iPhone 11 vs. iPhone 13 in 2026: Which Should You Buy?
Short version: the iPhone 13 is the better phone and the iPhone 11 is the better bargain. The iPhone 13 adds an OLED display, the A15 Bionic chip, 5G, sensor-shift stabilization, and double the base storage. The iPhone 11 gives up all of that, costs less, and still runs current software. Both are among the most-compared phones on the refurbished market in 2026, and neither is sold new by Apple anymore, so the real question is not which is newer but which is worth the price gap between them today. Below we compare design, size, display, CPU, RAM, storage, camera, battery life, and connectivity, then say plainly which one to buy.
Simo Elalj, CEO at RefurbMe Last updated · 11 min reading time
Buy the refurbished iPhone 13 if you want the phone to last: it has the OLED screen, 5G, a 16-core Neural Engine, and a longer runway of iOS updates ahead of it. Buy the refurbished iPhone 11 if the budget is the constraint and you mainly call, message, browse, and shoot daylight photos, because the A13 Bionic still handles all of that without complaint.
The price gap is the whole decision, and it moves every week, so compare it live rather than trusting a number in an article. Right now a refurbished iPhone 11 starts at $127 carrier-locked and a refurbished iPhone 13 starts at $201 carrier-locked across the refurbishers RefurbMe tracks.
According to RefurbMe's own tracking, a new iPhone reaches the refurbished market a median of 67 days after Apple announces it, and the median discount across every iPhone model RefurbMe has ever tracked is 77% off the original list price (as of October 2026, source: our iPhone refurbished price stats). That discount figure is a median across the full model history, including phones Apple stopped selling years ago, so it is not what you save on a current flagship. It is exactly why a 2019 phone like the iPhone 11 now sits at the bottom of the market.
Those listings come from Back Market, Gazelle, Amazon Renewed, the Apple Store, and eBay Refurbished, with the lineup depending on your market: Back Market covers the US and the UK, and Gazelle is US only. You can also compare every refurbished iPhone model side by side.
iPhone 11 vs. iPhone 13: The key differences
The iPhone 13 has a smaller notch and offers different color options.
The design of the iPhone 13 is flat-edged with smaller borders.
The iPhone 11 is larger and heavier.
The iPhone 11 has an IPS LCD screen, while iPhone 13 has an OLED screen with flat edges and a smaller notch.
The iPhone 13 has an upgraded A15 Bionic processor with a 16-core Neural Engine, against 8 cores on the A13 Bionic.
64GB vs. 128GB base storage.
The iPhone 13 has sensor-shift optical image stabilization, Photographic Styles, and Cinematic mode for videos.
Improved battery life in the iPhone 13.
The iPhone 13 supports MagSafe for fast wireless charging, in addition to Qi wireless charging.
Only the iPhone 13 includes 5G connectivity, an HDR display, and Dolby Vision HDR video recording.
Both are rated IP68, but the iPhone 13 is rated to 6 meters for 30 minutes against 2 meters for the iPhone 11.
iPhone 11 vs. iPhone 13: Specs comparison table
Features
iPhone 11
iPhone 13
Dimensions
5.94 x 2.98 x 0.33 inches (15,09 x 7,57 x 0,83 cm)
5.78 x 2.82 x 0.30 inches (14,67 x 7,15 x 0,76 cm)
Weight
6.84 ounces (194 g)
6.14 ounces (174 g)
Display
6.1-inch Liquid Retina HD LCD 1792×828 pixels at 326 PPI 1400:1 contrast ratio (typical) 625 nits max brightness (typical) No HDR display
6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED 2532×1170 pixels at 460 PPI 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio (typical) 800 nits max brightness (typical) 1200 nits peak brightness (HDR) HDR display
Dual 12MP Wide: f/1.8 aperture Ultra Wide: f/2.4 aperture (120° field of view) Optical image stabilization (Wide) Next-generation Smart HDR for photos Night mode (Wide) Deep Fusion (Wide)
Dual 12MP Main: f/1.6 aperture Ultra Wide: f/2.4 aperture (120° field of view) Sensor-shift optical image stabilization (Main) Smart HDR 4 for photos Night mode Deep Fusion Photographic Styles
Front camera
12MP TrueDepth f/2.2 aperture Smart HDR for photos
12MP TrueDepth f/2.2 aperture Cinematic mode for videos Smart HDR 4 for photos Photographic Styles
Video recording
4K video recording at 24, 25, 30, or 60 FPS Extended dynamic range for video up to 60 FPS
4K video recording at 24, 25, 30, or 60 FPS HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 FPS Night mode time-lapse Cinematic mode (1080p at 30 FPS)
Face ID
Yes
Yes
Connectivity
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) Gigabit-class LTE Bluetooth 5.0 Lightning
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) Bluetooth 5.0 Lightning
Water and dust resistance
IP68 (maximum depth of 2 meters up to 30 minutes)
IP68 (maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes)
SIM
nano SIM eSIM
nano SIM eSim Dual eSIM
Battery life
17 hours of video playback 10 hours of video streaming 65 hours of audio playback
19 hours of video playback 15 hours of video streaming 75 hours of audio playback
Charging
Fast-charge capable: up to 50% in 30 minutes with a 20W adapter or higher Qi wireless charging
Fast-charge capable: up to 50% in 30 minutes with a 20W adapter or higher MagSafe wireless charging up to 15W Qi2 wireless charging up to 15W Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W
Let’s dive into all the differences between the iPhone 11 and the iPhone 13.
