We didn't get to see the iPhone 12 handsets until October 13 this year, which is later in Apple's annual schedule than normal. However, it seems next year's phones will be announced in September 2021, which is the usual routine.
Before 2020, you could set your watch by Apple launching new iPhones every year in September, but the global pandemic and everything that came along with it disrupted that timetable – so it's reassuring to know the iPhone 13 is now just nine months away.
That return to a normal release schedule isn't official yet, but it is what has been predicted by industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (via 9to5Mac), who is one of the most reliable and well-respected Apple experts in the business.
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In an investor note, Kuo says the iPhone 13 will go back to the production schedule that Apple used prior to the iPhone 12. All of the phone models should be unveiled and then made available to buy at some point during September 2021.
Timing is everything
Another detail dropped in by Kuo is that the iPhone 13 will come running a new A15 chipset designed by Apple, building on the super-speedy Apple A14 chipset that comes inside the iPhones launched just a couple of months ago.
You might remember the saga that was the iPhone 12 launch schedule. Apple itself admitted that delays would happen back in July, and after months of rumors the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro went on sale three weeks earlier than the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max due to supply chain issues.
Apple seems determined to make sure that's a one-off. Meanwhile, one of its biggest competitors is changing its schedule around: Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy S21 in January rather than the more usual February.
We haven't heard too many rumors about the iPhone 13 at this stage, although there has been talk that four phones will once again appear – with some or all of them featuring the 120Hz ProMotion display technology that was originally rumored for the iPhone 12.
