- Apple’s iPhone 13 will reportedly feature a smaller notch area and an Always-On display similar to the Apple Watch.
- The iPhone 13 will likely include a 120HZ ProMotion display and improved 5G connectivity.
- Despite rumors to the contrary, reputed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo doesn’t believe the iPhone 13 will ship with Touch ID.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo — who historically has a strong record with respect to Apple rumors — recently issued a new investor note (via 9to5Mac) which sheds some light on what type of features we can expect to see on Apple’s next-gen iPhone 13.
Corroborating previous rumors, Kuo claims that Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro models will feature a 120HZ ProMotion display, a technology that will enable more fluid scrolling and improved responsiveness. Previous reports have indicated that Apple is planning to incorporate dynamic variable refresh switching which will allow the display to switch between 60Hz and 120Hz refresh rates depending on the use-case.
Kuo also relays that the notch on the iPhone 13 will be smaller, but doesn’t provide any concrete information as to how much smaller it will be. Incidentally, Kuo does add that upcoming iPhone models in 2022 might see Apple do away with the notch completely and replace it with a punch-hole design similar to what we’ve seen from Samsung devices in recent years.
One of the more intriguing iPhone 13 rumors we’ve seen in recent week centers on Apple bringing back Touch ID via an in-screen fingerprint sensor. According to a smattering of reports, Apple has no plans to get rid of Face ID but would rather have Touch ID coexist alongside its facial recognition software. Kuo, however, isn’t entirely confident we’re going to see this somewhat drastic design change this year.
The market expects the iPhone to abandon Lightning in favor of USB-C and equip the power button with the Touch ID sensor, but our latest survey indicates that there is no visibility on the current schedule for the iPhone to adopt these two new specifications.
We believe that the iPhone will significantly improve the user experience if it adopts the power button with the Touch ID sensor. However, currently, there is no visibility on the timing of adopting this new specification.
Kuo adds that Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro models will feature improved camera technologies while the entirety of Apple’s iPhone 13 lineup will benefit from an upgraded 5G modem from Qualcomm.
Outside of Kuo’s report, there have been rumblings that Apple’s iPhone 13 lineup will feature a texturized matte back to make the device easier to hold.
“The matte back is getting refined,” EverythingApplePro reported last month. “So in the 2021 iPhones, I’m sure Max is referring to the Pro models, they’ll have a slightly more grippy texturized back. He says they’ll be slightly more comfortable and he assumes it’ll be like a soft matte, like on the Pixel series.”
There have also been reports that the iPhone 13 will feature an Always-On display that will keep the time, battery life, and incoming notifications visible at all times. And lastly, there are reports that the iPhone 13 will finally introduce support for Portrait Mode video recording.
Apple is expected to unveil and release its iPhone 13 lineup this coming September.
