The iPhone 13 Is Weeks Away | Here’s What We Know (and What We Want)
Credit: Apple_Tomorrow / Twitter
It's crazy to think, but the iPhone 12 is almost one year old. And not only that, but it's soon to be replaced by the upcoming iPhone 13. We're only a few weeks away from seeing the best iPhone yet. That is if Apple doesn't decide to push the iPhone event to October like it did last year. The good news is many reports suggest that Apple will go back to a September event. This is great because we can't wait to see what the iPhone 13 has in store. There have been countless rumors about the next iPhone – rumors about the iPhone 13 started when the iPhone 12 wasn't even out yet, so you can see why we can't wait to find out what's actually coming and what's not. Many features and changes are coming to the iPhone 13 lineup, so if you've been out of the loop lately, continue reading to browse everything that's coming to the iPhone 13 (as well as a few things we want to see).
Larger Camera Bumps, Lenses, and More
According to many rumors, Apple's making the camera bumps and lenses on the back of the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro models much larger to increase light sensitivity. Other than the size difference, Apple will also rearrange the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini camera lenses. That means your current cases won't fit, and you'll need to buy new ones. Also, for the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 13 mini, Apple might add the sensor-shift stabilization feature, which only the iPhone 12 Pro models currently have. As for the rearranging of the camera, it's possible that it's just an aesthetic change.
Learn More: The ‘iPhone 13’ Is Getting These Three Incredible Camera Upgrades (+ More)
Smaller Notch, Bigger Batteries
Yes, Apple might have finally figured out a way to make the notch on the iPhone 13 smaller. Many reports suggest that Apple will change the location of the receiver in the TrueDepth camera on the iPhone 13. Since now it's said to be on the edge of the iPhone's casing, Apple will have more room to make the notch smaller. Not only that, but the new camera module used on the iPhone 13 will also be redesigned, which leaves more room to shrink the overall size of the notch.
Learn more: ‘iPhone 13’ Set to Launch Next Month with Bigger Batteries, Expanded Ultra-Fast mmWave 5G, and More
We Will (Thankfully) Get a New iPhone mini
Apple's said to repeat last year's lineup for the iPhone 13. That means we're expecting to see an iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max. This might surprise many people since the current iPhone 12 mini hasn't been selling as much as Apple would've liked. Still, it seems the company will stick to the same four models for this year's iPhone lineup. Although, this might be the last time we see something like that. According to sources, Apple will ditch the "mini" iPhone next year. We'll still see four different models, but there will be two models at the regular iPhone's size and two at the iPhone Pro Max's size.
Wi-Fi 6E Support
There have been rumors going around lately that Apple will add Wi-Fi 6E support on the iPhone 13. Since you also need to have a router that supports Wi-Fi 6E, many of us won't be able to use this feature right away. However, just like 5G, it's a way for Apple to make the iPhone 13 futureproof. Plus is better to have it and not need it, right? In case you didn't know, Wi-Fi 6E is basically the new generation of Wi-Fi. It's meant to open another band with a spectrum of up to 1,200 MHZ, which is three times as much as your current Wi-Fi. That means more room for more devices to be connected with no lag or slow connections.
Will We See a Portless iPhone?
An iPhone with no ports—Lightning or USB-C—has been an ongoing rumor since a while back. It seems like one of Apple's dreams is to make a completely portless iPhone that only uses wireless charging. At first, there were many rumors that said Apple was going to release an iPhone 13 model with no ports. However, it seems like Apple will ditch the idea, and it's going to keep a Lightning port across all iPhone 13 models. So, although it's still uncertain, this almost definitely won't be the year we see the first portless iPhone. Who knows, maybe 2022 will be it.
Buttery-Smooth 120Hz Display
This is something we know is coming to the iPhone 13 lineup, but not for every model. We were expecting a 120Hz display on the iPhone 12 last year, but it seems that Apple had to delay it because of some technical issues and component sourcing problems. Still, 2021 seems to be the year we'll finally see an iPhone with a 120Hz ProMotion display. So why do we still want it? According to the rumors, Apple will only bring this feature to the pricier Pro models – and even though it makes sense that only the iPhone 13 Pro models will enjoy this feature, many smartphones, which cost less than the iPhone 12 Pro or iPhone 12 Pro Max, already have this feature available. We want and hope that Apple brings this feature to all four iPhone 13 models. It seems unlikely, but one can only hope, right?
M1 iPhone 13?
This year, Apple surprised us when it announced that the 2021 iPad Pro would come with the M1 chip, which is the same as Apple's newest Macs. Having Apple Silicon on the iPad Pro made the tablet a worthy opponent for many laptops and desktops in the market. Can you imagine how cool it would be to have the same power on your iPhone? Not only would an Apple Silicon chipset the iPhone 13 Pro models apart from its competition, but it would also separate the Pro version from the regular model. Plus, it would make more sense to call it Pro that way. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen, at least not this year. Apple is said to use the A15 processor on all iPhone 13 models. Don't get me wrong, that chip is going to be powerful – but having an Apple Silicon chip would take it to the next level.
An Always-On Display
An Always-On Display is something we've wanted for the iPhone for many years now. Many other smartphones, like the Samsung Galaxy phones, have had this feature for years now, and since Apple added Always-On to the Apple Watch, many of us want the company to move it to the iPhone. But will the iPhone 13 have an Always-On Display? The answer is maybe, but we aren't sure yet. Many leakers and Apple analysts claim that an Always-On Display is possible on the iPhone 13, but there isn't something concrete as the other rumors. Still, it'll be a nice and welcomed surprise we hope to see at the next event.