Apple iPhone 13 Mini, 512GB, Blue - Verizon (Renewed)

I’m writing this review with a few caveats I will get to. First of all, the iPhone 13 mini is truly the best iPhone for people who want a phone that feels like a phone and not like they are carrying around a tablet. I have been using the iPhone 16 Pro since it came out and had no idea what I was missing in this older model until I was talking to a friend about his. He told me it was the best phone ever made and he would not get rid of his until he couldn’t get replacement parts or unless they made a new updated mini, which it sounds like they have no plans to do (a shame). I was telling him that I have been traveling with work and when I’m pulling a bag, I need to be able to work my phone well with one hand. The 16 Pro is not good for this. I don’t like cases, I don’t want to use a pop socket - I just want a pretty sleek unencumbered iPhone. So I was on a mission and it’s not an easy one when you’re picky about the condition and the phone can only be found in the used/renewed/refurbished channels. I had hesitations about buying from Amazon resale because of other items I’ve gotten from them that didn’t seem like they were inspected. I took a risk. I purchased the starlight 256gb from Amazon (not a marketplace seller). It was still a pretty penny considering the age of the mini, but the minis hold their value due to the cult following they have. I received it and it was absolutely perfect - didn’t look like it had ever been used, though the battery capacity was 85%…which was okay but nothing wonderful. In the meantime, I decided I would prefer the 512gb since I plan to keep this a long time, so I decided to order one, also from Amazon resale, since the 256 was in such pristine condition and I knew I had 90 days to decide regardless. The 512gb through Amazon was a crazy price…marked as excellent but over $550 with taxes (I had paid $330 for the 256gb). Cut to a day later, I see that a seller has the 512 starlight marked as excellent and it was $385. I reached out to them and asked them about the battery health and they were wonderful - got back to me really quickly and said 99%. So I thought, well, for $385 vs $550, I’ll cancel the Amazon order and order this one. Unfortunately it was too late to cancel the Amazon one - it had already shipped - so my intention was to just send it straight back as soon as it was delivered. The one from the actual cellphone reseller got here quickly and for the price, was represented well - it did have 2 corners with blemishes that look like they’re from a drop, but they weren’t terrible but having seen the pristine 256gb version from Amazon, I was being overly picky. The battery was 100%, as they had told me, which was great, but what I noticed was the screen had been replaced. I’m okay with screen replacements - any phone from 2021 has probably had one, as well as any battery that shows 100% on a phone from 2021 is a replaced battery. These are not bad things. What I do know from having a screen replaced years ago through one of the shops that uses an aftermarket part is the screens are not as flat as apple’s genuine screen if you get a replacement from them. It almost has waves in it, especially along the edges. They look fine if you aren’t picky to the degree I am, or looking at the phone from an angle, but I’ve found they are not always reliable screens with regard to the responsiveness. As soon as I saw this, I packed it back up and set up a return through the seller and took it straight to the UPS store. Cut to my next Amazon delivery, the 512gb model that I had been unable to cancel arrives. Since the one from the reseller didn’t work out for me, I said, well, let’s check this out because if it’s perfect, then I guess it’s worth the $550 spent. Open it up and WOW! The body of it is just like the 256 I had gotten. Pristine - not a drop ding or scratch in sight. Perfect screen…remarkable…but I wanted to check the battery. When I got it up and running, I checked the battery capacity and it was at 100%. Under the battery details it even lists it as a Genuine battery, so it was “renewed” with Apple OEM. I could not be more thrilled even though it cost way more than a phone from 2021 should. But I’m keeping it for the long haul so it’s worth it knowing I don’t have a battery replacement in the near future. I’ve got the 90 days to see how it functions but I feel pretty good about this one. TL;DR - the iPhone mini is a phone you will be addicted to after use. It’s so functional and what a “phone” should be. Do not hesitate to order one shipped from and sold by Amazon.com. I can confirm they have fantastic quality control when it comes to their phones.

