iPhone 13 design with smaller notch pictured again - but is it real?

iPhone 12 Pro Max review
iPhone 12 Pro Max (left) and iPhone 12 Pro (Image credit: TechRadar)

The iPhone 13 is likely just hours away - we expect to hear about it at today's big Apple event - but we may have had an early glimpse at the design you should expect thanks to a variety of new case renders.

Posted by Evleaks, a leaker with a good track record, eight new renders from case manufacturer Spigen have made their way online before the big event gets underway.

The design has also been teased by the same case manufacturer in its own tweet,
but these new renders give us a far clearer look at the design of the handset from a variety of angles.

If these case renders are correct, the iPhone 13 series will feature a smaller notch and a diagonal rear camera. These are design changes we've seen leak time and time again, so they're not a huge surprise.

The question here is where Spigen has received its information from. Case manufacturers often base designs for Apple products on leaked information as not every manufacturer has access to under embargo information directly from Apple.


An artist's impression of the iPhone 13 in purple showing the rear of the phone

What we expect the iPhone 13 to look like (Image credit: TechRadar)

Analysis: so, are these real?

We can't say for certain whether Spigen has been privy to information from Apple, but we know some other case manufacturers don't receive anything from the company ahead of its big unveilings. 

That means some case manufacturers have to base designs for cases on the same leaked information that you've likely read about on consumer technology websites for the last 12 months.

The biggest hint here that Spigen is taking an educated guess at the design is the fact it has tweeted a look at the iPhone 6.1-inch edition a whole day before the product launched.

If Spigen did have information directly from Apple, we would have expected that to either not have been tweeted, or to have been removed by now since it was published over half a day ago. This heavily suggests Spigen is taking a bit of a guess on the design.

Don't take these new case renders as gospel for the new iPhone 13 design, but it is a good indication of the route Apple will likely go. That said, you've only got a matter of hours until you get to hear about the new handset anyway.

James Peckham

James is the Editor-in-Chief at Android Police. Previously, he was Senior Phones Editor for TechRadar, and he has covered smartphones and the mobile space for the best part of a decade bringing you news on all the big announcements from top manufacturers making mobile phones and other portable gadgets. James is often testing out and reviewing the latest and greatest mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets, virtual reality headsets, fitness trackers and more. He once fell over.

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