Compact smartphones are a uncommon breed today as corporations have a tendency to concentrate on giant shows since that is what’s in better demand. Nevertheless, I nonetheless suppose there’s a marketplace for small telephones, or units just like the iPhone 12 mini and 13 mini would not exist. This bought me considering – what’s the finest compact smartphone within the Indian market at the moment? Trying round, we solely actually have two worthy contenders, the Apple iPhone 13 mini and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3.
Each are flagship-equivalent choices from their respective corporations and regardless that their goal audiences are a bit completely different, they meet the primary standards for at the moment’s comparability completely. Another choices such because the Google Pixel 4a are additionally, technically, nice compact telephones however we’re on the lookout for the best possible, so our focus is simply on flagship choices.
Pricing and variants
Most of us usually have a price range in thoughts earlier than we got down to purchase a brand new cellphone. Apparently, the iPhone 13 mini and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 are equally priced in India. Neither is reasonable by any means, however then once more, excessive costs are to be anticipated in flagship territory. The iPhone 13 mini begins at Rs. 69,990 with 128GB of storage, and goes as much as Rs. 79,990 for 256GB and Rs. 99,990 for 512GB.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 alternatively is priced at Rs. 84,999 for the 128GB variant and Rs. 88,999 if you need 256GB. You get 8GB of RAM throughout each variants of the Galaxy Z Flip 3, whereas the iPhone 13 mini has 4GB of RAM. On paper, the iPhone would possibly appear to be it is at an enormous drawback however it’s a must to keep in mind that the 2 telephones run on very completely different software program platforms, so the quantity of RAM is just not practically as necessary on an iPhone as on an Android cellphone.
By way of pure worth, the iPhone 13 mini takes the lead because it prices lower than the corresponding Galaxy Z Flip 3 variant. Apple additionally has a 512GB choice, which is good contemplating neither cellphone has expandable storage. The iPhone 13 mini scores one other level for the number of colors it is out there in; 5 in complete, in comparison with simply two for the Galaxy Z Flip 3.
Design and luxury
By way of sheer engineering prowess there is no beating the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, but when I have been to evaluate each telephones purely on how small and compact they’re, then I would name it a tie. You will haven’t any bother holding both the iPhone 13 mini or the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 in a shirt or trouser pocket. Each are very snug to carry, and each are constructed with premium supplies similar to glass and aluminium.
The iPhone 13 mini is pretty slim, measuring 7.65mm in thickness and is extremely mild at simply 140g. It isn’t as small because the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 (when folded) but it surely’s sufficient to not be a trouble whenever you’re out and about.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is shorter however thicker (when closed), whereas the iPhone 13 mini is taller however lighter
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is likely one of the most compact telephones in the marketplace at the moment (the one different such design being the Motorola Razr 5G), no less than in its folded state, which is how you will be carrying it round. Whereas it’s shorter than the iPhone 13 mini by a very good margin, it’s twice as chunky when folded (as much as 17.1mm at its thickest finish) and noticeably heavier too at 183g. Its form does take some getting used to, however general I feel it is simply as transportable because the iPhone 13 mini, if no more so in some methods.
Shows
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 pulls a straightforward win right here because of its giant 6.7-inch folding AMOLED show. This makes viewing and interacting with content material a bit of bit simpler, particularly you probably have giant fingers. One other ace up its sleeve is the 120Hz refresh fee, which provides a way of fluidity to scrolling and animations. Despite the fact that that is the second technology of the Z Flip, the crease the place the show folds remains to be very seen at sure angles. You additionally get a secondary outer show for checking alerts, and so forth.
The iPhone 13 mini’s 5.4-inch show does not fold, and it does not have a excessive refresh fee both, but it surely’s nonetheless certainly not dangerous. The scale undoubtedly takes some getting used to, particularly in case you’re coming from a big-screen cellphone, however the specs are nonetheless stable. It has a satisfyingly excessive brightness of 800nits, helps HDR playback, and has nice color accuracy plus Apple’s True Tone characteristic for automated white stability adjustment. The notch does eat into the display screen house, and regardless that Apple has lowered its width with this technology, it nonetheless appears to be like huge on such a small display screen.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 has a extra participating show because of its bigger dimension
Flagship specs
The iPhone 13 mini and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 each characteristic current-gen flagship SoCs. The previous makes use of Apple’s personal A15 Bionic whereas the latter makes use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888. Each telephones assist 5G and different quick wi-fi connectivity requirements that you just’d anticipate in a 2021 flagship. You additionally get stereo audio system, wi-fi charging, dual-SIM assist (bodily + eSIM) and biometric authentication for safety. There are some variations between the 2 telephones although, that are value noting.
