The upcoming iPhone 13 series is now expected to be released next month with a 120Hz display, a smaller notch area, and enhanced battery life.
Apple’s new iPhone 13 series is eagerly anticipated to arrive next month, and if rumours are to be believed, then Apple fans have a lot to look forward to in the newest generation of iOS smartphones!
First, what is the iPhone 13 release date?
Apple’s typical release cycle for the iPhone is somewhat routine, although the global pandemic threw a spanner into the works in 2020. Most of the time, the new iPhone models are announced with fanfare at the start of September and then become available to us a week or so later.
However, in recent years there have been one or two devices that were announced in September, but then appeared later than normal, with the iPhone XR being released in October 2018 and the iPhone X arriving in November 2017.
Because of the huge disruption caused by COVID-19, the iPhone 12 was delayed until October, but now with life slowly returning to normal we are hoping for the traditional September release for the new iPhone 13 in 2021. (fingers crossed!)
Bloomberg has suggested that Apple is planning to manufacture as many as 90 million new iPhones, which is a huge 20% increase when compared to the iPhone 12. The Chinese news agency cnbeta has also hinted that Apple has ordered over 100 million A15 chipsets earmarked for use for their new products, including the new iPad Mini 6.
How much will the new iPhone 13 cost?
As you can see from the following list, iPhone prices have fluctuated a little over the past few iPhone models:
- iPhone X: £999/$999
- iPhone XS: £999/$999
- iPhone 11: £729/$699
- iPhone 12: £799/$799
The drop in price of the iPhone 11 is likely because it was launched at the same time as the release of the iPhone Pro range. However, the increase of the price of the iPhone 12 by £70/$100 is a little less obvious. Although, it does mean the existing Apple smartphone range is now quite standardised, with options at differing price points. The full iPhone catalogue of models looks like this:
iPhone 12 Pro Max – £1,099/$1,099
iPhone 12 Pro – £999/$999
iPhone 12 – £799/$799
iPhone 12 Mini – £699/$699
iPhone 11 – £599/$599
iPhone XR – £499/$499
iPhone SE – £399/$399
As shown above, the iPhone 12 is priced slightly above the mid-range, £100/$100 more expensive than the new iPhone 12 mini, but £200/$200 less than the iPhone 12 Pro. The cheaper end of the list is populated by older iPhones that have been kept in circulation to give buyers the opportunity to enter the world of iOS without having to spend around £700/$700.
With the above pricing structure in mind, we would take an educated guess that Apple will be swapping new devices for old when it updates the range in 2021. Therefore Apple’s iPhone 13 is likely to cost about £799/$799, with the Mini and Pro devices on either side of that pricing.
What new features will the iPhone 13 have?
- A smaller Face ID notch
- Better cameras for the whole range
- 120Hz refresh rate on Pro models
- A faster processor
- Increased storage with up to 1TB
- In-display Touch ID is now expected
As the new iPhone 13 is yet to be unveiled, we don’t have much concrete news regarding its features or specification. However, as always, that hasn’t stopped the rumours from flying! The usual various leaks and speculation about what Apple has in store for us has provided us with a few theories…
A thicker phone
Although it’s very likely that the iPhone 13 range of devices will look largely the same as the iPhone 12, rumours say it might be slightly thicker in this version. But why? Well it might be caused by the camera module according to leaked documents shared by MacRumours.
However, renders showing what LeaksApplePro have claimed is the ‘finalised’ iPhone 13 Pro show a slight reduction in the camera bump. They seem particularly confident that this information.
This also appears to be the case with a photo posted by leaker Sonny Dickson, which apparently shows dummy models of the whole iPhone 13 range, and also confirms the rearranged camera module.
Mac Otakara also states that the thickness of the iPhone 13 range will be increased by approximately 0.26mm, and that the latest models will be heavier than their predecessors because of their larger batteries.
A smaller Face ID notch
Since launching the iPhone X, the notch at the top of the screen that contains the Face ID cameras has been quite a contentious issue. While some people quite like it, some have simply got used to it, and some people absolutely can’t stand it.
The new iPhone 13 model is unlikely to completely do away with this feature, but Ice Universe has stated that they believe that the notch will be slimmed down a bit so that it doesn’t take up as much real estate on the display.
This opinion is reinforced by MacOtakara, who also reports that the iPhone 13 will feature a reduced notch due to the shrinking of the TrueDepth camera system.
LeaksApplePro has posted renders of what they claim is the finalised iPhone 13 Pro, which seems to confirm the smaller notch.
Mark Gurman from Bloomberg and Ming-Chi Kuo also state that the controversial notch will be reduced on the iPhone 13, and Kuo has even said that Apple will most likely introduce a hole punch like configuration when certain iPhone 14 models are launched in 2022.
Although, a tweet from the reliable tipster @MauriQHD says that a new release of the iPhone may get rid of the notch altogether, although this would mean marginally thicker bezels.
120Hz refresh rate
Whether the notch is reduced or not, the display itself is quite likely to feature significant upgrades, with high expectation that the iPhone 13 will increase to a 90Hz or 120Hz refresh rate that will allow ProMotion scrolling and help to catch the Apple smartphones up with most of the Android flagship models.
There also seems to be speculation that the new models of iPhone will be enhanced by switching to Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide or LTPO panels, which are currently being used on the Apple Watch. These would mean increased energy efficiency over the current OLED panels, and that in turn may significantly increase the battery life.
Improved camera setup
On the hot topic of the camera setup, rumours are that minor, but reasonably significant, changes will be introduced.
