Epic iPhone 13 leak reveals camera upgrades, new design and more

The iPhone 13 leaks are coming early this year, and this new set of information is especially juicing, spilling secrets from all over the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max. They include changes to the screen, colours, cameras and more – more changes than you might think, given we weren't sure if the iPhone 13 would bring any exterior upgrades, or if would be more of an iPhone 12S, with internal tweaks only.

Detailed by EverythingApplePro and Max Weinbach (via Tom's Guide), the leaks describe the first change to the iPhone's signature notch since it was introduced on the iPhone X. Alas, it won't be replaced by a hidden under-screen camera or anything like that – apparently, it will be shrunk to about half the width, while still retaining the same Face ID facial detection (there's no work in these leaks about an under-screen fingerprint reader or anything).

That's not the only thing said to shrink on the new phones. The leak says that the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max's cameras will stick out less, with both the square bump and the lenses themselves reduced in 'depth'. This is interesting, because it will likely require a drastic re-engineering of the camera – changing the depth of the camera means the lens and sensor will need to change if Apple isn't going to massively change the views of the camera.

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The leak also says that the iPhone 13 Pro will get the same extra camera touches that the iPhone 12 Pro Max had, including a larger sensor and more advanced stabilisation. This will mean you won't have to buy the largest phone to get the fanciest camera.

The final design change that the leak reveals is a possible new colour, in an orange/bronze, depending on how you want to look at it. We're excited about this, because we loved the warm gold that Apple used to offer for its phones and Apple Watch, but last year it switched to a more yellow tone. This year, Apple might be going even warmer – but Weinbach says that this may not make it to production, so keep your fingers crossed. Or don't, because maybe you'd prefer the new more matt black finish that's being promised.

The stainless steel band around the edge will remain, but with a new fingerprint-resistant coating. Which sounds great, because the few people who didn't put their iPhone 12 Pro in a case will have noticed that it gets real smeary.

Other iPhone 13 snippets, and Apple's April event

Those are the juiciest bits of information, but they're not all. The iPhone 13 will apparently get upgraded beam-forming microphones on the front, making voices much clearer for video there, and cutting down outside noise.

The iPhone 13 will still come in a mini version, despite reports that the iPhone 12 mini has been struggling for sales this year. I'm not surprised to see Apple give it at least one more go – its likely audience probably wasn't the most keen upgraders, and the iPhone SE may have eaten some its buyers, so it might turn out to be a grower.

The leak also says Apple's next event will be in April, and will reveal Apple's Tile-like tracking tags at last (aka AirTags), the iPad Pro 2021 and new Apple Watch bands.