The iPhone 13 mini has an IP68 ranking for mud and water resistance, whereas the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is simply IPX8 rated. Whereas it is nonetheless spectacular to see a folding cellphone that is secure from publicity to liquids to some extent, the very fact is that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is just not dust-proof so you will must be cautious together with your utilization. One other distinction lies with safety. The iPhone 13 mini solely has face recognition, whereas the Galaxy Z Flip 3 will get that plus a fingerprint sensor within the energy button. The latter additionally has the flexibility to wirelessly cost different Qi-compatible units like earphones and telephones, however you may’t do that on the iPhone.
Usability
That is going to be subjective as everybody can have a special utilization fashion, so I am simply going to level out among the constructive and adverse issues that I observed when utilizing each these telephones. I personally discovered the iPhone 13 mini so much much less worrying to reside with, primarily as a result of all my content material was readily accessible the second I took it out of my pocket, because of the usual candybar type issue. It’d look dainty however the inner elements and the show are all properly protected in opposition to the weather. The excessive brightness of the iPhone 13 mini’s show additionally made content material very legible even beneath direct daylight. What I loved most although is that I may simply work together with buttons wherever on the display screen, with only one hand.
The flipside to having such a compact cellphone is, after all, that not all interactions are simple to carry out. The keyboard feels very cramped for two-thumb typing, and that might be an even bigger problem you probably have giant fingers, though the ‘Slide to sort’ characteristic does ease among the ache. The video watching expertise is not pretty much as good as it’s on the Galaxy Z Flip 3 both, purely due to the smaller display screen and the notch. Lastly, unlocking the iPhone 13 mini is a chore you probably have a face masks on, as Face ID doesn’t work. You’ll be able to circumvent this drawback you probably have an Apple Watch paired with the cellphone, however it will have been good to have had Contact ID within the energy button as a failsafe.
Each telephones match comfortably within the hand, but it surely’s faster to entry content material on the iPhone 13 mini, in comparison with the Galaxy Z Flip 3
Shifting on to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, the bigger show makes watching video an infinitely higher expertise than on the iPhone 13 mini. Understand that most movies can have thick black bars on both aspect as a result of panel’s taller side ratio. Samsung additionally gives a neat software program trick that it calls ‘Flex mode’ to make the most of the folding show in a number of apps. Typing can also be a lot simpler, though nonetheless not as snug as utilizing a cellphone with a standard side ratio. Lastly, I like that this cellphone has face recognition in addition to a fingerprint sensor, which makes unlocking it a lot simpler when sporting a masks.
As cool because the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is to make use of, a few of its novelty options can shortly develop into annoyances, the largest being the folding show itself. Whereas it is an incredible dialog starter, folding and unfolding the show turns into a chore fairly shortly as it’s a must to open it to carry out any form of significant interplay. This would not have been so dangerous in case you may flip it open with one hand or use the outer show for menial duties, however you may’t do both. Despite the fact that the outer show is bigger and extra responsive than the one on the first-gen Z Flip, it nonetheless lacks essential performance, and this can be a misplaced alternative for Samsung, in my view.
It is also value noting that the Galaxy Z Flip 3’s show is not as legible beneath direct daylight because the iPhone 13 mini’s, and neither is it as properly protected. You might want to be sure you do not apply any undue stress or let any sharp object close to this panel, because it may simply get broken.
Efficiency
The iPhone 13 mini and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 ship excellent efficiency as you’d anticipate from any flagship cellphone. iOS 15 runs nice on the iPhone 13 mini, and regardless that it lacks the 120Hz show refresh fee of the Galaxy Z Flip 3, it does not really feel sluggish or laggy in any respect. Video games run very properly, and even when taking part in taxing 3D video games, warmth is distributed properly alongside the metallic physique so there are not any uncomfortable scorching spots when holding it. Contemplating its dimension, the audio system on the iPhone 13 mini sound excellent, with nice element and readability. In addition they get a lot louder than those on the Galaxy Z Flip 3.
