I took my own advice and bought a last-gen iPhone – I don’t regret anything

I spent an exciting, exhausting week with the new Apple iPhone 14 last September before it went on sale. During that week I did everything I could – navigation, web browsing, video recording, gaming, selfies, ferry ride, selfie on ferryYou name it — $800 to try to answer the question: should you buy it?

The answer, as I stand so far, is “probably not”. It’s a good phone, but it’s not meaningfully better than the iPhone 13. Sure, picking up the 14 makes sense if your carrier is offering you a great deal or you spend a lot of time out of cell range where the new Emergency SOS could be a real lifesaver. Or if you are after latest features then go for iPhone 14 Pro. But for the rest of us, the iPhone 13 is just as good with the added benefit of a slightly lower price tag.

I’m true to my words, so when it became clear it was time to upgrade my iPhone 11 before its trade-in value fell off a cliff, I headed straight for the iPhone 13 – Mini, Which is under $600, to be exact. Since late last year, I’ve spent a lot of time testing the latest generation of high-end phones: the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, the Google Pixel 7 Pro, and most recently revisiting the iPhone 14 Pro. They are all amazing phones in their own way. But when it came time to decide which phone to buy, I didn’t choose any of the latest and greatest devices out there. No, I traded my 11 (along with a tiny piece of my soul) to Verizon for the humble little iPhone 13 mini, and I haven’t looked back.

I chose the mini because I love a small phone, and it looks like the 13 mini will be the last phone Good Small phone. But if you prefer a bigger phone, I still think the 13 is where it belongs. You don’t get the upgraded camera hardware and processing offered by the 14, but it’s still a decent camera overall – decent portrait mode photos, great video and an ultrawide for a bit of drama. And you get Photographic Style and Cinematic Video modes—both of which I use regularly (Rich Contrast Stance, Unite!).

Outside of the camera, even a year and a half after launch, the 13 mini remains a really good phone by modern standards. Battery life is not its strong suit, but it suffices me for a day of moderate usage with a comfortable margin. It fits beautifully in the outside pocket of my mom-at-the-playground-chic belt bag. It is quite fast and responsive with its A15 Bionic processor. It has MagSafe and hence, wireless charging. It also has a physical SIM tray, whereas the iPhone 14 is all eSIM. Most people don’t have to worry about this; I switch phones once a week, and the eSIM makes my life hell.

13 Mini is not correct. There are things I wish it had, but for the most part, I wouldn’t be getting the iPhone 14 anyway — they’re features reserved for the costlier 14 Pro. And while the 14 is marginally more expensive than the 13 mini ($800 versus $600), the $1,000 14 Pro is Very more expensive in comparison. A smooth-scrolling 120Hz screen, telephoto lens, Always-On Display: All pro-only. They’re great things to have, but are they $400 good? Perhaps. But not for me, not now.

The question always comes down to: It’s not which phone is the best but which phone is the best For me, That’s the question I spend most of my days helping people answer. It’s fun to announce winners and losers, but when it comes to something as personal as your phone, choosing the right one to live with is always a little more complicated than that.