Thanks for this review. Bought 2 iPhone 13's (non mini) via Amazon refurb and chose excellent condition. I didn't realize how inconsistent the QC can be as there are numerous vendors you may get your phone from. Both arrive tomorrow and crossing fingers its at least A- grade quality overall.
Yeah there’s at least 6-7 vendors that sell refurb phones. Woot is a known retailer to me but they also could ship out beat up refurbs. Good that you ordered two at once so you can pick the better of the two! Good luck let me know how it goes. After this video I ordered a 15 pro on Amazon refurb as well and other than one tiny scratch on the back glass it’s perfect, even 100% battery health. Granted it’s it’s the current flagship but at 200 dollars off apple retail it’s a solid deal
@@alexchand209 hey not sure if you were still interested in the mini in my youtube video, i can sell it to you for what i paid plus shipping cost. send me a dm!
Just bought the midnight version of the iPhone mini 13 can't wait to arrive so excited. Plus I prefer the small sizeable phones like this small easy to put in your pocket.
Imo yes, but it’s a question between iOS and android. I think the mini is a great affordable entry into the Apple ecosystem, and it’ll get longer support and security than the a13
128gb? That seems on par with what I’ve seen available. Best I’ve seen on Amazon for example is $350 for the 128gb. Just be sure you can check that everything is ok with the device and have the option to return in case anything seems out of place!
I assume Apple's reasoning for dropping leather had to do with sjw animal cruelty things. If so, it's so shortsighted, it's not as if they are deleting animals for the leather, it's a byproduct. I hope there is a better reason but I doubt it.
Feels like a combination of it being in line with their branding and probably they calculated that a switch to other materials will be better for their margins. Also my understanding is it’s not just about animal cruelty but also that the leather processing produces a lot of chemical byproducts that are hazardous to the environment. That being said good quality leather I feel can last a lifetime but none of these companies are interested in durable goods - they want turnover and profits
I got myself also an iPhone 13 mini refurbished for Amazon... Phone came in good condition but battery health was 88. I replaced the battery at the Apple Store in NYC for 90$! So basically everything together was 500$ for an iPhone 13 mini that's like brand new
@@KaziIslam regular. It's like a lottery you don't really know what you will get but i think I was lucky and got a good condition one 🤷🏻♂️. I sold my iPhone 15 pro and kept the mini 🫢
Yeah I’m happy with the one I wound up with, other than the little damage to the speaker grills which you can’t even see Ngl tempted to sell off the pro max and be mini full time until the 16 series comes out. It’s been delightful to use these past few weeks
Oh that’s great! I once ordered an iPhone SE on Amazon premium and had a similar good experience. For the mini the price for a 128gb mini on premium is currently the same as a 256gb for refurbished excellent. So you do pay a bit more. I also notice for Amazon premium there’s a 365 day return policy! Which is fantastic
@@pudongski yeah it’s not cheap considering that cost might end up being like 25% of the cost of the device altogether. But it also factors in the cost of labor to replace the battery not just the part itself. Best was when Apple ran that promotion for battery replacement for only $29 dollars as a response to batterygate
As of iOS 15.2 the phone is supposed to be able to detect if it has had any parts replaced and whether the parts are genuine or not. For my copy there is there is no history or parts replaced shown in the settings app. Unless there’s a way to bypass that i would guess its the original battery, just a lightly used phone
I had to ditch my mini early this year :( battery was just dying way too quick, with having to use a magsafe pack all the time it took away from the point of the form factor. I love the iPhone 13 mini though. I hope they bring back a iPhone 16 mini, just make it 60hz with being able to go down to 1hz to save battery, if they could just optimize the battery and make the chip power efficient enough the iPhone mini would be the perfect phone. Form factor is unmatched.
Agreed, it’s been a delight to go back to, but in just the few days I’ve had it I’m getting close to 100% of battery usage per day. I wonder if Apple would concede to making the devices just slightly thicker they could accommodate a bigger battery cell. 11 pro battery life in a similar sized package would be killer
@@KaziIslam Yeah I definitely wouldn’t mind slightly thicker for some extra MAH in that battery. The 13 mini started of ok for me with battery then after software updates and the battery health going down I finally caved and got the 15 pro. It’s nice to use the same cable for everything now. Honestly been the main upgrade for me 😂😂
@@jamiekirrageI was having these weird thoughts of selling my current 15 pro for a 13 mini just because of the smaller form factor and ease of use. But I think that could’ve been the worst decision ever isn’t it 🫣 I guess I’ll keep the 15 pro until they make a smaller iPhone back again 🥸 opinions welcomed
Thanks! The 13 pro max was one of my all time favorite iPhones. Unless you’re finding it difficult to get through a day of use without needing to charge I would personally wait until it gets closer to 80% battery health. The way I think of it a battery replacement is like $100? That’s a lot of money to only gain back about 15% extra use time per day. If your screen on time is normally like 8 hours a day that’s paying $100 to get an extra one hour of battery life
It’s a little heavy for one year of use but the mini also has a smaller battery pack to begin with, so could be about right. If it was purchased in July 2023 do you still have Apple care warranty on it?
