The iPhone 13 is here and as expected it's more of an iteration of the iPhone 12 family of devices rather than overhauling the phones with a new design or radically overhauled features. Thanks to a complete reveal of everything about the phone during Apple's California Streaming event, we know everything there's to know about the latest iPhone. Whether you're looking for the iPhone 13 release date, price, or a complete breakdown of its specs we've got you covered here.
iPhone 13: Release Date and Price
The iPhone 13 is available starting September 24, 2021 and preorders begin on September 17th.
iPhone 13: Design
We got a notable redesign with the iPhone 12’s introduction of the squared-off metal frame rather than the rounded frames Apple had been using for several generations. Apple hasn't made any dramatic shifts in style for the iPhone 13 but there are a few subtle changes.
The four iPhone 13 models may look identical to their predecessors, but the notch at the top of all the phones is 20% smaller. This is the first time the notch has been reduced in size since it was introduced years ago on the iPhone X.
iPhone 13: Performance and Internals
All the new iPhone 13 models come rocking Apple's A15 Bionic chipset. This is an all-new chip that utilizes a 6-core processor and 4-core GPU. The processor specifically features a new setup of two high-performance, and four high-efficiency cores. According to Apple, the new chip delivers 50% faster CPU and 30% faster GPU performance and than its Android competition.
The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Mini feature a new iPhone 13 1200-nit Super Retina XDR display. The iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max don't get nearly as bright at only 1000-nits but they boast a new ProMotion display that goes as fast as 120Hz. The display is basically designed to match the motion of your finger and scale up or down the refresh rate of the display accordingly. So if you're just looking at a static image it'll stay at 10Hz and if you swipe quickly it'll jump to 120Hz.
iPhone 13: Software
Apple’s new phones always come with the newest version of iOS. In this case, that’ll be iOS 15. We learned all about the major features coming with iOS 15 at Apple’s WWDC 2021 event.
iPhone 13: Cameras
Cameras are always the most exciting things about new Apple handsets and the iPhone 13 really delivers.
First, all the main-wide angle cameras on all the iPhone 13 models have been upgraded with a new 1.7µm sensor that captures 50% more light. This should in turn lead to photos with much more dynamic range and greatly improved low-light photography. The Ultrawide camera, meanwhile, features a larger f2.4 aperture that also lets in more light for better low-light performance.
The telephoto camera found on the iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max has also been upgraded from a 2x to a 3x optical zoom. This makes it a 77mm equivalent lens to give users extra reach. The Ultrawide camera on the Pro models also has an extra macro photography mode that lets users shoot as close as 2cm for extra up close images.
The iPhone 13 also introduces two new video shooting features. The new cinematic mode is available to all iPhone 13 models and it basically allows users to shift focus smoothly from one subject to another. The iPhone 13 Pro models also record a depth map so users can shift focus to wherever they want in post-production even long after they shoot the video.
The iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max can also shoot videos in ProRes, which is an advanced video codec used in professional video shooting. It basically offers users a way to shoot footage with higher color fidelity, less compression, and greater editing flexibility.
Mark Knapp is a regular contributor to IGN and an irregular Tweeter on Twitter @Techn0Mark
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