I was on a waiting list for a 'Renewed Premium'. Seemed to be a long waiting list. I finally gave up and went with a 'Renewed' advertised in excellent condition. Given Amazon's generous return policy, returning it would have been painless if there had been issues. I probably wouldn't have tried this with an online retailer other than Amazon and Apple. The supplier was TECHMINT, Amazon the purchase portal. There seems to be a number of 'Amazon-qualified suppliers' involved. To know who you're buying from, the 'ships from/sold by' info. is on the right side of the product page. There may also be differences in packaging and accessories. Best to read through the advertising to know exactly what you're buying. Or contact the supplier before purchasing. Given that Amazon backs these purchases, not a concern. It arrived without scratches, dings, or apparent wear. Looks like new. That said, those buying a 'Renewed' phone should expect varying degrees of condition within the parameters of Amazon's advertising. I'd suggest buying a 'Renewed Premium' for your best chance of a like-new phone. I probably got lucky with a 'Renewed'. It shipped in a *very* well designed and protective box designed for phones. Not much larger than the boxes Apple packages iPhones in and similarly sturdy. Well suited for protecting the phone during shipping. If you plan on shipping your phone or storing a back-up, I'd suggest keeping it. The box has spacers to accommodate different sizes. Kudos to the packaging engineers. Well done. It was delivered with 100% battery health which almost certainly means that the phone was opened up and the battery replaced. The likelihood of a 'renewed' 13 Mini arriving with battery health at 100% is slim to none. I assume that they did this because the phone was traded in with < 80% battery health. Amazon advertising states that the phone will arrive with battery health of ≥ 80%. Notably, the battery was recognized by iOS as 'genuine' (thanks TECHMINT). Batteries that are not can lead to various issues, most importantly, safety issues. Look up "how to check if an iPhone battery is genuine". If it isn't, I'd suggest returning it to the supplier. I'd also suggest reaching out to the supplier before purchase and asking what the battery health will be. In my experience with the iPhone 12 Mini, once you drop into the high 80% range, battery life becomes more noticeable. Note that Apple recommends replacing an iPhone battery when it reaches 80% battery health. I ran two diagnostics to check functions. In both cases, no issues. One of the diagnostics is built into iOS. You'll need iOS 17 or later and not a beta release. Search for 'built in iPhone diagnostic' for instructions. There's another which makes doing this quite a bit easier. From the Apple app store search for 'Phone Doctor Plus'. It's not a diagnostic as much as it is a function check but good for making sure everything works. There's a free and paid version. There are others but these are the only two I've tried. The advertising stated that an MFi certified charging/data cable ships with the phone. Mine shipped with a 3ft braided USB C to Lightning charging cable. No branding or print on the cable, no included documentation, no packaging. It appears similar to what you'll sometimes see without packaging and hanging from peg racks in convenience stores. I have no reason to believe that the provided cable isn't MFi certified and from a reliable manufacturer but without more information, best to use an Apple product or something from an established aftermarket supplier such as Anker or Belkin. Look for 'MFi certified' especially if you want fast charging capability. There are reasons USB C cables can be pricey, especially those designed for high power delivery. Mine shipped without a charger. I'd say the same about a charger as I did about the cable - MFi certified and from a reputable manufacturer - Apple, Belkin, Anker, etc. For the 13 Mini, Apple recommends a minimum of a 20 watt charger for optimal/fast charging . Apple's is about 20 dollars. It's also what Apple recommends for powering *the original* MagSafe accessory. The updated version of the MagSafe charger supports faster charging and according to Apple, a minimum of a 30 watt charger for optimal performance. Some suppliers advertise that a sim card removal tool is included. Mine didn't. If yours shipped with a sim card (mine did not), I'd suggest reading through the pros and cons of SIM vs eSIM. If eSIM meets your needs, I'd recommend removing the SIM and switching to eSIM. Switching to eSIM can be done in your phone's settings. No expertise or hardware required. Although unlikely if buying from an 'Amazon-qualified supplier' (I assume), SIM cards can be compromised. If you need a SIM card, best to get one from your carrier instead of a mystery SIM. You'll need a case. Without, it's not a matter of if you'll drop it but when. This is my second mini, the first an iPhone 12 Mini. Slippery and with a smaller form factor than other iPhones, very easy lose grip especially if you have large hands. Further, without a case the camera lenses and screen make contact with whatever surface you place them on. The Apple leather case has been my go-to for the last 2-3 iPhones. Very well designed, doesn't add significant bulk, comfortable to grip, no sharp edges and it slips into and out of a pocket easily. The drop protection has proven to be excellent. Great case for all but extreme circumstances. They're relatively pricey so If you're looking to save, there are often Amazon customer returns available. eBay is another good source. The iPhone 12 mini and 13 mini cases are not interchangeable. I tried. The camera lens housings are different. The 12 mini case will not fit the 13 mini. The 13 mini case will fit the 12 mini but there will be a gap on the right side of the lens housing. Not to overstate it but If you're considering both the 12 mini and 13 mini, battery life may be problematic for heavy users. If you have a full size phone with a larger battery at ≥ 90% battery health (guesstimate) and often find yourself scrambling to find a charger, the Mini may not be for you. If you're on the move a lot without convenient charging options, a small power bank (≤ 5000mAh) will bring some peace of mind and a lot of convenience. Great when traveling. Definitely stick with time tested manufacturers. Anker and Belkin sell a wide variety. Note that the TSA only allows powerbanks in carry-ons. Apple discontinued it's iPhone power banks (Magsafe Battery Pack). As of this writing, you can still find them new from third party sources such as Walmart and eBay. Never buy used. There are confirmed and very convincing counterfeits out there so I'd be cautious about which supplier you choose. Look up "how to check if an Apple Magsafe Battery Pack is counterfeit". If you're looking at both the 12 and 13 Minis, the 13 Mini uses an A15 processor which is somewhat more energy efficient and slightly faster. It also has a ~10% larger battery. There are quite a few other differences including an upgraded camera. In day to day use, I found the differences to be negligible. I suspect that most people would be hard pressed to tell the difference without knowing what to look for. Definitely worth reading comparison reviews. Some of the updates will be important for some, less so for others. Search for "iPhone 13 mini vs iPhone 12 mini". If you read only one, Laptopmag.com did a good real-world comparison. Long term, the 13 Mini will receive system/feature updates from Apple for about a year longer. This may be the most value added difference. Generally speaking, Apple devices continue to receive security updates beyond the point that they are no longer supported with system/feature updates. When the security updates stop, best to replace the phone. Happy customer. I'm fully committed to the Mini form factor/dimensions. I carry it all day in a front or back pocket and barely know it's there. Having a phone with more screen, battery and features is nice but after the novelty wears off, having a phone that disappears into a pocket is more important for some of us. Sadly, not enough of us for Apple to justify continued production. When I need to replace it, perhaps Mini's will be back in the menu from Apple. Hope so.

