On September 14, 2021, Apple unveiled the iPhone 13, its second generation of 5G smartphones. Following the rather successful iPhone 12, Apple has made it clear that the iPhone 13 is more of a modification. Nevertheless, the iPhone 13 shows a number of updates, including a brighter display with less "bangs," improved cameras, twice the memory and a new A15 Bionic processor. The iPhone 13 was announced at the same time as the iPhone 13 Pro models, new iPad models and the Apple Watch Series 7. Here are the 10 most important features of the iPhone 13 to look out for.
1. Display
iPhone 13, like its predecessor has a 6.1-inch display with a resolution of 460 pixels per inch and uses OLED technology Super Retina XDR. As for updates, the iPhone 13 will be brighter - the brightness of the outdoor display will increase to 800 nits (in the iPhone 12 - 624 nits). Another change was to reduce the size of the niche for the front camera True Depth by changing its design. The "bangs" are now 20% narrower, which slightly increases the usable space of the screen itself.
However, the iPhone 13 will not have the update needed to display a smoother picture at 120 Hz - at the moment this feature is reserved for the iPhone 13 Pro and in the iPhone 13 the display is 60 Hz.
2. Processor
As usual, Apple introduced a new generation of processors for the A-series smartphones - the iPhone 13 debuted with the A15 Bionic. The chip features a six-core CPU and quad-core GPU. The company didn't specify what the performance improvement would be over the A14, instead comparing the iPhone 13's performance to that of its competitors: "up to 50 percent faster than the competition for the processor itself and up to 30 percent faster on graphics."
3. Communications
Like its predecessor, the iPhone 13 will support both types of 5G communications (up to 6 GHz). Apple has not provided details on whether the iPhone 13 will offer more 5G speeds than the iPhone 12 (given the assumption that the iPhone 13 must have a new Qualcomm 5G modem). Instead of this 5G upgrade, Apple has focused on including more 5G bands "allowing it to be on fifth-generation connectivity in more places, with more performance and radio coverage," Apple said in a press release. The company plans to increase the number of supported 5G carriers to 200 or more worldwide by the end of the year.
4. Battery
One of Apple's most useful updates for the iPhone 13 is the increase in battery life. Apple promises up to 19 hours of video playback for the iPhone 13, which is 2.5 hours longer than on the iPhone 12. The increase in battery life is due to both the higher power efficiency of the A15 chip and the increased battery size.
5. Memory
Another notable update to the iPhone 13 is the smartphone's starting storage capacity of 128GB, double that of the iPhone 12. The iPhone 13 will also be offered in 256GB and 512GB configurations.
6. Camera
The iPhone 13's dual rear cameras include a new wide-angle lens with an expanded sensor. The optical system is capable of capturing 47% more light, which significantly improves photo quality in low-light conditions. Another update is associated with the use of optical image stabilization, so-called sensor-shift OIS, which was previously available only for the iPhone 12 Pro Max model. This technology "stabilizes the sensor rather than the lens, resulting in more steady pictures," Apple said in a statement. The ultra-wide-angle camera also includes a new sensor, which Apple says "produces images with greater detail in darker areas of the photo and records video with less noise." The two 12-megapixel cameras each have 2x optical zoom and 5x digital zoom.
The layout of the rear cameras has also changed, now they are arranged diagonally, rather than vertically, as on the iPhone 12.
7. Video
Apple has announced new video features for the iPhone 13, including a cinematic mode that can automatically change focus when objects shift. The company demonstrated the ability of this mode to "intelligently" move focus from an object in the field of view to another object if it changes perspective and looks in a different direction.
8. Case
The form factor of the iPhone 13 remains almost the same as the iPhone 12, with the only change being a very slight increase in thickness (presumably to accommodate a larger battery). The iPhone 13 will be 7.65 mm thick, compared to 7.4 mm with the iPhone 12. The iPhone 13 will also retain the flat-edged design that was introduced in the iPhone 12.
In terms of durability, the iPhone 13 will still have a high-strength ceramic display coating and an IP68 water resistance rating (the device is expected to be able to withstand a 6-meter water immersion for half an hour). The iPhone 13 will be compatible with MagSafe accessories, which can be attached magnetically to the back of the phone.
9. Coloring
The IPhone 13 will be available in five colors: pink, blue, midnight (black), star (white) and red. Pink is new and will replace the green color that was available for the iPhone 12.
10. Price and availability
Apple's iPhone 13 has a starting price of $799. This is identical to the starting price of the iPhone 12, although the starting memory on the iPhone 13 has doubled to 128GB.
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