Each these telephones are champs at dealing with heavy apps and video games
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 handles One UI like a champ. In video games similar to Asphalt 9: Legends, the 120Hz show makes gameplay really feel smoother than on the iPhone 13 mini. Steady gaming does make the Galaxy Z Flip 3 run fairly scorching, however the warmth is contained throughout the prime half of the cellphone, which will get a bit of uncomfortable to carry after some time.
Cameras
The iPhone 13 mini and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 each have extensive and ultra-wide cameras on the again, and a single selfie digital camera. After taking pictures stills and movies side-by-side with each telephones, I would put my cash on the iPhone’s cameras as a result of it captures higher element and extra pure colors in stills, and has much better stabilisation for movies than the Galaxy Z Flip 3. The ultra-wide cameras on each telephones are comparatively weak, particularly in low mild. For selfies too, the iPhone 13 mini captures extra natural-looking pores and skin tones and higher particulars. Low-light selfie efficiency with Night time mode can also be fairly spectacular on the iPhone, and all of this works intuitively, which isn’t all the time the case with the Samsung.
The iPhone 13 mini’s cameras seize extra constant images and movies in comparison with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3
iPhone 13 mini vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3: Important digital camera samples
iPhone 13 mini vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3: Extremely-wde digital camera samples
iPhone 13 mini vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3: Low mild digital camera samples
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 can seize some fairly beautiful images too, and these look nice on the cellphone’s show. Nevertheless, most of its images are likely to have an overprocessed look with boosted colors. For those who’re into that fashion, you would possibly favor the output of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 over the iPhone 13 mini.
Battery life
The iPhone 13 mini and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 each have smaller batteries than normal form-factor flagships, and understandably so. Apple and Samsung make comparable claims for the way lengthy every cellphone ought to final on a single cost, however in actuality, the iPhone 13 mini simply outlasted the Galaxy Z Flip 3 in my testing. To make this a good comparability, I loaded comparable apps on each telephones, and every had an energetic 4G SIM in it.
With each telephones’ batteries totally charged, I began with an hour of streaming video, adopted by half an hour of gaming (Asphalt 9: Legends and PUBG: New State). This was adopted by some digital camera testing and one other hour of watching movies. I did take some breaks in between to permit the telephones to chill down after some actions like gaming, however background processes similar to Slack and Gmail have been working all through. After roughly 19 hours, of which the screens on each telephones have been on for about three and half hours, the Galaxy Z Flip 3’s battery was at 22 p.c, whereas the iPhone 13 mini’s battery was at a stable 45 p.c.
The iPhone 13 mini has a lot better battery life than the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3
The smaller show on the iPhone 13 mini, in comparison with the Galaxy Z Flip 3, is certainly one of many causes it has such good battery life, which is why I feel Samsung ought to have gone with the next battery capability for the Z Flip 3 even when it will have meant making it barely thicker and heavier.
Each telephones are able to quick wired and wi-fi charging. The iPhone 13 mini helps as much as 15W wired charging and as much as 12W wi-fi charging in case you use an accepted MagSafe charger. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 helps as much as 15W wired charging and as much as 10W wi-fi charging. You’ll need acceptable adapters to realize these speeds as each telephones solely ship with a Kind-C cable within the field.
Verdict
For those who’ve been following the comparability to date and have not skipped on to the decision, you might need guessed which of those two telephones I am leaning in the direction of. If I had to decide on one, I would go along with the iPhone 13 mini. It is tiny and rugged, and it has glorious efficiency, nice cameras, and superb battery life for a cellphone its dimension. Plus, the truth that it is a bit of extra reasonably priced than the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is a pleasant bonus. With the iPhone, it’s also possible to be assured of well timed software program updates which ought to hold issues contemporary for years to come back.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is a powerful contender too, and is a superb compact flagship in its personal proper. The novelty of folding it’s exhausting to match, particularly whenever you see peoples’ reactions. Nevertheless for me, this can be a little bit of a double-edged sword because it shortly turns into a chore. Additionally, flipping it open or closed is a two-handed affair, which is the precise reverse of what I need from a small cellphone. The opposite kicker is the battery life, which even for my reasonable each day use, falls brief.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 nonetheless gives the perfect flaunt worth, however the iPhone 13 mini simply makes higher sense as a each day driver. I am curious to know your ideas about this. Which of those two compact telephones would you choose?