This review is for the phone sold by BuySPRY as Refurbished - Excellent. I used this phone for several weeks now and overall I'm happy with my purchase. I wanted a compact phone and the Mini is perfect. The phone has no visual signs damage on the body or the screen (no scratches or other damage). The battery is at 100% and when I checked the Parts & Service History it confirmed that the battery was replaced (Settings> General > About > Parts & Service History). The History also shows that the screen was replaced. So far I haven't noticed any glitches with this phone. The phone is running IOS 26.1 which was updated during the data transfer from my old iPhone (which was at IOS 18.6 but no option to stay with older IOS version).

Es mi segundo equipo iPhone mini y el segundo que le compro al vendedor Buyspry. Ambos me han llegado muy bien en excelentes condiciones, este equipo lo compré con la "condición de Aceptable" (256gb) no tiene ningún detalle a simple vista ni de lejos, todo parece original no sale el mensaje de bateria llego en buena condición. Un equipo pequeño que no te estorba en los bolsillos de los pantalones, y que se puede sostener con una mano, actualizado a iOS 18.5 es un buen equipo para los que quieren un celular pequeño. Apenas llevare 1 mes con el equipo. Antes de comprar recomiendo que vean comentarios de los vendedores, videos etc. Porque puede que llegue excelente o puede que llegue muy mal, igual amazon ofrece devolución. Tampoco hay que esperar algo ultra mega bien, porque estos son equipos reacondicionados. Con chip AT&T me funciona bien, no me ha dado problema hasta el momento, no se caliente, no se apaga de la nada, y la duración de la batería es buena, trabajando con puros mensajes y fotos, me dura todo el dia.

Súper bonito llego a tiempo en buenas condiciones.

Ordered phone in "excellent condition". The phone had a stuck on pixel (always red, visible in dark mode), any sound recording (with voice memo or video) had high pitch ringing in it, and the battery didn't seem to hold charge (battery health was listed at 100%, which is suspicious for a 5 year old phone but the phone couldn't hold charge for long). The screen and body were in excellent shape though. Returned promptly. When buying used, make sure pick item that's fulfilled by Amazon, this way the returns are easy, and test all features of the phone right away.

The phone arrived exactly like mentioned in the picture and was absolutely amazing! The battery life max was t 100% (like a brand new phone) and it worked super fast! TBH, I would’ve forgot that it’s a used phone after a while of using it. The only scratch it had was a tiny scratch on the upper side, but nothing that people would notice. The phone is really small, but it’s so cute! At first, you’ll have some difficulties typing on it but after a while, you’ll start typing super fast. Everything works like it would on a brand new phone, such as Face ID, keyboard, etc. It literally sold out five minutes after i bought my own! It arrived with an authentic apple charger, which is really useful! WOULD TOTALLY RECOMMEND!