iPhone 13 tipped to feature a major camera upgrade

iPhone 12 Pro
(Image credit: Apple)

With all four models of the iPhone 12 now launched and available to buy, those in the business of leaks and predictions are turning their attention towards the iPhone 13 – which should arrive around September 2021.

Well-known industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has been putting forward his thoughts on what the next Apple flagship phone series will bring with it, as per MacRumors, and it seems the rear camera could be in line for a significant upgrade.

In particular, the ultrawide lens is going to be bumped to a f/1.8, six-element lens from the current f/2.4, five-element lens on the Pro models of the phone. That upgrade should be carried over to the iPhone 14 in 2022 as well, Kuo says.

Essentially the upgrade would mean more light could be captured by the ultrawide lens and you'd end up with better quality shots. Autofocus is apparently coming to the ultrawide lens too, which again would improve the finished results.

13 is the magic number

Kuo predicts that the same four models that we've seen this year are going to make up the iPhone 13 series – so get ready for the iPhone 13 mini, the iPhone 13, the iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max in around 10 months time.

That's assuming Apple calls the next phone the iPhone 13, but it seems the most likely option. We haven't heard any rumors of Xs or Ss being involved in the names of the upcoming handsets, as has been the case in the past.

Of course it's still very early days for iPhone 13 rumors, though we have already heard that Touch ID could be making a return, with a fingerprint sensor possibly embedded under the screen. The series could also offer a model with 1TB of internal storage.

Another industry analyst has also predicted that the same four models will be kept from this year, though Apple should finally get around to upgrading the displays to run at a 120Hz refresh rate – even if it's only on the Pro models.

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.