iPhone 11 vs iPhone 12 vs iPhone 13 in Kenya: which should you buy in 2026?
Article
shwariphones
Shwari Phones
Published: 22 September 2026
Last updated: 10 October 2026
If your budget is flexible and you just want the best phone for your money: buy the iPhone 12 at Ksh 30,000. It is the clearest value in this three-generation range, first-generation 5G, an OLED screen and the same core camera experience as the 13, for less than a used mid-range Android costs new. If your budget is fixed under Ksh 25,000 to 30,000, the iPhone 11 at Ksh 25,000 does everything but 5G. If you want the newest chip and the best battery life in the range and can stretch to Ksh 43,000, buy the iPhone 13.
Prices in Kenya Shillings, VAT included, Grade A refurbished, 6-month warranty, free delivery countrywide.
On this page
- iPhone 11 vs 12 vs 13: the price and spec table
- Which should you actually buy?
- The chip difference, does it actually matter?
- 5G: the real reason 11 and 12/13 split
- Camera and battery: what actually changed each generation
- Buy the one you’ve decided on
- What each generation costs to repair
- Questions people ask when comparing these three
iPhone 11 vs 12 vs 13: the price and spec table
| iPhone 11 | iPhone 12 | iPhone 13 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our price (128GB Pro tier, or 64GB base) | Ksh 25,000 | Ksh 30,000 | Ksh 43,000 |
| Chip | A13 Bionic | A14 Bionic | A15 Bionic |
| Screen | 6.1″ LCD | 6.1″ OLED | 6.1″ OLED |
| 5G | No | Yes | Yes |
| Rear camera | Dual 12MP | Dual 12MP | Dual 12MP, Cinematic mode |
| Battery | 3,110 mAh | 2,815 mAh | 3,240 mAh |
| MagSafe | No | Yes | Yes |
| Released | September 2019 | October 2020 | September 2021 |
| Highest iOS supported | iOS 27 | iOS 27 | iOS 27 |
| Apple Intelligence | No | No | No |
Every full breakdown lives on its own page if you want more detail than this table gives: the iPhone 11 series from Ksh 25,000, the iPhone 12 series from Ksh 26,500, and the iPhone 13 series from Ksh 36,500.
A fair note before you read further: none of these three generations support Apple Intelligence, that cutoff sits at the iPhone 15 Pro. If Apple’s newest AI features are the reason you’re upgrading, all three of these are the wrong purchase, and that’s worth knowing before you spend anything at all, on any of them.
Which should you actually buy?
This is the actual decision most people are trying to make, answered directly.
| If you… | Buy this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Have Ksh 25,000 and that’s genuinely the ceiling | iPhone 11, Ksh 25,000 | No 5G, everything else works fine |
| Want the single best value in the range | iPhone 12, Ksh 30,000 | 5G, OLED and MagSafe for Ksh 5,000 more than the 11 |
| Want the newest chip and the longest battery life | iPhone 13, Ksh 43,000 | A15, Cinematic mode video, all-day battery |
| Are on Nairobi’s patchy 4G/5G rollout and it matters to you | iPhone 12 or 13 | Both support 5G, the 11 doesn’t |
| Mainly use WhatsApp, M-Pesa, calls and photos, nothing demanding | iPhone 11, Ksh 25,000 | The A13 handles all of this without lag, paying more buys you speed you won’t notice |
| Want the best camera for low light specifically | Step up to the iPhone 12 Pro or 13 Pro | None of the base models in this table have a third lens or LiDAR |
The chip difference, does it actually matter?
In daily use, less than the marketing suggests. The A13, A14 and A15 all handle WhatsApp, M-Pesa, banking apps, browsing and everyday photography without visible lag, that’s true across all three generations, we sell all three and hear this from customers directly. Where the difference actually shows up:
- Gaming. Newer, graphically demanding games run more smoothly on the A14 and noticeably better on the A15. If you play current mobile games seriously, this is the one place where paying more buys something you’ll feel.
- Longevity. A newer chip generally means more years of iOS updates ahead before Apple drops support. All three currently run iOS 27, but the 11 will likely be the first of the three to lose support in a future year, simply because it’s two years older.
- Video and computational photography. Cinematic mode (13 only) and faster Night Mode processing (12 and 13) lean on the newer chip’s image signal processor, not just raw speed.
If none of those three apply to you, the chip generation alone is not a reason to pay more.
5G: the real reason 11 and 12/13 split
The iPhone 11 launched before Apple added 5G to any iPhone, it is 4G only, permanently, no software update changes that. The iPhone 12 was Apple’s first 5G iPhone, and the 13 carries it forward with better modem efficiency.
Whether this matters to you depends on where you actually use your phone. 5G coverage in Kenya is still concentrated in Nairobi, Mombasa and a handful of other urban centres, if you’re mostly on WiFi or in an area without 5G towers yet, the iPhone 11 will feel identical day to day. If you’re in a covered area and value having the option as coverage expands, that’s the Ksh 5,000 the iPhone 12 costs over the 11, buying you.
