Apple took to the stage to announce a bunch of new devices and updates to services. This includes the new iPad and iPad mini, the Watch Series 7, updates to Fitness+, and more. However, the main focus of today"s event was the iPhone. The first of the lot announced by the firm is the iPhone 13 series. Just like last year, there are two models - the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 13 mini.
The upgrades to the iPhone 13 series this year are modest. The Cupertino giant has reduced the width of the notch that houses the FaceID sensors, leaving more screen real estate at the top, thanks to a "redesigned" TrueDepth camera system. The phones retain the display sizes, with the iPhone 13 sporting a 6.1-inch display and the iPhone 13 mini housing a 5.4-inch panel. The firm says that it has improved the "Super Retina XDR OLED" display and made it 28 percent brighter.
The camera system is also seeing an upgrade in the form of a new sensor for the wide camera, which is the one that was used in the iPhone 12 Pro Max. The sensor is touted to be 47 percent larger than what was in the device"s predecessor, bringing overall improvements to exposure. The camera system also houses the sensor-shift stabilization technology that debuted in the iPhone 12 Pro series. Both shooters now bring Night Mode. The device also adds a new Cinematic mode that features automatic changes to the depth of field and allows users to adjust focus after an image has been shot right from the Photos app on iOS.
As for the internals, the devices are equipped with the A15 Bionic SoC that helps improve image processing thanks to its new ISP, allowing for "Smart HDR 4" that helps improve color, contrast, and lighting in post-processing. As for the chip itself, the firm claims that the six-core CPU is 50 percent faster and the four-core GPU is 30 percent "than the competition". Apple is also boasting of battery life improvements, with the iPhone 13 promising two and a half more hours over the iPhone 12, and the iPhone 13 mini bringing one and a half more hours on a change over the iPhone 12 mini.
Other features include support for 5G, IP68 water and dust resistance, and Apple"s Ceramic Shield glass covering the front of the display. Another significant change in terms of specifications is that the base variant comes with 128GB of storage. There is no 64GB variant across the entire lineup.
The iPhone 13 series comes in five colors - pink, blue, midnight, starlight, and (PRODUCT)RED. The larger of the two devices, the iPhone 13, starts at $799 and the iPhone 13 mini will start at $699. The devices can be preordered starting September 17, with availability set for September 24.