The iPhone 13 series will be thicker with updated notches and camera humps: new leak

2021 may only just be underway, but the iPhone 13 leaks have failed to take a break. The latest tip is from Mac Otakara, concerning the design of these phones will differ from their predecessors. According to its sources, their looks will involve fairly minor, yet potentially important, tweaks compared to the current flat-edged paradigm.

The size of said edges is now said to increase in the iPhones 13, to the tune of 0.26 millimeters (mm) exactly. Some fans might find any extra girth unappealing; however, should this change pan out in reality, it may mean the upcoming flagships' batteries gain a little in capacity. This could be a welcome change as the iPhone 12s have not really distinguished themselves in this department.

Mac Otakara also now asserts that the ever-present notch, while still enduring in 2021, will be smaller compared to previous generations: it may no longer have to house a frontal speaker. (On the other hand, this invites speculation that Apple might try some kind of under-display component instead in the iPhones 13).

Finally, the blog now believes that the Cupertino giant will re-think the rear camera arrangement somewhat. Their own thickness might not be tackled here, although it may be made constant with a window for the hump in its entirety, rather than letting the individual lenses protrude as they do in the 12 series. This unifying glass cover is allegedly to be sapphire-enhanced, no less.

On that note, the respected market analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has reportedly issued a note claiming that Apple has engaged the manufacturers Sunny Optical, Largan and Genius Electronic Optical (in order of uptake) to produce these iPhone 13 lenses.

This apparently implies that they will exhibit no significant upgrades compared to those in the 12. It is not clear what this means for the future of Apple mobile photography, although it could be that the OEM is sticking with 7-piece (7P) lenses this year rather than moving on to 8P as some Android competitors might.