Camera and battery: what actually changed each generation
| iPhone 11 | iPhone 12 | iPhone 13 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main sensor improvements | Baseline dual 12MP | Same sensor generation as 11, better ISP processing | Larger main sensor, best low-light of the three |
| Night mode | Yes, on all lenses | Improved processing speed | Fastest of the three |
| Video | 4K60 | 4K60, Dolby Vision HDR | 4K60, Dolby Vision HDR, Cinematic mode (rack focus effect) |
| Battery (base model) | 3,110 mAh, the biggest cell of the three | 2,815 mAh, the smallest, offset by OLED efficiency | 3,240 mAh, the longest real-world battery life |
| Typical screen-on time | Full day, moderate use | Full day, moderate use | Full day plus, even with heavier use |
: What actually changed, camera and battery, iPhone 11 to 13
The counter-intuitive result here: the iPhone 12 has the smallest battery of the three on paper, but OLED’s efficiency at displaying black pixels roughly offsets the difference against the 11’s larger LCD-era battery in real-world use. The 13 is the genuine battery-life winner of the range, not marginally, its combination of a bigger cell and a more efficient chip is the most noticeable single upgrade if you’re coming from either of the other two.
Buy the one you’ve decided on
Every unit across all three generations is individually graded and tested the same way, 32-point inspection, battery health guaranteed 85%+, 6-month warranty, 7-day no-questions return.
iPhone 11, Ksh 25,000
The lowest price into a still-fully-supported iPhone.
Buy the iPhone 11. Ksh 25,000 See the full iPhone 11 breakdown
iPhone 12, Ksh 30,000
The value pick of this comparison.
Buy the iPhone 12. Ksh 30,000 See the full iPhone 12 breakdown
iPhone 13, Ksh 43,000
The newest chip and the best battery life of the three.
Buy the iPhone 13. Ksh 43,000 See the full iPhone 13 breakdown
Not sure yet?
Check your trade-in value first, it changes the real cost of stepping up a generation more than the sticker price does.
What each generation costs to repair
Repair cost is part of the real cost of ownership, not just the purchase price, and it changes meaningfully across these three generations.
| Repair | iPhone 11 | iPhone 12 | iPhone 13 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen replacement | Ksh 6,500-9,000 | Ksh 7,000-10,000 | Ksh 8,000-11,000 |
| Battery replacement | Ksh 3,000-4,500 | Ksh 3,500-5,000 | Ksh 4,000-5,500 |
| Charging port | Ksh 2,000-3,500 | Ksh 2,500-4,000 | Ksh 2,500-4,000 |
: Typical base-model repair costs in Nairobi, by generation
Repair costs rise gradually with each generation, mostly because parts for the newer OLED and 5G-era hardware cost more to source and to fit correctly. It’s a real but small difference, not large enough on its own to be a deciding factor either way.
Questions people ask when comparing these three
Which is better, the iPhone 11, 12 or 13? For most people, the iPhone 12 is the best value, 5G and an OLED screen for only Ksh 5,000 more than the 11. The 13 is the better phone outright if you can afford the extra Ksh 13,000 over the 12, mainly for its battery life and chip. The 11 is the right call if Ksh 25,000 is a firm ceiling.
Is it worth paying more for the iPhone 12 over the 11? Yes, for most buyers. Ksh 5,000 buys you 5G, an OLED screen with genuinely deeper blacks, and MagSafe. None of those are essential, but at that price gap they’re a reasonable upgrade for most people, not a luxury tax.
Is it worth paying more for the iPhone 13 over the 12? It depends on your budget more than the phones themselves. The chip and battery improvements are real and noticeable, but the iPhone 12 already covers 5G and OLED. If Ksh 13,000 is a meaningful amount to you, the 12 is not a compromise, it’s the smarter buy.
Do all three still get software updates? Yes. Apple shipped iOS 27 to all three generations, the 11, 12 and 13, in September 2026. None of them support Apple Intelligence, that feature is limited to the iPhone 15 Pro and newer.
Which of these has the best camera? The iPhone 13 has the best base-model camera of the three, a larger main sensor and Cinematic mode video that neither the 11 nor 12 have. If camera quality is your main priority and budget allows, step up further again to the 12 Pro or 13 Pro for a third lens and LiDAR.
Which of these has 5G? The iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 both support 5G. The iPhone 11 does not and never will, it launched before Apple added 5G to any iPhone.
Should I skip the iPhone 11 entirely in 2026? Not necessarily. If your budget is genuinely capped near Ksh 25,000, the 11 is still a fully supported, capable phone, the case against it is only strong if you specifically need 5G or want the longest remaining software support window, in which case the 12 or 13 make more sense.