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A tsunami of iPhone 13 leaks reveals new features and design changes

Published Mar 26th, 2021 7:17PM EDT

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We’re likely about six months out from the unveiling of the iPhone 13, but as has repeatedly been the case in recent years, there might not be much for Apple to unveil by September. This Tuesday, purported images of the iPhone 13’s front glass panel leaked online, and as expected, the sensor housing notch at the top of the display finally got a long overdue makeover. It turns out that was just the beginning of the iPhone leaks this week.

On Friday, EverythingApplePro on YouTube shared a new video packed with iPhone 13 leaks from Max Weinbach, a writer at Android Police. According to Weinbach, Apple will give the audio experience an upgrade on the iPhone 13 by improving noise cancellation and bringing clearer audio to the mic with beamforming.

While the overall design of the iPhone 13 should mirror that of the iPhone 12 — complete with those flat edges that were reintroduced for last year’s flagship — Weinbach’s sources claim that the rear camera is getting a new look on the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max. The so-called “camera bump” will be lower this time around, and that will apply to both the individual lenses and the glass housing that encases all of the lenses.

Fans of appealing colorways will be pleased to learn that Apple is also reportedly modifying the graphite color option on the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max to make it a much darker black than what we saw on the iPhone 12 Pro models. It will also have a matte finish instead of the glossy finish from the previous generation.

Apple is testing an orange color for Pro models as well, but Weinbach says it isn’t likely to actually come out. Finally, Apple is improving the coating on the stainless steel frames to eliminate smudges. This might help solve the irritating discoloration problem that some iPhone 11, iPhone 12, and iPhone SE users have been noticing.

Moving on to software, Weinbach’s sources say that a new optical image stabilization system on the iPhone 13 will automatically focus on the primary subjects of a scene and make all necessary adjustments to keep those subjects at the center of the shot. Additionally, Portrait mode is being revamped, and it will use a new process that combines data from the camera lenses and the LiDAR sensor. The addition of LiDAR will allow for better edge detection, so that now even “smaller gaps in street signs” can be detected by the iPhone 13 camera.

Weinbach’s last leak concerns the iPhone 13 mini, which he claims will be part of the 2021 iPhone lineup despite the fact that the iPhone 12 mini was a bust for Apple. While the iPhone 13 mini will have a slightly larger battery, any real performance gains will be the result of the A15 chip Apple will bring to the entire series.

If you want to learn even more about all of the latest Apple leaks, be sure to watch EverythingApplePro’s video:

Jacob Siegal
Jacob Siegal Associate Editor

Jacob Siegal is Associate Editor at BGR, having joined the news team in 2013. He has over a decade of professional writing and editing experience, and helps to lead our technology and entertainment product launch and movie release coverage.