Screen Size | 6.1 |
| Resolution | 2532 x 1170 |
Performance
| Processor | Apple A15 Bionic |
| Processor Model | Apple A15 Bionic |
| RAM | 4 MB |
| Storage | 128 GB |
Battery & Charging
| Battery | 3240 Wh |
Connectivity
| 5G | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| NFC | No |
Design & Build
| Water Resistance | IP68 |
| OS | iPadOS |
Value & Pricing
At $256, it's a fantastic value if your priorities are core performance and build quality over camera prowess. You're getting 90% of the premium iPhone feel for a quarter of the price of a new model. Just don't expect to win any photography contests.
vs Competition
The most relevant competitor is the Google Pixel 10, which will absolutely demolish this phone in camera quality for a similar price. However, the iPhone 13 will likely feel more polished in daily use and has better long-term battery life. The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE is another strong contender, offering a better screen and more RAM, but its software support window might be shorter. If camera is your top concern, the iPhone 13 isn't the play.
| Spec | Apple iPhone 13 iPhone 13 | Samsung Samsung Galaxy S26 SM-S948UZKAXAA | Motorola Moto G PB6V0014US | Google Google Pixel 10 GA09899-US | OnePlus OnePlus 15 5011116281 | Apple Unlocked iPhone 15/15 Plus MTLY3LL/A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen Size | 6.1 | 6.9 | 6.7 | 6.3 | 6.8 | 6.1 |
| Display Type | - | OLED | AMOLED | OLED | OLED | OLED |
| Refresh Rate | - | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 | 60 |
| Processor | Apple A15 Bionic | Snapdragon® 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy | Snapdragon® 6 Gen 3 Mobile Platform | 3.78 GHz | 8 Elite Gen 5 | A16 |
| RAM (GB) | 4 | 12 | 8 | 16 | - | - |
| Storage (GB) | 128 | 256 | 1024 | 256 | 512 | 128 |
| Rear Camera Mp | - | 200 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 48 |
| Front Camera Mp | - | 12 | 32 | 42 | 32 | - |
| Battery Capacity Mah | 3240 | 5000 | 5000 | 4870 | 7300 | - |
| Charging Wattage | - | 60 | 68 | - | - | - |
| Wireless Charging | - | true | true | false | - | - |
| Five (g) | true | true | true | true | true | true |
| Water Resistance | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 | IP69 | - |
| Operating System | iPadOS | Android 16 | Android 15 | Android 16 | Android 16 | iPadOS 17 |
Common Questions
Q: Is 4GB of RAM enough in 2025?
For basic use, yes. You'll notice apps reloading more often than on phones with 8GB, but for texting, social media, and light gaming, it's fine. Don't try to be a power user.
Q: How's the battery life?
It's genuinely great. The 3240mAh battery combined with the efficient A15 chip means you'll easily get a full day, often more. It's one of its strongest points.
Q: Should I be worried about buying a refurbished model?
Not if you buy from a reputable seller with a good warranty. A 'Grade B-' means expect some light cosmetic wear, but the phone should function perfectly.
Who Should Skip This
If you're looking for a great camera phone, this isn't it. The camera scores in the bottom third of all phones we track. Go get a Google Pixel 10 instead—you'll get way better photos for your money.
Verdict
We recommend the iPhone 13 if you're on a tight budget but want that reliable, polished Apple experience. It's the phone to buy if you value smooth performance and all-day battery over having the latest and greatest camera tech. For anyone who cares about photography, you should look at a Pixel or a newer iPhone instead.