Apple's upcoming iPhone 13 models will be slightly thicker than the iPhone 12 models and will also feature larger, thicker camera bumps with lenses that protrude less, according to iPhone 13 schematics seen by MacRumors.
The new iPhone 13 and 13 Pro models are expected to feature a thickness of 7.57mm, up from 7.4mm in the iPhone 12 models. That's an increase of 0.17mm, which won't be hugely noticeable to most people.
Changes coming to the camera bumps of the new iPhones may be more noticeable. The iPhone 13 and 13 Pro will have thicker camera bumps, with the change most noticeable on the iPhone 13 Pro. The iPhone 12 and 12 Pro feature camera bumps in the range of 1.5mm to 1.7mm, while the iPhone 13 will have a thicker 2.51mm camera bump. The iPhone 13 Pro, meanwhile, will feature a 3.65mm thick camera bump.
The camera bumps are getting thicker in part to prevent the lenses from protruding quite as much on the iPhone 13 models. Rather than the individual lenses protruding as we saw on the iPhone 12 models, the camera bump itself on the iPhone 13 family will protrude more while the lenses will sit closer to a flush position, similar to the design of the 2020 iPad Pro.
In addition to a thicker camera bump, Apple is changing the overall size of the camera bump, a shift that will also be most noticeable on the iPhone 13 Pro. The iPhone 12 and 12 Pro have camera bumps that measures in at around 28mm by 30mm, while the iPhone 13 will have a camera bump that's closer to square at around 29mm by 29mm, with the bump also located about a millimeter closer to the top of the iPhone.
The iPhone 13 Pro is expected to gain a larger camera bump, measuring in at around 36mm by 37mm, so rather than having a camera bump size similar to the iPhone 13, it will be more similar to the iPhone 13 Pro Max. The iPhone 12 Pro's camera is smaller than the camera of the iPhone 12 Pro Max, so the shift in 2021 suggests the 13 Pro and Pro Max will have similar cameras, with Apple perhaps reintroducing feature parity.
Rumors have suggested we will indeed see camera improvements. Sensor-shift stabilization is expected to expand at least across the iPhone 13 Pro lineup if not the regular iPhone 13 models as well, bringing improvements in low-light performance and stabilization. Right now, sensor-shift stabilization is limited to the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Both the iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max could get sensor-shift stabilization for both the Wide and Ultra Wide lenses, which would explain why the camera bump will be larger for those two models and why it may need to be thicker.
Rumors have also indicated that the upgraded telephoto lens that was introduced exclusively in the iPhone 12 Pro Max could come to the iPhone 13 Pro, which is another sign that both the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max cameras could share the same feature set. We have not heard of any new camera features being limited to the 13 Pro Max, which is good news for those who want a smaller phone that comes with all of the Pro features.
Because the camera bump size is shifting in the iPhone 13 lineup, Apple may also be planning to adjust the positioning of the side button, mute button, and volume buttons. The side button could be moved slightly lower on the iPhone 13 models, with the mute button and volume buttons on the other side also shifting downward accordingly.
Our schematics come from a source that has experience with predicting Apple's design plans, but schematics like this are common ahead of the release of new iPhones because case makers use them to create cases for the upcoming devices to have something ready to go at launch. These kinds of schematics are most often accurate, though there are occasionally discrepancies.
The information here appears to be in line with rumors we've heard previously that suggest some decent camera improvements for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro to bring it more in line with the camera offerings of the iPhone 13 Pro Max, which lends believability to the details we've received. These same design dimensions have been seen in a recent dummy model that was shared by Unbox Therapy.
Aside from these changes to the camera design and the location of the buttons, the iPhone 13 models are expected to look similar to the iPhone 12 models with few design changes. If accurate, these details suggest that the iPhone 13 models will not be able to share cases with the iPhone 12 models, nor will the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro cases be interchangeable.
The iPhone 13 models are also expected to feature upgraded A15 chips, faster 5G connectivity, and more, with full details on everything we know available in our iPhone 13 roundup.
