Apple unveiled a new line of iPhones during a product event on Tuesday (watch above). The iPhone 13 line will be available for pre-order this Friday the 17th and ship out a week later. The base model looks similar to its predecessor but features a faster chip, expanded storage, and an improved camera.
CNN notes that there are no “groundbreaking design changes or features” but there’s also no price increases compared with last year’s offerings. The new phone also has a longer lasting battery; Apple says the base will get an additional 2.5 hours per charge compared with the iPhone 12. Axios calls the new iPhone the “sleeper hit.”
“…The upgrade addresses one of the biggest issues facing modern smartphone owners — a phone that still struggles to get through a full day of heavy use.”
iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max price check 💸
(Same price as the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max, at least.)#AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/f2a7HAsmYI
— TechRadar (@techradar) September 14, 2021
There are four new models – iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max – that come in five colors: red, starlight, midnight, blue, and pink. The least expensive base model, which comes with 128 GB of storage, costs $799, while the mini is one hundred dollars cheaper. The Pro models start at $999 and $1,099, respectively. The new phones are also larger.
This went largely unmentioned yesterday, but the new Apple iPhone 13’s are heavier and thicker than the iPhone 12’s … and your old case likely won’t fit it. https://t.co/rqw2XHSssf pic.twitter.com/Iqr0xTMeoC
— Jim Roberts (@nycjim) September 15, 2021
Bloomberg reports on the key upgrades:
The new models include the A15 Bionic processor, which Apple says is 50% faster than chips in competing smartphones, and new features to enhance artificial-intelligence tasks. The cameras on the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini, meanwhile, capture improved photos in low light and at night and can better handle wide-angle shots, Apple said during the event.
Bloomberg adds:
The iPhone’s screen sizes remain 5.4 inches, 6.1 inches and 6.7 inches, depending on whether a user chooses the mini, standard or Pro Max models. But the displays on the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max are 20% brighter and include ProMotion, a dynamic refresh rate system. That allows for higher frame rates, smoother scrolling and improved gaming.
Apple also revealed an updated iPad and iWatch.