The iPhone 13 release is official, and here’s what you need to know
The iPhone 13 series are now official, having been unveiled at the September 14 Apple event. Everything you need to know about this release is covered below including size, colours, and price.
This year’s models are the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max. Highlights of the range include a new 120Hz display on the Pro and Pro Max models, up to 1TB of storage, and some camera upgrades.
Read on to learn everything we know so far about the next generation of iPhones. Shop accessories here.
iPhone 13 Release Date and Price
The iPhone 13 series was confirmed on September 15 3:00am at the company’s big launch event, and you’ll be able to pre-order the handsets from Friday September 17.
September 24 is the iPhone 13 series release date, and unlike 2020’s iPhone 12 staggered release dates, this year Apple will release all 4 handsets available on the same day to order.
The iPhone 13 starts at AU $1,349, and the iPhone 13 mini starts at AU $1,199. That’s for a 128GB of storage included. The iPhone 13 Pro, starts at AU $1,699, while the iPhone 13 Pro Max starts at AU $1,849. Considering the upgrades to the camera and useability of the device, we think the price is pretty good!
iPhone 13 Design and Display
The iPhone 13 has minimal changes to the aesthetic look of the display featuring the same flat-edge design and Ceramic Shield glass we saw on the iPhone 12 models. The iPhone 13 continues to be a water and dust proof rating of IP68 (upt to 6 meters submerged for 30 minutes).
The five colours include Pink, Blue, Midnight, Starlight and Product Red.
As for the display, the iPhone 13 features a 6.1-inch screen while the iPhone 13 mini features a 5.4-inch screen. They both feature the Super Retina XDR displays, which use Apple’s own OLED tech and a 60 Htz refresh rate.
The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max come in Graphite, Gold, Silver, or a Sierra blue, which looks stunningly good on the new models.
Again, aesthetically there are minimal changes to the display compared to the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. Most notably are the stainless steel edges around the newer models. The iPhone 13 Pro range boasts a new Super Retina XDR display that has a 1000-nit peak brightness, and it features a 120Hz refresh rate. Super. The iPhone 13 Pro has a 6.1-inch screen, while the iPhone 13 Pro Max has a 6.7-inch screen which is the same as the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, respectively.
What is the refresh rate and why is it important? The refresh rate on the screen is how smooth the display appears while you’re scrolling through social media. The faster the refresh rate, the smoother the content appears on your phone.
MagSafe makes a strong return featuring in all 4 handsets and you can find all the cases and accessories to better protect your brand new phone here.
iPhone 13 Camera
The iPhone 13’s Camera, for the first time, features on the diagonal rather than the vertical aesthetic. There’s a 12MP wide camera, and a 12MP ultra-wide shooter which Apple claim are better than the iPhone 12 camera quality.
As for the iPhone 13 Pro range, you can enjoy three 12MP cameras with new sensors and lenses. The third camera is a 77mm zoom camera capable of 3x optical zoom, 2x optical zoom out and 6x optical zoom range, with digital zoom up to 15x also available for the keen ‘iphonographer’.
In low light photography, Apple claims the main camera on the iPhone 13 Pro is 2.2x better than the iPhone 12 Pro’s, while the camera on the iPhone 13 Pro Max is 1.5x better than the 12 Pro Max. The ultra-wide cameras are apparently 92% better in low light, which includes the macro setting for the first time included in this rating.
For video, the ProRes format(releasing later this year) lets you record in 4K/30fps video within the camera app, but if you opt for a 128GB model, the ProRes caps at 1080p.
All iPhone 13 and Pro models include a new Photographic Styles camera feature that lets you selectively apply adjustments to add a custom look to your photos, and Cinematic video for easy transitions and depth of field scenes. Very cool!
The phones also all include a 12MP f/2.2 selfie camera on the front, like their predecessors.
iPhone 13 Specs and Performance
The iPhone 13 series all include Apple’s A15 Bionic chipset inside. Apple claims has an up-to 50% faster CPU and 30% faster GPU than the competition. It also includes a new 16-core Neural Engine that’s capable of 15.8 trillion operations every second.
5G compatibility becomes standard within the iPhone i13 range, as it was with the iPhone 12models.
Apple ditches the 64GB sizes for their models and you will have the option of 128GB, 256GB or 512GB of storage with less notifications to upgrade your iCloud storage.
If you want the Pro iPhone, you’ll have the option of 128GB, 256GB, 512GB or, our favourite, the 1TB beast.
iPhone 13 Battery Life
According to Apple, the iPhone 13 handsets will all feature better battery life. The iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 Pro will last 90 minutes longer than the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro, respectively.
The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro Max will last 2.5 hours longer than an iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro Max, with the Pro Max having the longest battery life ever seen on an iPhone, according to Apple.
In terms of specific life, the iPhone 13 mini lasts up to 17 hours of video playback, while the iPhone 13 is said to be 19 hours. For the iPhone 13 Pro that increases to 22 hours, and for the iPhone 13 Pro Max it increases to 28 hours.
That wireless charging is up to 15W on all four models, which will give you a respectable speed of charge. The new iPhone 13 range also does not include a charger in the box so make sure to check out our range of chargers here.
