Apple iPhone 13 minivsGoogle Pixel 9

Apple iPhone 13 mini

Google Pixel 9

Apple iPhone 13 mini

The iPhone 13 mini is identical in size and design to its predecessor, the iPhone 12 mini, with some minor changes such as diagonal camera alignment and a slightly reduced notch. Despite being heavier and thicker than the 12 mini, it still feels comfortable to use due to its compact size. One of the standout features of the iPhone 13 mini is its display, which boasts a 5.4-inch Super Retina XDR screen with HDR 10 Dolby Vision support. The screen has excellent brightness, color accuracy, and pixel density, making it one of the sharpest displays on this year's iPhone lineup. The phone also features stereo speakers with good loudness and audio quality, and a large 2,438mAh battery that provides an impressive 75-hour endurance rating. Despite being small, the battery is 10% larger than last year's model. Under the hood, the iPhone 13 mini packs Apple's A15 Bionic chip with 4GB of RAM, making it one of the fastest mobile chipsets available. The phone also features iOS 15 out of the box, which brings improved notification management and other significant upgrades. The camera system on the iPhone 13 mini is identical to its larger siblings, featuring a 12MP main camera and a 12MP ultrawide camera with sensor shift stabilization and fixed focus. While the camera performs well in good light conditions, it struggles with foliage rendering and noise in low-light situations. The selfie camera, however, produces excellent results with great detail, contrast, and color accuracy. Overall, the iPhone 13 mini offers a unique blend of compact design, excellent display, powerful performance, and top-notch camera quality, making it the best compact flagship on the market.

Google Pixel 9

The Google Pixel 9 is a solid smartphone that offers a clean Google software experience, powerful cameras, and a compact form factor. This year's model brings several upgrades, including a new chipset, brighter display, larger battery, and a new ultra-wide camera. The design has changed, with the pixel 9 being bigger and heavier than its predecessor, but still retains an IP68 certification for dust and water resistance. The OLED display is slightly larger at 6.3 inches and features a 1080p resolution, Gorilla Glass Victus protection, and a 120Hz refresh rate. The max brightness has received an impressive boost to 2200 nits, making it ideal for outdoor use on sunny days. The camera system has been improved with autofocus for the selfie camera and a new ultra-wide camera that captures solid images. The Pixel 9 runs on Google's Tensor G4 chipset, which packs a new CPU design but retains the same TPU for AI tasks as its predecessor. Battery life has also seen an improvement, but charging times remain disappointing. The camera can record video in up to 4K at 60 FPS with all cameras, but detail and stabilization leave room for improvement. Overall, the Pixel 9 is a solid smartphone that offers nearly everything the Pro Models can, but loses some of its compact feel. While it may not be a game-changer, it's a reliable choice for those looking for a great camera experience and clean software experience.