Apple’s iPhone 13 unwrapped: Prices, dates and everything you need to know | ZDNet

It’s that time, once again. Apple’s currently holding its “California Streaming” event where the company is unveiling the iPhone 13, among other expected announcements. We’re tuned into the all-virtual event on YouTube (watch it here) and are watching it right along with you. If you can’t watch it, however, below you’ll find all of the iPhone 13 details as Apple announces them. 

Apple CEO Tim Cook kicked off the announcement, making the iPhone 13 name official. We can quit guessing now. 

iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Mini 

The iPhone 13 has the same flat-edged design that the iPhone 12 lineup did. But the notch where Apple’s Face ID facial recognition tech is found is now 20% smaller on the iPhone 13. There are also five new colors: pink, blue, midnight, starlight and product red. The iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13’s displays are also brighter and more power-efficient. 

Inside the iPhone 13 is the A15 Bionic processor. It’s a 5nm chip, with 15 billion transistors. That should equate to improved performance. Naturally, Apple touts its latest A-series processor as the fastest in any phone. Something the company likes to tout with each release. The increased performance should make any of the AI and ML features faster than they already are on the iPhone 12, which if I’m being honest, I didn’t feel like it was terribly slow while testing the iOS 15 beta. 

There are two rear-facing cameras on the iPhone 13 Mini and iPhone 13. A 12-megapixel wide camera will be the main lens you shoot with, and now it has the same image stabilization hardware that the iPhone 12 Pro Max had last year. The other lens, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, also promises improved photos. 

As for video capabilities, the rumors were true. The iPhone 13 is gaining Cinematic Mode, which allows you to adjust the amount of blur applied to a subject in the foreground along with the background. During a demo, Apple showed how the feature works. You start recording and the phone takes care of the work, such as when a subject looks away from the camera, it will automatically switch the focus to the background. You can, if you wish, tap on a subject to switch focus. 

It wouldn’t be a modern iPhone event if Apple didn’t spend a little bit of time talking about the iPhone’s 5G capabilities. Expect more support for bands, carriers and regions. 

Battery life has been something that Apple hasn’t really talked too much about in recent years., outside of saying the iPhone’s battery should get through a full day of use. This year, it’s more of the same. iPhone 13 owners should expect 2.5 hours of improved battery life over the iPhone 12. 

Apple has MagSafe accessories ready to go for the iPhone 13, including a MagSafe wallet that supports its Find My network in the event you lose it. 

Storage now starts at 128GB, doubling to 256GB and again to 512GB. Pricing starts at $699 for the iPhone 13 Mini or $799 for the iPhone 13. 

iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max

Now that we know what the two iPhone 13 base models can do, it’s time to learn more about the iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max. A phone that Tim Cook is calling the most “Pro” iPhone ever. The Face ID notch is 20% smaller, just like on the standard iPhone 13. There are four colors graphite, gold, silver and sierra blue 

The 13 Pro lineup uses the same A15 Bionic as the standard 13 line, so we’ll see all of the performance bumps in the Pro models as Apple touted for the core iPhone 13 models. 

But where the new A15 Bionic shows its power is with the new display on the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max is with a ProMotion display. The refresh rate can dynamically change from 10Hz to 120Hz. 

The new camera system once again boasts three cameras on the back of either Pro model. There’s a 77mm telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. The ultra-wide camera now enables macro photography, a first for any iPhone model. It’s something that Android phones have had dedicated cameras for in the past. You can take pictures within 2cm of a subject. All three cameras have night mode for low light scenarios, another first. 

A new Photographic Styles feature will allow you to tweak and tune your personal preferences to the camera’s processing, ensuring you get the shot you want to fit your shooting style and preferences before the picture is even captured. It will be available on all iPhone 13 models, not just the Pro models. 

Of course, the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max will have the same Cinematic Mode when capturing video. And don’t worry about picking which area you want the video to focus on before you shoot. You can go back and edit a video after the fact. 

ProRes Video is also coming to the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max at 4K/30fps. That’s in addition to recording in Dolby Vision. 

As for battery life, you’re looking at an extra 1.5 hours over the 12 Pro. the 13 Pro Max gives you 2.5 hours over the 12 Pro Max.

The iPhone 13 will start at $999 while the 13 Pro Max starts at $1,099. Storage amounts go from 128GB, 256GB, 512GB all the way up to 1TB. 

Preorders for all iPhone 13 models go live on Friday, Sept. 17. Orders will arrive on Friday, Sept. 24. 

What do you want to see in the iPhone 13? Comment and let us know below.