Apple iPhone 13 Launch: iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Mini

Apple used its launch event on Tuesday to reveal to the world its iPhone 13 lineup, that will take up the smartphone mantle after the successful run of the iPhone 12.

Apple touted camera innovations with the new iPhone 13 handsets, as well as a brand new processor, and “an impressive leap in battery life”.

During the event on Tuesday 14 September, Apple also revealed updates to two of its entry-level iPads, namely the iPad (9th Gen) and iPad Mini (2021), and also its new Apple Watch Series 7.

iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Mini

Apple announced the 5G compatible iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini features “a beautiful design with sleek flat edges in five gorgeous new colours.”

First off Apple was keen to point to “the most advanced dual-camera system ever on iPhone – with a new Wide camera with bigger pixels and sensor-shift optical image stabilisation (OIS) offering improvements in low-light photos and videos.”

Apple also said the new handsets include a new way to personalise the camera with Photographic Styles, and Cinematic mode.

Under the bonnet, iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini also come with the new A15 Bionic processor; longer battery life; a brighter Super Retina XDR display; durability with the Ceramic Shield front cover; and double the entry-level storage at 128GB; coupled with an IP68 rating for water resistance; as well as 5G experience.

“Our customers rely on iPhone every day, which is why we’ve made iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini more powerful, more capable, and more fun to use,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior VP of Worldwide Marketing.

“Both phones have beautiful designs, industry-leading performance, and advanced camera systems with impressive computational photography features, all with incredible durability, water resistance, and a big jump in battery life to ensure customers can depend on their iPhone when they need it,” said Joswiak. “All of this, tightly integrated with iOS 15 and with privacy built in, make iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini an unbeatable choice.”

Updated handsets

One of the biggest takeaways from the release of Apple’s new iPhones is that the screen notch that houses the selfie camera and Face ID sensors is unfortunately still present.

That said, it is smaller than in previous models ever since it first appeared in the iPhone X back in 2017.

The notch on the iPhone 13 is said to be 20 percent smaller horizontally, while the height is slightly longer, which Apple says allows for a slightly bigger screen.

But it should be noted that iPhone 13 and 13 mini are slightly thicker than last year’s models, at 7.65mm compared to 7.4mm for their predecessors.

Prices and availability

The iPhone 13 essentially carries the same look and feel of the iPhone 12, and features a flat-edge design that boasts the same Ceramic Shield glass found on its predecessor.

It is rated at IP68 dust and water resistant (to a depth of six meters for up to 30 minutes).

The display for the iPhone 13 is 6.1-inch (1170 x 2532), while the iPhone 13 mini offers a 5.4-inch (1080 x 2340) screen.

Both are Super Retina XDR displays, and utilise Apple’s own custom OLED technology.

Users have a choice of five new colours, namely Pink, Blue, Midnight, Starlight and Product Red

These handsets are available for pre-order from September 14, but will be in store on Friday 24 September.

Pricing for the iPhone 13 mini (128GB version) starts at £679. Cost for the regular iPhone 13 (128GB) starts at £779.