Design and colors
Both phones are made from aluminum and offer IP68 water and dust resistance. However, the iPhone 13 features a tougher Ceramic Shield display cover compared to the iPhone 11. Also, the notch of the most recent release is 20% smaller, which delivers a bit more screen real estate.
The iPhone 11 is available in black, green, yellow, purple, red, and white colors, while the iPhone 13 is available in starlight, midnight, blue, pink, red, and green.
Size and weight
The iPhone 11 is larger and heavier than the iPhone 13, measuring 5.94 x 2.98 x 0.33 inches with a weight of 6.84 ounces, while the iPhone 13 measures 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.30 inches with a weight of 6.14 ounces. The former is 8.3mm thick, while the latter is 7.65 mm.
iPhone 13
Display
Although both models feature an all-screen design, the iPhone 11 has an IPS LCD screen, while the iPhone 13 has an OLED screen, flat edges, and a smaller notch. Those are the most visible differences in the display. OLED offers deeper blacks and crisper colors, and Apple's own numbers show how far apart the two panels are: it rates the iPhone 11 at a 1400:1 contrast ratio and 625 nits, and the iPhone 13 at 2,000,000:1 and 800 nits typical, rising to 1200 nits peak for HDR content.
The iPhone 13 is also an HDR display and the iPhone 11 is not, so HDR photos, Dolby Vision video, and most streaming content look noticeably flatter on the older phone. Both iPhones share the same 6.1-inch display size, so this is a quality difference rather than a size one.
Processor
Apple describes both chips the same way at the top level: a 6-core CPU with 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, plus a 4-core GPU. The difference between them is generational rather than structural. The A13 Bionic in the iPhone 11 is still a capable chip that runs almost everything you throw at it, including 4K video editing, processing large files, and editing complex images with real-time changes.
The A15 Bionic in the iPhone 13 is faster across the board, and it also doubles the part of the chip that matters most for how phones are used now: the Neural Engine goes from 8 cores on the A13 to 16 cores on the A15. That block runs on-device photo processing, dictation, Live Text, and the machine-learning features Apple keeps adding with each iOS release, so the gap between these two phones widens over time rather than narrowing. The A15 is also more power efficient, which shows up in the battery figures below.
RAM
The iPhone 11 is still greatly capable of multitasking with 4GB of RAM. While the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max offer 6 GB, the standard model of the iPhone 13 has the same 4GB. In combination with the new A15 CPU, the latest model has exceptional performance for anything you want to do with your phone.
Storage
The iPhone 11 has 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB of internal storage available to users. The iPhone 13 offers 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB. Apple doesn’t include external memory slots on the iPhones anymore, as seen in these models.
The iPhone 13 shows a significant improvement in battery life over the iPhone 11. While the iPhone 11 offers up to 17 hours of video playback, the iPhone 13 offers 19 hours. When comparing audio playback, the older model has up to 65 hours, while the newer one enjoys up to 75 hours.
The figure worth paying attention to is streamed video, the way most people actually watch: Apple rates the iPhone 11 at up to 10 hours and the iPhone 13 at up to 15 hours, a 50% jump. On a long flight or a full day out, that is the difference between arriving with charge and arriving without.
