Full iPhone 13 Feature Breakdown: Everything Rumors Say We Can Expect

With the launch of Apple's iPhone 13 lineup believed to be just a few weeks away, we have compiled all of the coherent rumors from our coverage over the past year to build a full picture of the features and upgrades coming to the company's new smartphones.

iPhone 13 Dummy Thumbnail 2
For clarity, only explicit improvements, upgrades, and new features compared to the ‌iPhone‌ 12 lineup are listed. It is worth noting that the rumors below are aggregated from our coverage from a wide range of sources, including leakers, analysts, and publications. The reliability of each source varies, so some of the rumored features should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Nevertheless, the overall view of the ‌iPhone‌ 13's rumors gives a good idea of many of the upcoming upgrades and what users can largely expect from the device when it is officially revealed in the near future.

Design

  • Thicker design around 7.57mm, up from 7.4mm on the ‌‌iPhone‌ 12‌ models.
  • Diagonal rear camera layout on the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13, also slightly larger than previous models.
  • Larger rear camera unit on the iPhone 13 Pro, around the same size as the iPhone 12 Pro Max at around 36mm by 37mm.
  • Thicker camera bumps: The ‌‌iPhone‌ 12‌ models feature camera bumps in the range of 1.5mm to 1.7mm, while the ‌‌iPhone‌ 13‌ mini and ‌iPhone‌ 13 will have a thicker 2.51mm camera bump and the ‌‌iPhone‌ 13‌ Pro will feature a 3.65mm thick camera bump. The individual lenses are expected to protrude less within the thicker camera bumps.
  • Relocated buttons, with the side button, mute button, and volume buttons moved slightly lower down.
  • Darker graphite and bronze potential new color options.

iphone 13 iphone 13 pro

Display

  • Smaller, narrower notch with the camera moved from the right to the left of the speaker, and the speaker moved up to the top edge of the display to provide more display space.
  • "ProMotion" display with variable refresh rate up to 120Hz for smoother on-screen motion, facilitated by low-power LTPO backplane technology, on the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max.
  • Always-on display, similar to the Apple Watch, enabled by the variable refresh rate on the Pro models. The feature is expected to bring a simplified always-on lock screen with the current time and notifications.

iphone 13 pro max dummy notch

Chip and Connectivity

a15 chip

Batteries and Charging

  • Reverse wireless charging functionality thanks to a "slightly bigger" wireless charging coil that could provide better thermal management and higher wattage.
  • Larger batteries, which could result in longer battery life. The ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max is said to have a 4352mAh battery, up from 3687mAh in the ‌iPhone 12 Pro Max‌, while the ‌iPhone‌ 13 and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro will feature a 3095mAh battery, up from 2815mAh in the ‌iPhone‌ 12. The ‌iPhone‌ 13 mini is expected to include a 2406mAh battery, up from the 2227mAh battery in the iPhone 12 mini.
  • Faster charging with support for 25W power adapters. The ‌iPhone‌ 12 models can currently only take advantage of up to 20W of charging power.
  • More energy efficient chip to prolong battery life, with 15-20 percent lower power consumption to offset the battery life impact of high-refresh rate displays.

Camera Hardware

  • Sensor shift stabilization on the Wide camera of all iPhone 13 models, bringing low light improvements and reduced camera shake. The feature is also rumored to be available for the Ultra Wide lens on the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max.
  • Larger camera sensors on the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max with larger pixels, allowing the camera to accept more light for a higher-quality image.
  • Improved Ultra Wide camera on the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max, with autofocus instead of a fixed focal length, a six-element lens, and a ƒ/1.8 aperture to let in more light than the current ƒ/2.4 aperture lens, allowing for better performance in low-light conditions. Some sources have suggested that the ƒ/1.8 Ultra Wide camera will actually come to all ‌iPhone‌ 13 models.
  • Improved Telephoto camera with a ƒ/2.2 aperture on the iPhone 13 Pro, bringing over the improvements and 2.5 times optical zoom that came with the ‌iPhone 12 Pro Max‌.
  • Improved Wide camera on the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max, expected to have a ƒ/1.5 aperture, which is a small increase compared to the ƒ/1.6 aperture on the ‌iPhone 12 Pro Max‌.

iphone 12 pro sensor shift

Camera Software Features

  • Cinematic Video Mode to blur the background of recorded video, similar to Portrait Mode for still photos.
  • ProRes video recording with options for HD and 4K resolutions, exclusive to the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max similar to ProRAW for still photos on the ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro models.
  • Improved filters to enhance the look and coloring of photos, allowing users to choose from multiple styles. Filters will be applied to objects and people precisely using artificial intelligence rather than flatly enhancing the entire picture.
  • Astrophotography Mode for improved night sky photography.
  • Image Stabilization Correction Mode to automatically detect and keep a subject in focus while recording video.

Other Features

If these features do come with the ‌iPhone‌ 13 lineup, the 2021 models could shape up to be a significant upgrade for many users. Most indications seem to be pointing to Tuesday, September 14 as the most likely event date for the announcement of the ‌iPhone‌ 13 models, and we could see event invites go out as soon as next week.

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Top Rated Comments

John Connor Avatar
52 months ago
Think I'll pass. If this is accurate then it seems more like a 12S to me.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
0xjf Avatar
52 months ago
I'm about to spend so much money that I don't have.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
itsmeorthedog Avatar
52 months ago
I will stick with the 12. Hoping the 14 will be worth the upgrade......
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
braddick Avatar
52 months ago
Yeah, I think I can ride out my 3GS for another cycle.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
specious Avatar
52 months ago
Plot twist - the Sat Comms are actually for SiriusXM music so I can listen to Margaritaville Radio without using data.

/s
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
now i see it Avatar
52 months ago
This was a good iPhone rumors rundown and why most of us visit this site in the first place (no it's not to hear about upcoming Apple TV+ shows awards)
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)