Our Big iPhone 13 Expectation Looks Like It's Coming True
As there is every year, there's been a lot of talk about what's next for Apple's iPhone lineup. Rumors have been swirling for months, and now that we're closing in on the iPhone's expected September reveal, we're hearing more and more about these new phones. Today, a new report is outing several expected features for the next iPhones while also claiming that Apple is looking to increase production significantly over its 2020 numbers.
Today's report comes from Bloomberg, who spoke to anonymous sources familiar with Apple's plans. Unfortunately for those of you who were hoping for a major upgrade, you probably aren't going to see it with this next batch of phones, as Bloomberg's report reiterates that this year's iPhones will represent more of an "incremental upgrade" than 2020's iPhone 12 line. We've heard that before, too, so it's probably best not to expect some grand iPhone revamp for 2021.
Still, Bloomberg's report does list off some features that are worth our attention. For starters, Bloomberg says that Apple is planning to implement updates to all iPhone models and that Apple's iPhone reveal event should take place in September after being held in October last year because of the pandemic.
We also hear that at least one of the iPhones will use a low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LPTO) display that basically gives it a variable refresh rate depending on what's being shown. Many of Apple's competitors use this in their always-on smartphone displays, and Apple itself even uses it in the Apple Watch, so we could be headed for an iPhone that has an always-on display this year.
Bloomberg also states that while the design of 2021's iPhones will be more or less the same as the previous year's, Apple will introduce a smaller front-facing camera, which means a smaller notch at the top of the device. We'll see souped-up cameras that offer better video recording and optical zoom, along with an upgraded SoC (but that was basically a given). While Bloomberg states that Apple has been experimenting with in-display fingerprint readers, the feature isn't quite ready for primetime yet, so don't expect to see it ship in this year's iPhones.
In addition to all of this, unnamed sources speaking to Bloomberg also state that Apple is looking to increase production for 2021's iPhones. Apple may be looking to produce as many as 90 million iPhones by the end of the year, which is quite a bump up from the 75 million it has ordered in previous years. We'll see if 2021's iPhones impress enough people to warrant those boosted production numbers soon enough, as Apple is expected to reveal them sometime in September.