Mac Otakara says that it’s likely the rear camera setup of the entire iPhone 13 range of devices could be covered in sapphire glass, and the iPhone 13 Pro will feature the same camera module as the 13 Pro Max, including sensor-shifted OIS.
DigitTimes Asia claims Apple increased VCM orders far beyond what is usually expected, and this is a component which could very well be utilised in the sensor-shift OIS system, which would suggest it could be introduced to other models of the new iPhone 13.
It has been speculated that every phone in the iPhone 13 range could include LiDAR technology on the rear cameras. Daniel Ives, analyst at Wedbush, claimed in an investor’s note, seen by MacRumors at the beginning of June, stating that LiDAR will likely remain limited to the iPhone 13 Pro models. Although it is worth pointing out that Ming-Chi Kuo, TrendForce, and leaker @Dylandkt all disagreed with the theory.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has also suggested that a portrait video mode is in production, and also “a new ProRes video-recording feature that will let iPhone users capture clips in a higher-quality format that gives editors more control during post-production”. Gurman also describes an additional feature that will “let users better control the look of colors and highlights in their pictures” that will allow users to, among other things, change colours to appear warmer or cooler without affecting white tones.
Indian tech blog MySmartPrice posted 3D renders of what it says is the standard model of iPhone 13, showing a familiar design with a notable difference in the rear camera layout.
The render clearly shows a diagonally arranged rear-facing camera setup, and although it isn’t clear why this should be the case, it may be to allow the new sensor-shifted OIS.
Processors & storage
We can speculate with some confidence that the iPhone 13 will launch with the latest version of Apple’s A-series processors. Just as the iPhone 11 included an A13 Bionic and the iPhone 12 shipped with the A14 Bionic. It’s also a fair assumption that Apple’s iPhone 13 will come with a new A15 Bionic.
Exactly how this will enhance the performance is yet to be determined, but we can expect enhanced performance and improved energy management with the new silicon. An intriguing tweet which appeared in October 2020 from tipster Jon Prosser was that the iPhone 13 could include a 1TB storage tier. This increase would double the maximum storage currently available on the iPhone Pro line up, and greatly increase that of the iPhone 12 basic model.
The variety of storage options for the iPhone have stayed the same ever since the release of the iPhoneXS in 2018, and Samsung began offering a 1TB option with the Galaxy S10. So it would be a very good time for Apple to update its offering to reflect the higher quality videos and larger apps we all have on our phones nowadays.
Touch ID makes a comeback
This rumour has been circulating for quite a while now, and some people suggest that it would be a feature of the iPhone 12, but of course as we now know, that was not true.
Originally, Bloomberg suggested that Apple was planning on bringing Touch ID back to the iPhone, as it has remained a staple on the Mac and less expensive iPhones. However, with a significant change, it will be integrated into the display this time.
The reintroduction of this functionality makes a great deal of sense when taking into account the need to wear facemasks more regularly, rendering Apple’s advanced Face ID tech essentially useless. A combination of Face ID and Touch ID would therefore give users the best of both worlds and speed up the unlock process when required.
More mmWave
A somewhat unexpected rumour is that Apple may be planning to expand the use of mmWave 5G technology on the next generation of iPhones. In the iPhone 12 series, only the US models have mmWave support, whereas models elsewhere are limited to Sub-6GHz frequencies which are more extensively supported by non US networks.
However, a report from DigiTimes Asia has claimed that more than 50% of iPhone 13 models may include a mmWave modem. Given the availability of mmWave this will probably help with future-proofing, making sure that more iPhone 13s will continue to support the faster 5G standard when it is more widely available worldwide in a few years.
Larger batteries & faster charging
An extremely popular difference from the next generation of iPhone is likely to include bigger batteries than ever before. This is partly to compensate for the additional tech, particularly the high-power 120Hz displays.
Apple themselves do not tend to publicly share specific battery capacities for the iPhones, and they tend to try to keep battery life consistent year-on-year. So perhaps we shouldn’t expect a vast extension to battery life, rather it is more likely that these larger batteries will assist the phones in keeping up with the 12 series, and also deliver a little extra power.
Charging itself could also be improved slightly. When talking to EverythingApplePro, leaker Max Weinbach has stated that the wireless charging coils inside the iPhone 13 phones will be larger than in the iPhone 12 series.
This could mean faster wireless charging speeds, increased from the 15W limit of the iPhone 12. It might even mean the introduction of reverse wireless charging to allow you to wirelessly charge AirPods or other products from your iPhone.
New colours
The new iPhone 13 Pro line could include a new matte black colour option, which it is claimed is significantly darker than the existing Graphite and Space Grey colour options available on some Apple devices. Leaker Lanzuk, posted on Naver claiming that the iPhone 13 Pro models will be available in not only black, but silver, rose gold and sunset gold too.
Apple will ditch all ports on the iPhone
Possibly the strangest rumours gaining attention is that Apple will remove the Lightning port, and rather than move to USB-C like on the MacBook and iPad Pros, it will surprisingly have no ports at all. This would mean all charging is wireless, and connecting your iPhone to another device or peripheral will have to be done by Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
Jon Prosser and his fellow tipster ‘Fudge’ have already agreed publicly on this theory, and Bloomberg has also claimed Apple discussed the idea. With Apple’s recent history of removing ports, and at the same time releasing pretty expensive wireless accessories, we could see it happening. But maybe not with the next generation of the iPhone, with the new iPhone 13.
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