Apple does not publish a capacity in mAh for either phone, so treat any number quoted elsewhere as a teardown estimate. On a used phone the more useful number is battery health, in Settings under Battery. If it has degraded significantly, budget for a replacement through an Apple Authorized Service Provider or Apple's own repair service, and check whether the refurbisher already replaced the cell.
Charging
Wired charging is a wash. Apple lists both phones as fast-charge capable, reaching up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with a 20W adapter or higher, sold separately in both cases.
Wireless is where they separate. The iPhone 11 charges on any Qi pad. The iPhone 13 adds the MagSafe magnet array and charges at up to 15W on a MagSafe puck, and Apple now also lists Qi2 charging at up to 15W for it, against 7.5W on a plain Qi pad. If you already own MagSafe accessories, that is a practical reason to prefer the iPhone 13.
Camera features
Both models offer a 12MP rear-facing camera for capturing stunning photos and videos. The Apple A15 Bionic chip of the iPhone 13 provides superior image processing, making it easy to capture crisp images and smooth videos in any environment.
These phones also offer features such as burst mode, HDR video recording, Deep Fusion, and True Tone flash for taking clear images even in low light conditions. On both, the hardware is rarely the limiting factor for everyday photography. However, only the iPhone 13 can enjoy the Photographic Styles feature.
Image quality
Both phones carry the same pair of lenses on paper, a Wide (called Main on the iPhone 13) and an Ultra Wide, both 12MP. The aperture is where they diverge. The iPhone 11 pairs an f/1.8 Wide camera with an f/2.4 Ultra Wide, while the iPhone 13 keeps the same f/2.4 Ultra Wide but opens its main camera up to f/1.6, letting in meaningfully more light on the lens you shoot with most.
Combine that wider aperture with Smart HDR 4 and the A15's image processing and the practical result is straightforward: in daylight the two phones are close enough that a casual user will not pick them apart, and after sunset or in a dim room the iPhone 13 pulls clearly ahead. The front camera of both models is the same on the key numbers, a 12MP TrueDepth sensor at f/2.2 with 4K support, though only the iPhone 13 adds Photographic Styles and Cinematic mode to it.
Image stabilization
Both phones include optical image stabilization, but the technologies differ meaningfully. Apple lists optical image stabilization (Wide) for the iPhone 11 and sensor-shift optical image stabilization (Main) for the iPhone 13, a more advanced system that stabilizes the sensor itself rather than the lens elements. This delivers noticeably steadier handheld shots and smoother video.
Beyond that hardware difference, the iPhone 13 allows for better shooting in low-light conditions overall. The improved stabilization on the iPhone 13 also unlocks Cinematic mode, and it supports HDR Dolby Vision for richer colors and contrast in recordings.
When choosing between the iPhone 11 and the iPhone 13, the video recording quality is an important consideration. The iPhone 13 features a Cinematic mode, which shoots at 1080p and 30 fps and racks focus between subjects automatically, plus Photographic Styles for color tone editing.
Both phones record 4K video at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps. The difference is dynamic range: the iPhone 11 offers extended dynamic range for video up to 60 fps, while the iPhone 13 records true HDR with Dolby Vision all the way up to 4K at 60 fps, and adds Night mode time-lapse. If you shoot video often, this is the single largest gap between the two.
Connectivity
Both models have Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.0, and Lightning connectors, so neither offers USB-C. The cellular radio is the real split: the iPhone 11 tops out at Gigabit-class LTE, while the iPhone 13 adds 5G, covering both sub-6 GHz and mmWave. In markets where carriers have been shifting capacity to 5G, this is one of the most important aspects to weigh in your buying decision.
Should you upgrade from the iPhone 11 to the iPhone 13?
It depends on how you use the phone. The iPhone 13 arrived two years after the iPhone 11, and taken one spec at a time that gap reads as incremental rather than transformative.
For plenty of buyers, a handful of those increments do justify the extra money. The headline addition is 5G, which unlocks the faster network speeds carriers have rolled out across most of the US, UK, and Canada. The camera is genuinely better too, not through a higher megapixel count but through the wider f/1.6 main lens and sensor-shift stabilization, which is what produces better low-light performance.
There is one more factor that did not apply when these phones were new. On Apple's own list of iPhone models compatible with iOS 26, the iPhone 11 is the oldest model still supported, and the oldest supported model is always the first candidate Apple drops when the next major release lands. The iPhone 13 sits two generations further along and should keep receiving major iOS updates for longer. If you plan to keep the phone for three years or more, that support horizon is a stronger argument than any single spec on the table above.
