Apple stopped selling the iPhone 13 new in September 2024 and discontinued the iPhone SE 3 in February 2025, so in 2026 both live almost entirely on the refurbished market. That makes this a buyer's question, not a launch-day one: for a given budget, which phone gives you more? The SE 3 is the cheaper, one-handed phone with Touch ID. The iPhone 13 is bigger, has a far better screen, a second camera, and longer battery life. They share the same A15 Bionic chip and both still run iOS 26.
Which should you buy?
Buy the iPhone 13 if you can stretch to it. For roughly $60 more on the refurbished market it gives you a 6.1-inch OLED screen, a dual-camera system with Night mode, Face ID, and meaningfully better battery life. Buy the iPhone SE 3 only if you want the smallest, lightest iPhone, prefer a physical Home button with Touch ID, or need to spend the absolute minimum. The chip is the same, so neither will feel slow.
Table of contents
- Reasons to buy the iPhone SE 3
- Reasons to buy the iPhone 13
- iPhone SE 3 vs. iPhone 13: Specs comparison table
- iPhone SE 3 vs. iPhone 13: Review and comparison
- How much do they cost refurbished in 2026?
- Takeaway
- FAQ
Reasons to buy the iPhone SE 3
- Budget-friendly
- Affordable yet powerful
- 5G connectivity
- Easier to hold in one hand
- For Touch ID fans
Reasons to buy the iPhone 13
- One of the best cameras in a smartphone
- Night mode
- Photographic Styles
- Exceptional OLED screen
- Over-the-top performance
- High screen-to-body ratio
- Several colors to choose from
iPhone SE 3 vs. iPhone 13: Specs comparison table
| Features | iPhone SE 3 | iPhone 13 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 5.45 x 2.65 x 029 inches (138.4mm x 67.3mm x 7.3mm) | 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.30 inches (146.7mm x 71.5mm x 7.65mm) |
| Weight | 5.08oz (144g) | 6.14oz (173g) |
| Colors | Midnight Starlight (PRODUCT)RED | Blue Green Pink (PRODUCT)RED Midnight Starlight |
| Screen size | 4.7 inches | 6.1 inches |
| Screen technology | Widescreen Retina HD IPS LCD | Super Retina XDR OLED |
| Resolution | 1334 x 750 pixels at 326 PPI | 2532 x 1170 pixels at 460 PPI |
| Brightness | 625 nits max | 800 nits typical / 1200 nits peak (HDR) |
| Ratio | 16:9 | 19.5:9 |
| Refresh rate | 60Hz | 60Hz |
| Screen-to-body | 65.34% | 87.24% |
| CPU | Apple A15 Bionic | Apple A15 Bionic |
| RAM | 4GB | 4GB |
| Rear camera | 12MP (f/1.8): OIS, PDAF, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 4, Photographic modes | Dual 12MP: Ultra Wide (f/2.4) Wide (f/1.6) OIS, PDAF, Optical zoom, Smart HDR 4, Deep Fusion, Photographic modes |
| Front camera | 7MP (f/2.2) | 12MP TrueDepth (f/2.2) |
| Video recording | 3840×2160 (4K UHD) (60FPS) 1920×1080 (Full HD) (240FPS) 1280×720 (HD) (30FPS) | 3840×2160 (4K UHD) (60FPS) 1920×1080 (Full HD) (240FPS) 1280×720 (HD) (30FPS) Sensor-shift OIS |
| Night mode | No | Yes |
| 5G connectivity | Yes | Yes |
| Storage | 64GB 128GB 256GB | 128GB 256GB 512GB |
| Battery capacity | 2018 mAh | 3227 mAh |
| Battery life | 15 hours of video playback 10 hours of video streaming 50 hours of audio playback | 19 hours of video playback 15 hours of video streaming 75 hours of audio playback |
| Charging speed | Wired: 20.0W Wireless: 7.5W (with MagSafe) | Wired: 20.0W Wireless: 15.0W |
| Water and dust resistance | IP67 | IP68 |
| SIM | Dual (nano and eSIM) | Dual (nano and eSIM) |
| Biometric security | Touch ID | Face ID |
| Released | March 2022 | September 2021 |
| Latest iOS (2026) | iOS 26 | iOS 26 |
| Sold new by Apple | No (discontinued Feb 2025) | No (discontinued Sept 2024) |
| Price (refurbished) | Starting at | Starting at |
iPhone SE 3 vs. iPhone 13: Review and comparison
Here is a comprehensive review of both iPhones.
