The iPhone 13 series will be Apple’s flagship iPhone lineup for 2021. Unlike last year’s iPhone 12, the iPhone 13 series is going to be an ‘S’ upgrade with major internal improvements. There won’t be any breakthrough new feature, but lots of small changes and improvements to help with overall usability.
The iPhone 13 lineup will consist of four models: the iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max. Read below to know everything about the iPhone 13 series.
Make sure to read our guide on whether you should buy the iPhone 12 now or wait for the iPhone 13 series if you are looking to buy a new iPhone.
iPhone 13 Display – 120Hz ProMotion
There were rumors of Apple adding a 120Hz display on the iPhone 12 series last year, but that did not happen. This year though, Apple is rumored to include a 120Hz high refresh rate display on at least the iPhone 13 Pro models. Samsung will reportedly exclusively supply Apple with these high refresh rate panels.
The regular iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini models are expected to continue using a 60Hz panel. This difference will also help Apple in further distinguishing between the Pro and non-Pro iPhone 13 models.
With almost every mid-range to premium Android smartphone featuring a high refresh rate display, the addition of a 120Hz panel on the iPhones has been long overdue. The higher refresh rate will further refine the user experience and increase the smoothness of the UI.
Rumors also indicate Apple adding Always-on Display support on the iPhone 13 series, similar to how Apple has implemented it on the Apple Watch. However,
iPhone 13 Design – Thicker, Smaller Notch, Bigger Batteries
The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro series will be thicker than their predecessors. While the bump in thickness is not clearly known, it will allow Apple to include bigger, beefier batteries on the upcoming iPhones.
A leak suggests the jump in battery capacity will be pretty noticeable, with the iPhone 13 Pro Max featuring a massive 4352mAh battery. For comparison, the iPhone 12 Pro Max features a 3687mAh battery. Similarly, the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro are rumored to feature a 3095mAh battery vs. a 2815mAh battery found on the iPhone 12 Pro. The iPhone 13 mini will also get a sizeable bump in battery capacity to 2406mAh, up from the 2227mAh cell found on the iPhone 12 mini.
This sizeable jump in battery capacity should allow the iPhone 13 series to last noticeably longer than the iPhone 12 series. The difference should be especially visible on 5G networks and when the phones are used hard.
To go along with the bigger batteries, Apple is also rumored to bump the charging speed on the new iPhones to 25W. MagSafe is also going to be improved in iPhone 13, with Apple using stronger magnets to offer a more secure connection with accessories.
One major design change on the iPhone 13 series will be a smaller notch at the front. Apple won’t completely get rid of the notch, but it will at least make it smaller on the iPhone 13. The Face ID hardware will also be updated to work with masks, though that does sound far-fetching and too optimistic.
Dummy iPhone 13 models have shown just how much smaller the notch is going to get compared to the iPhone 12 series. The company will reportedly achieve this by using smaller Face ID sensors and pushing the earpiece speaker to the very edge of the display.
Photos of iPhone 13 dummy models and leaked renders also show the camera placement at the rear to be diagonal, a relatively minor change. Apple is likely going to offer the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro in new colors to help them stand out from the iPhone 12 series.
iPhone 13 Camera – Bigger Sensors
Rumors suggest Apple will use bigger camera sensors on the entire iPhone 13 series this year. Additionally, the company will bring sensor-shift stabilization across its entire iPhone 13 lineup, which should help improve low-light photos. Sensor-shift stabilization will allow for slightly longer shutter speeds in such scenarios by effectively smoothening out little jerks.
As for the bigger primary camera sensor, not much is known about that as of now. A bigger sensor should offer a better dynamic range and help improve low-light photos.
The LiDAR scanner will remain exclusive to the iPhone 13 Pro series. So, all associated features that it brings to the table — faster autofocus speeds in low-light, Night Portrait shots — will continue to remain exclusively available on them.
Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has claimed the ultra-wide camera on the iPhone 13 series will feature a wider f/1.8 lens with autofocus support. This should lead to a noticeable jump in image quality, especially in low-light conditions. For comparison, the iPhone 12’s ultra-wide camera features an f/2.4 fixed focus lens.
iPhone 13 – A15 Bionic, Faster 5G
The iPhone 13 series will come with Apple’s next-gen A15 Bionic chip. Just like every year, this year’s A15 chip should also set a new benchmark in terms of performance and efficiency. Apple should also focus on further improving the ML and AI performance of the chip as they become increasingly important.
The iPhone 13 series will also feature a newer, faster, and more efficient 5G modem from Qualcomm. This should help the upcoming iPhones in offering faster 5G speeds while consuming less battery power. Apple also plans to launch the mmWave 5G compatible version of the iPhone 13 series in more markets this time around.
Apple delayed the launch of the iPhone 12 series last year due to the supply-chain disruptions caused by the pandemic. This year, the company plans to stick to its usual launch timeframe for the new iPhones and announce them in September.
However, since COVID cases are not completely under control, Apple will be hosting a virtual launch event for the iPhone 13 series.
iPhone 13 mini Will Continue to Live
The iPhone 12 mini did not exactly set the sales chart on fire. In fact, Apple reportedly stopped production of the iPhone 12 mini within a few months of its launch.
Despite the iPhone 12 mini’s failure, Apple will launch the iPhone 13 mini this year. However, this will likely be the last mini iPhone from Apple, as the company will once again revamp its iPhone lineup with different screen sizes next year.
iPhone 13 Price
The iPhone 13 will feature the same retail price as the iPhone 12 series. This means the iPhone 13 mini should start from $699, while the iPhone 13 will possibly carry a starting price tag of $799. As for the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, their pricing should start from $999 and $1,099, respectively.
A recent leak from DigiTimes does claim that Apple could increase the price of the iPhone 13 series due to a hike in chip prices from TSMC.
Leaks have revealed the potential pre-order and release date of the iPhone 13 series.
