The iPhone 12 was announced not too long ago, in October 2020, but the industry doesn’t stop, and information about the next generation immediately began to emerge. See below everything we already know, thanks to rumors and leaks, about the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max.
“New design
Possible changes to the iPhone’s design always attract attention. And with five months to go before the device’s launch, the rumors are starting to converge.
In early April, Japanese website Mac Otakara released a video of a “mockup” of what would be the iPhone 13. Although quite “raw”, the object would have been built according to specifications from insiders in the smartphone production chain.
In the photo, you can see some changes: a narrower notch, front camera infrared sensor (for Face ID) moved to the left and repositioning of the front speaker, which is now in a “slit” right next to the frame of the device.
These are the same changes shown in 3D model renderings published by 91Mobiles , which include a comparison to the current iPhone 12 Pro.
The images also appear to show a slightly larger camera module, which matches rumors that the iPhone 13 will have a sensor with “pixels” larger than the iPhone 12, and therefore able to capture more light.
The site MySmartPrice also published renderings of 3D models, but this time the iPhone 13. It seems to bring some of the same changes 13 iPhone Pro, as the speaker repositioning and rearrangement of the sensors in the notch.
Note that the position of the “windows” for the sensors, in the red circles in the image below, matches the position in the Mac Otakara mockup .
The design shown by the three sites also matches images of glass panels for the iPhone 13, provided by Greek repair company iRepair to the MacRumors website . It suggests that Apple will maintain three screen sizes: 5.4 inches (mini), 6.1 inches and 6.7 inches.
According to the websites, both the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 13 Pro will have almost the same dimensions as the current models: 14.67 x 7.15 cm and 7.6 mm thick. Notice something? They are 0.2mm thicker than their predecessors. This may indicate a battery with slightly larger capacity.
Internal changes
Market analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who specializes in Apple, stated in a note obtained by MacRumors that, in addition to the reduced notch, the iPhone 13 line can also have at least one Pro model with 1 TB of internal space and 120 Hz screens .
Previously, Kuo claimed that at least one high-end iPhone would feature a portless design by 2021. However, he seems to have changed his mind: his note states that “there will be no portless design” on the market this year.
“If the iPhone leaves Lightning in the future, it may adopt the MagSafe-enabled design instead of using a USB-C port,” Kuo wrote. “Right now the MagSafe ecosystem isn’t mature enough, so the iPhone will continue to use the Lightning port.”
A video on the EverythingApplePro YouTube channel states that there will be changes in display technology: they will be OLED LTPO panels, like those used in the Apple Watch Series 6 , which have lower power consumption and variable refresh rate.
With this, the iPhone 13 would have an “always on” mode, which even with the device locked would keep some information, such as clock, battery charge and notifications always visible.
It’s something that already exists on several Android smartphones with OLED screens (same technology used on the iPhone 12). In this type of screen, there is no “lamp” or LED to light it from behind: each pixel produces its own light, and a black pixel is effectively off and consuming zero energy.
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In an Always On mode, most of the screen is turned off, which greatly reduces consumption and allows the feature to be implemented with less impact on battery life.
To further reduce energy consumption, the iPhone 13 would have the ProMotion technology, which already exists in some iPad models, which allows you to dynamically vary the screen refresh rate from 1 Hz (once per second) to 120 Hz, according to with what is being shown. The lower the refresh rate, the lower the screen’s power consumption.
New lens on cameras
Another rumor from Ming-Chi Kuo concerns cameras. Apple reportedly signed a contract with China’s Sunny Optical to produce the set of lenses for the iPhone 13. The company has already successfully completed the approval and testing stage, and may also manufacture the lenses for this year’s iPads.
For now, the production of lenses used in iPhones is divided between three different companies: Largan, Genius Electronic Optical (Yujingguang) and Japan’s Kantatsu, which also produces lenses for some of LG’s camera modules.
Kuo also points out at least three major improvements to the ultrawide camera on the upcoming iPhone. The aperture is expected to change from f/2.4 to f/1.8, which would allow more light to enter the sensor and should have a significant impact on the quality of images captured in low-light scenarios.
Another speculation indicates a change in the amount of elements in the wide-angle sensor, going from five to six. This can improve the sharpness of photos and help prevent blurry images.
Finally, Kuo says telephoto could undergo “dramatic changes in 2022”. Next year, Apple is expected to adopt a new design for the sensor, offering up to 10 times optical zoom.
Support for 5G mmWave networks in more countries
iPhone 12 models sold in the US support two types of 5G networks: mmWave, which has high speed but very limited range, typically a few dozen meters around a tower; and Sub-6 GHz, which has much greater range but slower speed. Models sold abroad only support Sub-6 GHz networks.
But that could change on the iPhone 13, with mmWave support being extended to more countries. According to an article on the Patently Apple website , quoting industry sources, a Taiwanese company called Qiqi is receiving a “large order” for mmWave antennas that will be used on the iPhone 13. The antennas used on the iPhone 12 are currently produced by the Japanese company Murata, which will split the order with Qiqi.
Qiqi director Xie Hongbo recently announced that the company’s production of components related to 5G networks would increase “significantly” this year, which adds strength to the rumor.
Recently Winstrom, which is one of Apple’s suppliers, made an investment in Qiqi and became its biggest shareholder. She would have been responsible for adding Qiqi to Apple’s supply chain. Another factor is that the company works together with Qualcomm in the development of its antennas for 5G and Wi-Fi 6.
Apple plans to put LiDAR on all 13 iPhones
According to the Taiwanese newspaper Digitimes , Apple plans to include LiDAR (a “laser radar” used to map a scene in three dimensions) in all iPhone 13 models. Currently, only the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max (in addition to the iPad Pro) have the resource.
The decision would follow a company pattern of adding some features to high-end models and, over time, incorporating them into cheaper models. One example is the OLED screens, which were only available on the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max, and are now used on all iPhone 12.
According to MacRumors , Apple is expected to return to the “traditional” iPhone launch schedule in 2021, with an event in September where the iPhone 13 (with a 6.1″ screen) and three variants: mini (5 .4″), Pro (6.1″) and Pro Max (6.7”).