00:00 - Introduction and Material Overview 00:31 - Usage Review and Preliminary Durability Observations 01:37 - Detailed Durability Analysis and Environmental Exposure 02:42 - Incident Reports: Drops and Material Reaction 03:49 - Comparative Analysis of Material Durability and Quality 04:49 - Handling Experience and Aesthetics Review 05:50 - Pre-Cleaning Final Thoughts and Patina Evaluation 07:21 - Cleaning Process and Immediate Results 08:24 - Post-Cleaning Impressions and New Screen Protector Review 09:33 - Final Review and Future Maintenance Plans
Made from premium full grain aniline leather per their website! I wound up selling mine for a bare case instead so can no longer speak to long term durability but the two months I had it it held up great
Hi, do you still have the wallpaper from the thumbnail ? It looks more bluish than the Apple monterey one, or maybe was it a filter or something... Thank you
Hi Kazi, could you let me know how strong the MagSafe connection is? A lot of comments for Mujjo or Bellroy, Andar, Bullstrap, Casetify have weak magnets. I myself bought the bellroy leather case and my Apple Wallet slips off too easily for my liking. The original Apple leather case had quite strong magnets perfect for me! Shame it’s been discontinued :( I love my Apple wallet and I use it all the time. Thank you!
I don’t know how it compares to those brands but I find the magnet to be sufficient. The battery pack sticks a bit stronger due to the rubber backing compared to the wallet but I had no issues with the wallet either. As always the wallet slips a bit if you push it side to side but I haven’t had it fall off
The link is my own Amazon affiliate link which earns commission. The video and my opinion isn’t sponsored or paid for by Decoded. I’ve also linked decoded own website if you choose to use that link I earn nothing. I think that’s pretty clear, I appreciate your trepidation about trusting random opinions on the internet!
@@KaziIslam Mr Islam… so, you say you earn commission if people are buying the product using your link… With that in mind - how are the viewers suppose to belive that this is an unbiased review? 😅
@@droneforfun5384 I don’t believe I say it’s an unbiased review in the video. It’s biased by virtue of my happening to like the case. I think you might be getting confused with sponsored content and other means of monetization on RU-vid. As a tiny channel I just put videos out as a hobby on things I like and buy my self with my own money, typically Apple products. And typically every year I just buy the Apple leather case but this year that’s not an option! So after shopping around I settled on this one. The point of mentioning that this isn’t a sponsored video is in the interest of letting you know that I’m not being paid by the company to make the video or express my opinion. I bought the case myself with my own tiny bank account lol. I just say what I like and dislike and you as the consumer can develop your own opinion/bias based on what you see in the video and the opinion I express, and decide if the case fits your needs. I assume you came across the video as you’re possibly shopping for a leather alternative to Finewoven yourself. And that’s what I wanted to share. You don’t need to use any link provided, if you happen to think the case looks good then you’re free to google it and find other ways to purchase. I mention that the Amazon link is from my affiliate account so that you as the consumer know, and if you choose to buy the case using the link you’d be helping the channel in a small way. Or don’t! That’s your freedom to choose ☺️ I hope that clears things up for you! Cheers
I've been running an Everyday Case on my Pixel 6 for a long time, and I love it I was initially concerned about the nylon back pilling or fraying or that it would absorm moisture and stay soggy if ot got a little wet, but that does not happen, it has not worn much at all, its a really hard-wearing material and has a very nice tactile feel and grip. It also opened up the Magsafe ecosystem (and of course their Slimlink stuff) on Pixel, so I've gotten their stand charger which is also great, and a magsafe car mount, etc. I'm looking to make the switch to iphone 15 (base model) soon, and I think I will stick with PD for a case. The Pixel 6 only had the Charcoal color available, but going with Iphone 15 opens up the other ones. Planning on getting the yellow Iphone 15, which is actually a very muted almost cream color and I think the camera module in that color peaking out of the sage green case will look pretty classy. Went back and forth between that and the Midnight Navy but I think I've decided on Sage, which appears to be closer to an olive at least on the TPU sides.
Yes it’s the same worry I had about durability. But I took the case swimming in a cenote in the water with no other protection for an hour and the nylon back looks new still. My wife is now using the same case as I gave the phone to her and after over a year of use the tpu sides actually look worse than the nylon backing. Pretty impressive stuff. I’ll be looking into a new case for my 15 pro max soon as well
Ahh yeah I’ve heard a lot of good things about Ryan London. I have since used a bare case leather case which I like a bit more than decoded. I’ll try Ryan London eventually
This is what happens when Apple virtue signals and casts aside build quality, sure hope people vote with the wallet, this needs to be rejected by consumers, til leather returns. Stupid move Apple.
Hi, i just got the same one but power button is not such as „clicky” as yours. TBH it is working pretty hard. Should i send it back and order new one or this isn’t that important and there is nothing to worry about?
If it bothers you and you have the option to exchange without a lot of hassle I’d send it back. Buttons are important to me on a case because it’s the main thing you interact with and you might press it a lot in a day
Now I regret buying it. I wish I went with silicone. Leather is really better than this so called finewoven. Now my iPhone 13 Pro Max looks way better because it has silicone. FineWoven is such a waste of money.
