Click to Skip Ad
Closing in...

iPhone 13 leaker teases major display and camera upgrades

Updated Feb 15th, 2021 8:09AM EST
iPhone 13 Pro
Image: Apple

If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.

  • According to a leaker, the iPhone 13 series will feature minimal design changes compared to the iPhone 12. But some of the new devices will feature 120Hz always-on displays.
  • The always-on screen will show the time and battery charge, as well as notifications that will only activate a certain portion of the display.
  • The new iPhones are also getting a few notable camera upgrades, including a 6P ultra wide camera, Portrait Mode video, and better astrophotography.

The iPhone 13 series’ launch is at least seven months away, assuming Apple will unveil the new flagships in mid-September. But the iPhone 13 rumors season is already underway, having started several weeks ago. Several reports have offered the first details about the new iPhone series, indicating that Apple will launch four new devices that will generally have the same design as their predecessors. The iPhone 13 is also rumored to feature a smaller notch than before, as well as various screen and camera improvements. A new leak now claims that the iPhone 13 Pro will support 120Hz refresh rates and that the displays will support a feature first seen on the Apple Watch.

YouTube channel EverythingApplePro, which has published iPhone leaks before, partnered with noted leaker Max Weinbach on a new series of iPhone 13 leaks.

According to the clip, the iPhone 13 will feature minimal design changes this year. The iPhone 13 Pro will have a “refined” matte back version, which will be texturized and “more grippy” to hold. Weinbach “says they’ll be slightly more comfortable, and he assumes it’ll be like a soft matte, like on the Pixel series.” The iPhone 13 will also feature a stronger array of MagSafe magnets on the back.

The iPhone 13 Pro will also support 120Hz ProMotion displays, just like the iPad Pro. Apple will use LTPO technology, a rumor we’ve heard of before. This would bring always-on display support to the iPhone, a feature that Apple has already made available on Apple Watch. Other Android handsets already have always-on screens. “Always-On Display will have minimal customizability,” Weinbach said. “Current design basically looks like a toned-down lockscreen. Clock and battery charge is always visible. Notifications seem to be displayed using a bar and icons. Upon receiving, the notification will pop up normally except that the screen will not entirely light up. Instead, it will display just like you’re used to right now, except dimmed down and only temporally.”

The video also claims the iPhone 13 will get an ultra wide lens upgrade. The lens will have five elements instead of six, a rumor that we also heard from various sources, including well-known leaker Ming-Chi Kuo.

The camera system will support Portrait Mode video while will let users change the depth of field in the clip after shooting the video. The astrophotography features of the iPhone 13 are also getting an upgrade. The phone will automatically detect stars and moon and switch to this low-light photo mode that will include longer exposure times and more internal processing.

The YouTube clip, available below, also claims that the AirTags are coming in March or April and that the Apple Watch Series 7 will not get glucose monitoring this year.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.