Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in his latest investor note says that Apple will be using an f/1.5 aperture for the iPhone 13 Pro Max wide-angle camera. This would make the aperture slightly wider than the f/1.6 lens currently found on the iPhone 12 series.

This should help the sensor absorb more light, thereby improving low-light photos and improving the overall sharpness. Apple will also continue to use a 7P lens on the iPhone 13 series this year, similar to the one it uses on the iPhone 12 series.

Chinese lens supplier Sunny Optical will be the primary supplier of the 7P lens components for the iPhone 13 series. It should start shipping the 7W wide-angle lenses to Apple in the second quarter of 2021. Apple is not expected to dramatically improve the camera setup on the iPhone 13 series this year. Apple could still eke out more imaging improvements for this year’s iPhone by processing improvements and taking full advantage of the A15 Bionic’s more powerful ISP.

The company is also rumored to use a wide f/1.8 aperture for the ultra-wide camera on the iPhone 13 series, which should greatly help with its low-light photos and overall sharpness. For comparison, the current iPhone 12 lineup features an f/2.4 aperture for the ultra-wide camera. Apple is also expected to use the 65mm telephoto lens of the iPhone 12 Pro Max on the iPhone 13 Pro this year. The LiDAR sensor is also expected to make its way to the non-Pro iPhone 13 series.

Our Take

The iPhone 13 series is looking like a minor upgrade this year. Rumors point to Apple using ProMotion 120Hz displays on the iPhone 13 Pro series, faster 5G modem, a more efficient 5nm A15 Bionic chip, beefier batteries, and slight improvements to the camera. We are likely looking at an ‘S’ upgrade this year, with the changes focused on improving the overall user experience.