In short, if you are happy with your iPhone 11, there is no urgent need to upgrade to the iPhone 13. But if you want a better camera, 5G, and more years of software support, the iPhone 13 is worth the difference. We share how to find the best prices in the next section.
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FAQ: iPhone 11 vs. iPhone 13
Is the iPhone 13 worth upgrading from the iPhone 11?
For most users, yes. The iPhone 13 brings a faster A15 Bionic chip with a 16-core Neural Engine, an OLED display with deeper blacks, 5G connectivity, sensor-shift optical image stabilization, and double the base storage (128 GB vs. 64 GB). If any of those features matter to your daily use, or if you simply want a device that will receive software updates further into the future, the upgrade makes sense, especially at current refurbished prices.
What is the main camera difference between the iPhone 11 and iPhone 13?
Both phones shoot at 12 MP with a dual-camera system, and both use the same f/2.4 Ultra Wide lens. The iPhone 13 improves on the iPhone 11 in three key ways: a wider f/1.6 main camera (vs. f/1.8) for better low-light shots, sensor-shift optical image stabilization for steadier video and photos, and the exclusive Cinematic mode, which shoots shallow-depth-of-field video at 1080p and 30 fps.
Does the iPhone 11 support 5G?
No. The iPhone 11 tops out at Gigabit-class LTE. If 5G network speeds are a priority, particularly for faster streaming, downloads, or future-proofing, the iPhone 13 is the one to pick: it supports 5G on both sub-6 GHz and mmWave.
How do the iPhone 11 and iPhone 13 compare in size?
The iPhone 11 is slightly larger and heavier: 5.94 x 2.98 x 0.33 inches and 6.84 oz (194 g), versus the iPhone 13's 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.30 inches and 6.14 oz (174 g). Both have a 6.1-inch screen, but the iPhone 13's smaller notch and thinner bezels give it a bit more usable display area.
Will the iPhone 11 still get iOS updates?
Yes, for now. The iPhone 11 appears on Apple's list of iPhone models compatible with iOS 27, but it is the oldest model on that list, which is where Apple typically stops support first. The iPhone 13 sits two generations further along, so if you want the longer software runway, that is the safer buy.
Which is waterproof, the iPhone 11 or the iPhone 13?
Neither is waterproof, but both are water resistant and Apple rates both IP68. The ratings are not identical: the iPhone 11 is rated to a maximum depth of 2 meters for up to 30 minutes, and the iPhone 13 to 6 meters for up to 30 minutes. Apple's warranty does not cover liquid damage on either model.
Where can I find the best price on a refurbished iPhone 11 or iPhone 13?
RefurbMe compares live prices from vetted refurbishers side by side, including Back Market, Gazelle, Amazon Renewed, the Apple Store, and eBay Refurbished, with the lineup depending on your market. Prices on both models move week to week, so use the live comparison widgets on this page rather than a fixed figure.
Verdict
The iPhone 13 is the clear winner on specs: a faster chip with double the Neural Engine cores, an OLED HDR display, 5G connectivity, sensor-shift stabilization, MagSafe, and 128 GB of base storage are all meaningful upgrades over the iPhone 11. If you are shopping for one of the most durable Apple smartphones without paying flagship prices, a refurbished iPhone 13 hits the value sweet spot in 2026, and its longer software runway is what makes it hold that position.
Compare the live iPhone 13 listings below. RefurbMe ranks offers from Back Market, Gazelle, Amazon Renewed, the Apple Store, and eBay Refurbished in real time, depending on which of them operate in your market. Every refurbisher on the list carries a professional warranty and ships the phone ready to use.
from $201 carrier-lockedin Fair Refurbished iPhone 13 · 3 configurations at 4 sellers. Checked Oct 5, 12:05 PM EDT.
If you want the most affordable option that still runs virtually every modern app without a hitch, a refurbished iPhone 11 remains a compelling buy, provided you accept a shorter update horizon. You can browse the latest prices below.
from $127 carrier-lockedin Fair Refurbished iPhone 11 · 2 configurations at 4 sellers. Checked Oct 5, 10:24 AM EDT.
Last updated: Sep 15, 2026 ·
First published: Jun 20, 2023
Simo Elalj
CEO and Founder at RefurbMe. I made this project back when I was 15 when I had to wake up at 2am to buy my own refurbished Macbook Pro. Passionate about circular economy, great UX and goats.
