New Apple Leak Reveals iPhone 13 Price Surprise


    09/13 Update below. This post was originally published on September 11

    Apple fans were shocked by recent iPhone 13 price leaks which said you will have to pay a lot more than you expect for Apple’s newest smartphones. But now there’s a twist. 

    MORE FROM FORBESNew Supply Chain Problems May Impact iPhone 13 Launch

    In what amounts to a shock development so close to launch, prolific leaker Max Weinbach has revealed late iPhone 13 camera, battery and price news which will excite every Apple fan. 

    09/13 Update: Bloomberg’s respected Apple journalist Mark Gurman has reported more surprising news ahead of the iPhone 13 launch tomorrow. Gurman states in his latest Power On newsletter that there will actually be two events, with new iPad and MacBook lines coming later in the year. Consequently, tomorrow’s launch will be limited to the iPhone 13 range, long awaited AirPods 3 and the Apple Watch Series 7. Apple’s decision is also revealing, since it now classifies the iPad range as a more natural partner for MacBooks, despite running iPadOS which is a tablet-optimised version of the iPhone’s iOS. Given models in both product lines now share an Apple M1 chip, this makes a lot of sense and it suggests the two will continue to merge. I suspect we can expect more on that at the second event.

    In a series of tweets, Weinbach (via his @pineleaks Twitter account) revealed:

    • iPhone 13 rises will not increase
    • iPhone 13 Pro Max battery is 20% larger Vs iPhone 12 Pro Max
    • iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro batteries are 10% larger
    • iPhone 13‌ mini has an extra hour of battery life.
    • iPhone 13 Pro battery life may shorten due to 120Hz ProMotion display

    The big takeaway here is iPhone 13 pricing. TSMC, Apple’s primary chip supplier, has increased costs by up to 20% which has piled pressure on Apple to pass this on to customers. Earlier this week, Apple was said to have decided to raise iPhone 13 prices, but Weinbach says this will not happen which will be a great relief to millions of upgraders. 

    In addition, Weinbach’s information on battery capacities tallies with earlier battery leaks, though this is the first time we have heard that iPhone 13 Pro battery life will be reduced. I expect this will prove to be a divisive change that will polarize upgraders who are torn between buying an iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro. 

    Separately, Weinbach added some new information to leaks he has made previously. In February, he claimed the iPhone 13 would receive a major upgrade to its ultrawide camera and now he quantifies that as a massive 40% increase in the amount of light the camera can take in. He also says the primary camera across all iPhone 13 models can receive 15% more light. 

    Similarly, in March Weinbach claimed Apple will introduce a radical new form of image stabilization which he now says is called ‘Warp’. Bloomberg believes this will be behind a new camera mode called Cinematic Video — essentially Portrait Mode for video — which Weinbach also name drops. Last, he says Night Mode will recognise stars in the sky, but it is unclear if this will come to all iPhones via iOS upgrades or be exclusive to iPhone 13 models. 

    That said, by far the biggest news here is pricing. With the all-new iPhone 14 design leaking ahead of the iPhone 13 launch, increased iPhone 13 prices may have convinced wavering upgraders to stay away. As it stands, I suspect the upgrades we know about — smaller notch, supersize cameras, larger batteries, faster charging, satellite comms and ProMotion displays and upgraded 5G for Pro models — combined with the price freeze will give Apple another hit. 

    But remember, for those iPhone fans who do skip a generation, good things are coming.

    ___

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