iPhone 13 dummy unit shows off smaller notch, larger cameras

iPhone 12 Pro Max
The iPhone 12 Pro Max cameras are likely to get an upgrade this year. (Image credit: Future)

We now know quite a bit about what Apple is planning with the iPhone 13, and a dummy unit put together from leaked schematics and other details may have given us our best idea yet of what the phone will actually look like.

A video from Unbox Therapy reveals the high-quality model – which is apparently of the iPhone 13 Pro Max – and compares it in terms of appearance and size against recent iPhones such as last year's iPhone 12 Pro Max.

While the width and height of the dummy unit seems to match up with last year's Pro Max, the thickness has apparently increased very slightly – perhaps to accommodate the new 120Hz refresh rate technology rumored to be arriving.

The two major design changes that the iPhone 13 Pro Max model shows have been extensively rumored already: a smaller notch on the front of the handset and larger camera modules on the back to support larger, better quality lenses.

iPhone 13 Pro Max dummy

The iPhone 13 Pro Max dummy unit. (Image credit: Unbox Therapy)

While some reports have suggested the front display notch would disappear completely with the iPhone 13, it now looks more likely that it'll just get smaller – which is going to mean more screen real estate for the status bar.

Apple is apparently now able to make certain components smaller and is going to push the earpiece up into the bezel of the phone to allow for the shift in notch size. Face ID isn't going anywhere, but this time around it could be joined by Touch ID via a sensor embedded under the display.

As for the cameras on the back of the phone, we're expecting a variety of upgrades here, including improved telephoto lenses and the rolling out of LiDAR across the whole iPhone range (at the moment the depth-sensing tech is a Pro and Pro Max exclusive).

The ultra-wide cameras on the iPhone 13 are also set to be the best that Apple has ever put inside a smartphone, so it makes sense that the size of the camera modules would grow a bit. If everything runs to schedule, the iPhone 13 should be out in September.

David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.