Cocoa Switch

iPhone upgrade

My first experience picking up a refurbished iPhone 13 mini from Amazon UK. There’s no central “Amazon” refurbished hub, and any phone you get is a surprise because Amazon works with multiple partners. Some of them had original cables, and some of them had non-original cables. Battery health was not 100% and was below 90%, with micro scratches on the screen. The price for the 512 GB model was a lesser jump than what you usually get when buying a new iPhone. Upgrading from 64 GB SE 2nd generation, I am satisfied with faster performance, 24 FPS camera and smaller form factor than SE. Battery life is much better, no longer missing alarm calls when forgetting to plug in for a night.

I was sitting until late at night, trying to find a good case for my new iPhone. None of the options I found would make me happy.

I ended up going to the Apple Store in Kingston and picking up an Apple Silicone case. Apple still has cases on sale for iPhone 13 mini. I have never tried silicon cases before. It is smooth to the touch and grippier than pure glass. The colour matches perfectly. Buttons are pleasant are reliable.

Less than one month later there’s some minor wearing spot on the bottom back. There’s a broken dent in the bottom left corner front, pictured below.

iPhone 13 mini with Apple Sillicon Case

Third iPhone cases recommended on Accidental Tech Podcast (ATP). Random order.

  • Pitaka
  • TORRAS
  • olixar
  • Spigen
  • PEEL

Pitaka would be my go-to option. Unfortunately, all the Pitaka 13 mini cases are discontinued which made me regret not buying them sooner.