iPhone 13 Rumored to Feature 'Thinner' Notch, Overall Design to Remain Unchanged
Apple is expected to continue to offer four iPhone options in 2021, with the iPhone 13 to be identical in design to the iPhone 12 with few changes, according to a new report today from Japanese site Mac Otakara that cites sources within the Chinese supply chain.
The height and width of the four iPhone models are expected to remain the same, but thickness could increase by approximately 0.26mm.
The rear camera unit is expected to increase in size by 0.9mm on all iPhone 13 models, and Apple will shift to a design that "covers the entire camera unit with sapphire glass." The lenses are expected to protrude less in a design that's more similar to the 2020 iPad Pro, which has a thick camera bump but less protrusion when it comes to the lens design.
Mac Otakara believes that the iPhone 13 Pro could feature sensor-shift optical image stabilization, a feature that Apple included in the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
As for the front of the iPhone 13, the site suggests that the TrueDepth camera "is getting narrower" because the receiver at the top of the display will move to the edge of the case. This suggests that the notch on the next-generation iPhone could be slightly thinner.
This is the second time that we've heard rumors of a thinner or shallower notch, so it's possible the 2021 iPhone models will have a notch that's the same length but not as tall.
Other iPhone 13 rumors have suggested we could see some models getting LTPO OLED displays with support for 120Hz refresh dates, and there will, of course, be a faster A15 chip. We have more on what to expect from the iPhone 13 in our dedicated roundup.
Popular Stories
In addition to updating many of its existing products, Apple is expected to unveil five all-new products this year, including a smart home hub, a Face ID doorbell, a MacBook with an A18 Pro chip, a foldable iPhone, and augmented reality glasses.
Below, we have recapped rumored features for each product.
Smart Home Hub
Apple home hub (concept)
Apple's long-rumored smart home hub should...
Apple is planning to debut a high-end secondary version of AirPods Pro 3 this year, sitting in the lineup alongside the current model, reports suggest.
Back in September 2025, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to introduce a successor to the AirPods Pro 3 in 2026. This would be somewhat unusual since Apple normally waits around three years to make major...
Apple is working on a small, wearable AI pin equipped with multiple cameras, a speaker, and microphones, reports The Information. If it actually launches, the AI pin will likely run the new Siri chatbot that Apple plans to unveil in iOS 27.
The pin is said to be similar in size to an AirTag, with a thin, flat, circular disc shape. It has an aluminum and glass shell, and two cameras at the...
Over the last few months, rumors around the iPhone 18 Pro's front-panel design have been conflicted, with some supply-chain leaks pointing to under-display Face ID, reports suggesting a top-left hole-punch camera, and debate over whether the familiar Dynamic Island will shrink, shift, or disappear entirely.
Today, Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital shared new details that appear to clarify the ...
The Apple supplier subject to a major cyberattack last month was China's Luxshare, it has now emerged. More than 1TB of confidential Apple information was reportedly stolen.
It was reported in December that one of Apple's assemblers suffered a significant cyberattack that may have compromised sensitive production-line information and manufacturing data linked to Apple. The specific company...
