iPhone 13 mini vs. OnePlus 9RT 5G: A Deep Dive into Compact Flagships
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing long-term software support and a refined ecosystem, the iPhone 13 mini is the better choice. Its A15 Bionic chip still delivers excellent performance, and the 75-hour endurance rating provides solid battery life. However, the OnePlus 9RT 5G’s blazing-fast 65W charging is a significant advantage for those who value convenience.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Apple iPhone 13 mini | OnePlus 9RT 5G |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1800 / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66 - A2628, A2629, A2630 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 - Global |
| 5G bands | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79 Sub6/mmWave - A2628 | 1, 3, 5, 8, 28, 40, 41, 78 SA/NSA - Global |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE Cat18 1200/200 Mbps, 5G |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2629, A2630 | CDMA2000 1xEV-DO | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2021, September 14 | 2021, October 13 |
| Status | Available. Released 2021, September 24 | Available. Released 2021, October 19 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.7 mm (5.18 x 2.53 x 0.30 in) | 162.2 x 74.6 x 8.3 mm (6.39 x 2.94 x 0.33 in) |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM |
| Weight | 141 g (4.97 oz) | 198.5 g (7.02 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) | - | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Ceramic Shield glass | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~476 ppi density) | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~397 ppi density) |
| Size | 5.4 inches, 71.9 cm2 (~85.1% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.62 inches, 106.3 cm2 (~87.9% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 800 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) | AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+ |
| - | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Hexa-core (2x3.23 GHz Avalanche + 4x1.82 GHz Blizzard) | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) |
| Chipset | Apple A15 Bionic (5 nm) | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) |
| GPU | Apple GPU (4-core graphics) | Adreno 660 |
| OS | iOS 15, upgradable to iOS 26.1 | Android 11, upgradable to Android 13, OxygenOS 13 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM, 512GB 4GB RAM | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM |
| NVMe | UFS 3.1 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dual | 12 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1/1.9", 1.7µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, f/2.4, 120˚, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/3.4", 1.0µm | - |
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) | Dual-LED flash, HDR, panorama |
| Quad | - | 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56”, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS 16 MP, f/2.2, 14mm, 123˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm 2 MP (macro) |
| Single | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6" SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) | 16 MP, f/2.4, (wide), 1/3.06", 1.0µm |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), stereo sound rec. | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, Auto HDR, gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) | 16 MP, f/2.4, (wide), 1/3.06", 1.0µm |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS | 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE | 5.2, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (G1), BDS (B1), GALILEO (E1+E5a) |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | Lightning, USB 2.0 | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
| Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | - | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (Qi2) - requires iOS 17.2 update | 65W wired, 100% in 29 min |
| Type | Li-Ion 2438 mAh (9.34 Wh) | Li-Po 4500 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Pink, Red, Green | Hacker Black, Nano Silver, Blue |
| Models | A2628, A2481, A2626, A2629, A2630, iphone14,4 | MT2110, MT2111 |
| Price | € 299.00 / $ 240.00 / £ 244.89 | About 590 EUR |
| SAR | 1.19 W/kg (head) 1.19 W/kg (body) | - |
| SAR EU | 0.97 W/kg (head) 0.98 W/kg (body) | - |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | Endurance rating 75h | - |
| Camera | Photo / Video | - |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | - |
| Loudspeaker | -25.9 LUFS (Very good) | - |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 772512 (v9) GeekBench: 4681 (v5.1) GFXBench: 60fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | - |
Apple iPhone 13 mini
- Exceptional performance with the A15 Bionic chip
- Compact and pocketable design
- Long-term software support and ecosystem integration
- Slower charging speeds compared to OnePlus 9RT
- Smaller screen size may not suit all users
OnePlus 9RT 5G
- Blazing-fast 65W wired charging
- Potentially more versatile camera system
- Customizable Android operating system
- Snapdragon 888 may throttle under sustained load
- Software support may be shorter than iPhone
Display Comparison
The iPhone 13 mini boasts a display capable of reaching 831 nits of peak brightness, ensuring excellent visibility even in direct sunlight. While the OnePlus 9RT 5G’s display specs aren’t provided, OnePlus typically prioritizes color accuracy and high refresh rates in their flagship models. The iPhone’s ‘infinite’ contrast ratio, typical of OLED panels, delivers deep blacks and vibrant colors. The lack of refresh rate information for the 9RT is a drawback, as smoother scrolling is a key benefit for many users. The iPhone 13 mini’s smaller size (6.1 inches vs. likely 6.5+ for the 9RT) is a defining characteristic, appealing to those seeking true one-handed usability.
Camera Comparison
Both phones offer capable camera systems, but details are limited. The iPhone 13 mini is renowned for its computational photography, delivering consistently good results in various lighting conditions. The OnePlus 9RT 5G likely features a more versatile camera setup with potentially higher megapixel counts, but image processing philosophies differ. OnePlus often leans towards more vibrant, saturated colors, while Apple aims for a more natural look. Without specific sensor size or aperture information for the 9RT, it’s difficult to definitively assess its low-light performance. The iPhone’s video recording capabilities are generally considered superior, offering cinematic mode and ProRes video recording (though ProRes requires significant storage).
Performance
The core difference lies in the chipsets: Apple’s 5nm A15 Bionic versus Qualcomm’s 5nm Snapdragon 888 5G. The A15 Bionic, with its hexa-core architecture (2x3.23 GHz Avalanche + 4x1.82 GHz Blizzard), is known for its exceptional single-core performance, crucial for responsive app launches and smooth multitasking. The Snapdragon 888, an octa-core processor (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55), excels in multi-threaded tasks. While the Snapdragon 888 is powerful, the A15 Bionic generally outperforms it in real-world benchmarks and sustained performance due to Apple’s tighter hardware-software integration. The iPhone 13 mini’s efficiency also contributes to its better battery endurance.
Battery Life
The iPhone 13 mini achieves an endurance rating of 75 hours, a respectable figure for a phone of its size. The OnePlus 9RT 5G’s battery capacity is unknown, but its standout feature is its 65W wired charging, capable of fully charging the device in just 29 minutes. The iPhone 13 mini supports 50% charge in 30 minutes with PD2.0, and 15W wireless charging via MagSafe and Qi2 (with iOS 17.2). While the iPhone offers wireless charging convenience, the 9RT’s wired charging speed is significantly faster. This difference is crucial for users who frequently need to top up their battery quickly.
Buying Guide
Buy the Apple iPhone 13 mini if you need a phone with a mature, secure operating system, seamless integration with other Apple devices, and a camera known for its consistent image quality. Buy the OnePlus 9RT 5G if you prefer a more customizable Android experience, prioritize incredibly fast charging, and frequently engage in demanding mobile gaming sessions.