Recently, I sold my iPhone 11 Pro Max and bought a second-hand iPhone 13, just a minimal upgrade since my iPhone 11 Pro Max already started showing its age, and I need to replace it immediately for some reason.
I have noticed that our local Apple authorized resellers are still offering brand-new iPhone 13, which is why I will be sharing in this article whether the iPhone 13 is still worth buying in 2025 and why I chose this instead of other older iOS devices.
Still offers smooth and responsive performance.
Firstly, the iPhone 13 still provides exceptional performance even though it is already almost 4 years old. This device is powered by the 5nm Apple A15 Bionic Hexa-core chipset paired with 4GB RAM that can still run our apps and games without any hiccups. Although its 4GB RAM is quite limiting of its full potential, especially in multitasking, you can still do moderate multitasking on this device.
In my daily usage, I can do all my tasks on this iPhone smoothly, from browsing and posting on our social media pages, editing photos in Adobe Lightroom, to playing some light games. However, I haven’t tried some heavy games like Genshin Impact because it requires more storage space, and I only have the base 128GB memory variant. So, I suggest getting a higher memory variant in case you are planning on installing a lot of apps and games on this device.
Honestly, I only plan to use it for work purposes, that’s why I only bought the 128GB variant. Since that is not enough, I may delete the games I have and always transfer my photos and videos to my MacBook or my AGI EDM38 Magnetic Portable SSD.
For casual users, the iPhone 13 is more than enough for just using social media apps, communicating, and playing games. However, power users may find it lacking, as it is already a few years old, and it may start slowing down soon, since apps nowadays are getting more demanding, requiring extra processing power.
Ongoing Software Support
Another good this about this device or iPhones in general is the software support. My iPhone 13 currently runs on iOS 18.5 and is likely to receive 2-3 more major iOS updates. Software support is one of the important things you should consider when buying a phone, and knowing that the iPhone 13 still has years of support means you can still use it for a while.
I suggest that you should only buy it when you plan to upgrade before or after its end of support. Although other Android phones in this price range also offer up to 2-3 years of software support, its remaining years are decent enough.
Just do take note that upcoming iOS updates possibly become more resource-hungry, which can cause the iPhone 13’s performance to throttle.
Camera
Even though it was launched almost 4 years ago, its camera is still competitive, especially in shooting videos. It only uses a 12MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, and a 12MP selfie camera. While it may sound like it is mediocre, its camera can surprise you with what it can produce.
The photos I took with this device are still great for 2025, although the absence of a telephoto lens is a major compromise, especially when I need it for documenting when I’m attending launch events. You should also consider it since you can get an Android phone that has decent zooming capabilities in this price range, but if you don’t need it, this device is already a good buy.
No Android phone can beat iPhones when it comes to video performance (at least based on my experience). So, if you love shooting videos for your memories or for your social media postings, the iPhone 13 is more than enough since it supports up to 4K@60fps and the video quality is remarkably good. In case you didn’t know, this is the first iPhone to feature the Cinematic mode which you can utilize for producing professional-like videos.
Decent Display
For today’s standard, the display of the iPhone 13 is more than acceptable since it features an OLED panel that produces vibrant colors and enough brightness. However, it lacks the ProMotion feature or high screen refresh rate that we are seeing on most smartphones today, even in affordable ones. But if you’re okay with a 60Hz refresh rate, I think it will not be a big deal.
The screen size of the iPhone 13 is only 6.1 inches, which is considered compact. If you are used to in large display, the iPhone 13 might feel a bit small at first. However, for those who want compact phones, I can say its screen is the perfect size.
Using this device can still satisfy, especially when using it for entertainment. Aside from a high-quality display, its dual stereo speakers also sound premium, although they lack bass.
Battery
When buying a vanilla variant of iPhones, expect its battery life to be much behind that of the Pros, since they are only equipped with a lower battery capacity. In our case, the iPhone 13 only has a 3,250mAh battery capacity, which is very low, especially since most of the phones today already boast up to 6,000mAh. However, the iPhone 13 still gave me up to one day of battery life depending on my usage. But for heavy usage like setting high brightness, playing games, using mobile data, etc, it can only last up to 4-6 hours, so you are expected to charge it 2-3 times a day.
Unfortunately, the iPhone 13 does not support fast charging technology, which is why it will take up to 2 hours just to fully charge this device. The iPhone 13 only supports up to 20W wired charging, while 15W is for wireless charging through MagSafe or Qi2 wireless charger.
Why did I choose the iPhone 13 instead of other older iOS devices?
For those who don’t know, my previous iPhone is the 2019 iPhone 11 Pro Max and I already experiencing hiccups with its performance, that’s why I decided to upgrade to the iPhone 13 which is two years ahead. Well, I chose this because of its pricing, because you can get a pre-owned in brand-new condition for around PHP 20,000. While it is also the cheapest iPhone today it is still available in Apple’s authorized resellers, like Beyond the Box, Digimap, Power Mac Center, and The Loop.
While this is not the best smartphone that you can get based on its pricing, I can still recommend this for those who essentially need an iOS device, especially for work like mine, since most of the apps, such as social media apps, are well-optimized on iOS compared to Android. But if you are just peer pressure, I highly suggest buying an Android smartphone instead in the same price point since they offer a lot compared to the iPhone 13, like the realme 14 Pro, HONOR 400 5G, or vivo V50 5G.
Price and availability
iPhone 13 (128GB) [Brand-new] – PHP 25,090 | Shopee link
Aside from physical stores, you can also buy the iPhone 13 128GB variant in the Apple Flagship store on Shopee for around PHP 25,090. Just be vigilant from unauthorized stores, I recommend buying only from authorized resellers.