Design
The design of the iPhone SE 3 is not identical to older releases of the same series, but it has some resemblance. One of the most notable aspects of its design is that it’s pretty similar to the old form factor of older SE releases with Touch ID and the Home button.
If you prefer a phone with a full-screen look, the iPhone 13 should be your choice. The iPhone SE 3 is also smaller than the iPhone 13, making it easier to hold in one hand.
In addition, the iPhone 13 has the same design as the iPhone 12, employs a Ceramic Shield for exceptional protection of the handset, includes a smaller notch than its predecessors, and has Face ID (a feature not present on the SE). The notch of the 13 offers more screen real estate than the third-gen SE, but it is not something everybody appreciates equally. Once again, this is just a matter of preference.
The SE comes in Midnight, Starlight, and (PRODUCT)RED colors, which are fancy names for black-ish, white-ish, and red-ish. The 13 comes in blue, green, pink, (PRODUCT)RED, Midnight, and Starlight.
iPhone SE 3
Image: Apple
Size and weight
Size and weight are two of the most significant differences in this comparison.
- The iPhone SE 3 measures 5.45 x 2.65 x 029 inches (138.4mm x 67.3mm x 7.3mm) and weighs 5.08oz (144g).
- The iPhone 13 measures 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.30 inches (146.7mm x 71.5mm x 7.65mm) and weighs 6.14oz (173g).
The SE is more comfortable to carry around and easier to use in some cases, making it one of the best iPhones for kids and teenagers. Still, its downside is that it has a smaller screen to enjoy watching videos, playing video games, or making video calls.
Display
The screen size is most likely to be one of the factors that can tip the balance in your purchasing journey. The iPhone SE 3 has a 4.7-inch IPS LCD screen, one of the smallest displays you can get on an iPhone nowadays. Even the iPhone 13 mini has a bigger 5.4-inch screen (so, which one is the mini, after all?).
The iPhone 13’s screen has 6.1 inches, but it has an essential difference: the screen technology. The Super Retina XDR OLED display of the 13 offers richer colors and deeper blacks than an LCD, as well as faster response times and better viewing angles. At the same time, it has almost double the peak brightness of the SE 3 at 1200 cd/m2 (nit) and HDR support.
In short, the iPhone 13’s screen is far superior to the SE’s, both in quality and size. The screen-to-body ratio of 87.24 % also guarantees a much better experience using your phone for prolonged periods for anything related to video and reading.
We miss a higher refresh rate for a high-end phone like the 13, but 60 Hz is still a good compromise. If you want 120 Hz, you will need to explore the iPhone 13 Pro or the 13 Pro Max.
Camera
The camera is one of the strongest points of every new iPhone that comes into the market. This time, the differences between the SE 3 and 13 are visible.
If you flip the phones, you’ll see that the first has just a single camera, while the iPhone 13 features two cameras, one with a wide-angle lens and the second with an ultra-wide one. If you want to capture a large portion of the background in a picture, the iPhone SE will feel limited.
And what about the Night mode? Sad news for the iPhone SE 3 because only the iPhone 13 offers this function. If you prioritize taking pictures at night or in a dark ambiance, the 13 is your choice here.
However, there is good news for the SE as well; it supports Smart HDR 4 to properly work with challenging lighting situations and Deep Fusion for more detail.
Night mode on the iPhone 13
Image: Apple
The Photographic Styles featured appeared with the iPhone 13. Even if the third-generation SE is a more affordable model with more modest features and hardware, it also supports it. Needless to say, the iPhone 13’s camera is the king here.
