New iPhone 13 Revealed at Apple Event

Apple is holding a major tech event in California, and among the big new announcements was the company’s reveal of the new iPhone 13. The new iPhone 13, as pictured below, comes in five colors with a redesigned camera array and a smaller FaceID notch. The entry-level iPhone 13 will come in two versions: the 6.1-inch “regular” model and the smaller 5.4-inch iPhone 13 Mini. Pricing starts at $799 for the iPhone 13 and $699 for the iPhone 13 Mini. Those interested in catching the rest of the event can live stream it here. 

One difference from the iPhone 12 is that the iPhone 13 has the same broad look as last year’s model, just with a slimmed-down FaceID notch that is 20 percent smaller — which means it will take up less space at the top of the phone. There is also a more powerful processor: the A15 Bionic, which Apple says is faster and more power-efficient than last year’s chip.

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But the biggest change actually comes in the form of a trickled-down camera technology from last year’s iPhone 12 Pro Max: the base iPhone 13 has the same camera that Apple debuted with its biggest smartphone in 2020 with a physically larger sensor for the wide camera that is 47% bigger than last year — allowing it to capture more light in darker environments with less noise. 

The new iPhone 13 lands just one year after Apple debuted the 5G-powered iPhone 12, which CNET reports was “one of Apple’s most successful launches” to date. That phone came with a “major revamp” of the iPhone’s design, which hadn’t seen a notable upgrade since Apple introduced the Phone X in 2017. That popular device premiered iPhone’s face-unlocking feature, and was built with “better screen technology.” CNet noted a very interesting survey by Decluttr  — a company that recycles and resells devices — which was conducted prior to the iPhone 12 announcement. The inquiry found that a “staggering” 53% of those surveyed were planning to purchase the new Apple phone. This touched on something that phone-tech experts refer to as a “supercycle” of device upgrading.

CNET reported that, following the release of the iPhone 12, Apple saw an increase in its iPhone sales for next the three months. Apple then reported, in January, that during the holidays iPhone sales shot up 17% from what they’d been the previous year. This assisted in the company hitting its highest ever recorded revenue and profit numbers.

“It is not far from any of our minds that this result caps off the most challenging year any of us can remember,” Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, previously stated while on a call with investors, following the company’s financial results being posted. “It is an understatement to say that the challenges it posed to Apple as a business paled in comparison to the challenges it posed to Apple as a community of individuals, to employees, to their families, and to the communities we live in and love to call home.” Cook added, “These results show the central role that our products played in helping our users respond to these challenges.”