The iPhone 13 remains several months away from becoming a reality, but there’s still a steady drumbeat of rumors about what Apple has planned for this year’s models. And all these details trickling out have created a surprisingly complete picture of the iPhone 13, even at this early stage.
We have an increasingly good idea of what to expect from the new iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max. Leaks and rumors keep rolling in, revealing everything from the likely release date to the probable design, specs and features
What else have we heard? Apple’s next flagship could have an even lower price than the iPhone 12, a slimmer notch, a beefier camera bump and a sleek portless body. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, we should expect to see four models again this year, which I listed earlier.
From everything we’ve heard so far, the iPhone 13 is set to offer a 120Hz LTPO display on both Pro models, improved battery life thanks to a more efficient 5G modem, and substantial upgrades to the all-important cameras. That includes the possibility a LiDAR sensor on cheaper iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini, as well as a new portrait video mode.
- Advertisement -
Latest news about iPhone 13 (updated June 9)
- A new report says that Apple has vastly increased orders for a critical camera component for the iPhone 13, which suggests that a major upgrade could be on the way.
- Apple has announced iOS 15, which brings a lot of new features to the iPhone and will launch this fall alongside the iPhone 13. Check out everything that’s new.
- All iPhone 13 models have been rumored to be getting larger batteries. The biggest increase is reportedly going to the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Release date: iPhone 13 should be here by mid-September
So far, there’s no official word on when we can expect to see Apple’s next iPhone. An April report suggested the manufacturing of the iPhones’ new chips were running ahead of schedule, putting the iPhone 13 release date back on Apple’s pre-pandemic timeline. Usually, we can predict with some degree of accuracy when Apple’s iPhone events will occur and extrapolate a release date based on that.
If the iPhone 13 release date follows Apple’s pattern for previous launches, we could see this device hit shelves on the fourth Friday of September 2021. That would be September 24.
iPhone 13 design
We’re expecting similar designs to the iPhone 12 family, and the screen technology is likely to be similar as well because the company made big upgrades to that element of the iPhone 12.
A recent rumor suggests that Apple will manage to trim down the camera bump this year, as well as introduce a matte black option for the Pro models of the phone, reworked from the current graphite.
A variety of leaks and reports have the iPhone 13 tipped to come with a smaller display notch, after several generations of using the same, somewhat bulky notch.
Apple will apparently achieve this notch downsizing by combining the currently separated infrared flood illuminator, sensor and dot projector, which make up the iPhone 12’s Face ID unlocking system, into a single module. With two fewer sensors required, we should see a much narrower notch on the iPhone 13.
A separate report from Digitimes says that the die size of the VCSEL chips used in the Face ID scanner will shrink by 40 to 50%. As a result, a smaller Face ID chip could mean a smaller notch for the iPhone 13.
The earpiece speaker will no longer be housed in the notch, moving instead to the top bezel, according to an iPhone 13 Pro Max dummy unit showing off the new design and smaller notch. Another iPhone 13 Pro dummy unit (sourced by Mac Otakara) also shows a smaller notch up front, using that same design. Leaked glass screen protectors seemingly confirm the change.
That iPhone 13 Pro Max dummy unit suggested this year’s phone will be slightly thicker than the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Subsequent iPhone 13 schematics reveal that will be the case for all iPhone 13 models — they’re thicker than their iPhone 12 counterparts with larger camera arrays.
Another leak has revealed a set of images from Greek repair provider iRepair which apparently show off the iPhone 13 in a trio of sizes with a smaller display notch. As with the dummy units, the notch is notably more compact and looks to have moved the phone’s earpiece to the top bezel rather than keep it inside the notch.
If you want a better idea of what a finished iPhone 13 might look like, a slew of renders have revealed it from every angle. The shots above are the result of a collaboration between case maker Pigtou and leaker xleaks7, and show off a (Product) RED edition of the iPhone 13. Similar iPhone 13 renders from artist Vova LD also depict an iPhone with a smaller notch and larger rear cameras.
LetsGoDigital also published some iPhone 13 renders — actually labeled as the iPhone 12s Pro — that show off Apple’s phone with a smaller notch and a Touch ID sensor under the phone’s display.
These renders give us a good look at some of the likely features on the next-gen iPhone — including the smaller notch, but also a possible change to the camera module, which would see the lenses stacked diagonally rather than vertically.
iPhone 13 specs, battery and other leaks
The iPhone 12 models did not wow on our battery life test. Only the iPhone 12 Pro Max truly impressed with its large battery. However, another report from Ming-Chi Kuo about so-called soft battery technology in the iPhone 13 claimed that the new iPhones could offer increased battery capacity without growing the design footprint.
This seems to be backed up by a recent claim from leaker L0vetodream, who has tipped battery capacity increases for all models. The iPhone 13 Pro Max is the big winner here, gaining an 18% increase from 3,687 mAh to 4,352 mAh. The other three models’ increases are all much smaller, but would still go some way to fixing the short battery life issue.
One source (leaker Jon Prosser) has also suggested that 2021 may be when we see the introduction of 1TB iPhones. That’s a storage size the company hasn’t experimented with yet, at least for its smartphones, and we’d expect it to be an option on the phone’s most expensive Pro handsets.
hope y’all are ready for 1TB iphones October 28, 2020
If Prosser’s information is correct, that may well make for the most expensive iPhone ever as that’s a lot of storage on one handset. This kind of option would be more useful for professionals than average users, but for now it’s just a prototype Apple is testing apparently.
That said, an analyst has since made the same claim, so a 1TB model is looking ever more likely.
There have also been rumors of a portless iPhone debuting in 2021. It may be the company only has one handset that does this, but it would mean it’ll only use wireless charging.
It’s a claim that we’ve heard from a number of sources, but most suggest that only one model (most likely the iPhone 13 Pro Max) will go portless. Apple is apparently trying to figure out how a portless iPhone could be reset, too.
Do You Want To Receive Update As Soon As We Publish? JOIN US ON TELEGRAM NOW