Lastly, both iPhones have optical image stabilization and can record video in 4K, but the front camera of the iPhone SE is only 7MP, while the iPhone 13 has TrueDepth technology and 12MP.
Performance
The iPhone SE 3 and the iPhone 13 enjoy the same A-series chip, the A15 Bionic processor. There are no significant differences in performance, especially considering that both have 4GB of RAM.
However, surprisingly, the SE 3 can timidly outscore the 13 on the Geekbench 5 CPU benchmark. Be that as it may, the performance differences shouldn’t be your main concern in this review.
👉 Related: iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 13: Comparison and Differences
Storage
As with other releases, you can select different storage capacities when buying your new iPhone. Apple does not offer a way to expand this storage with microSD cards in their phones anymore, so think twice before buying one. Here are the options you can choose from:
- iPhone SE 3: 64GB / 128GB / 256GB
- iPhone 13: 128GB / 256GB / 512GB
One tip: if you are interested in recording 4K videos, you should choose models with at least 256GB because they can take up quite a lot of storage. 128GB can also be enough, but 64GB might not be. However, you can think about going for the cheaper option if budget is your absolute priority and use cloud services to store your data.
iPhone 13
Battery life and charging
The iPhone SE 3 has a battery capacity of 2018 mAh, while the iPhone 13 has 3227 mAh. Indeed, this is an important difference that will impact your daily usage.
Apple claims that the SE 3 can last up to 15 hours playing video, up to 10 hours in video streaming, and up to 50 hours in audio playback.
In contrast, the iPhone 13 enjoys video playback of up to 19 hours, video streams of up to 15 hours, and audio playback of up to 75 hours.
Both terminals have the same charging speed of 20W. The most notable difference is that the iPhone 13 supports up to 15W wireless charging if you use a charging device compatible with MagSafe, while the iPhone SE 3 only reaches 7.5W.
Connectivity and ports
Unlike its predecessors, the iPhone SE 3 has 5G cellular connectivity. Of course, the iPhone 13 is also compatible with 5G.
Both smartphones have Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 6, Lightning USB, NFC, and eSIM support, but no 3.5mm headphone jack.
How much do they cost refurbished in 2026?
Since Apple no longer sells either phone new, the refurbished market sets the price. On RefurbMe, the iPhone SE 3 starts around $113 and the iPhone 13 starts around $173, so the gap between them is roughly $60 at the entry level. Prices climb with storage, condition, and seller.
The widgets above and below pull live listings in real time, so the figures you see are current. We compare certified sellers side by side: Back Market usually leads on selection and price for both models, Gazelle is a strong second in the US, and the Apple Store refurbished listings give you a trusted baseline to check against. Buying refurbished here typically runs 15 to 30 percent below the original retail price, with a warranty included.
A quick scenario: a buyer who wants the best camera under $250 should look at a Good-condition unlocked iPhone 13 with 128GB, which often lands in that range and still has years of iOS updates ahead. A buyer who only needs a reliable phone for calls, messaging, and Touch ID can take a Fair or Good iPhone SE 3 for close to $120.
You can compare every refurbished iPhone deal on one page, or jump straight to the two models in this guide below.
Takeaway
The choice of getting the iPhone SE 3 vs. the iPhone 13 mostly depends on how much you are willing to pay to get a new phone.
Since the SE 3 is an iPhone designed for those looking for a more affordable smartphone, it offers more limited specs and functions than the 13, which was made to be Apple’s flagship.
If you highly value the camera and enjoy a bigger and brighter screen, the iPhone 13 can be for you, but you will spend more. Here are our compared refurbished iPhone 13 models in real time:
Conversely, if the camera is not your absolute priority, you are OK with a more modest screen, and you prefer to have a smaller phone to carry around, you can go for the iPhone SE 3 at a lower cost. Take a look at every refurbished model available here:
We hope this guide has helped you decide. Head on to RefurbMe if you want to get the best Apple deals compared in real time from our trusted merchants. You can also learn more in our article on the 6 best places to buy refurbished iPhones.
Good luck!
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FAQ
Last updated: Jun 10, 2026 · First published: Dec 27, 2023