20 September 2021
It’s one of the biggest days on the calendar that we look forward to every single year. Apple’s latest iPhone launch. A new iPhone entering the market is always exciting. We’ve been watching Apple’s “California Streaming” event live from Cupertino to bring you everything you need to know about Apple’s new iPhone.
When Is The New iPhone Coming Out?
The good news is, September 24th was the iPhone 13 release date, so you can buy your new iPhone 13 right now! You can also see our full list of iPhone 13 prices on prepay and bill pay and you can buy an iPhone in our retail stores too, but we expect stock to be limited initially.
iPhone 13: Overview
Next up. The phones themselves. Apple has launched four new iPhones into the family. Here’s a quick overview of the iPhone 13 range before we take a closer look at each of the phones.
iPhone 13
The iPhone 13 is the core phone of the family. It’s a fan favourite and a great all-rounder. This iPhone features most of Apple’s big innovations for the year and strikes a welcome balance between price and specs.
iPhone 13 mini
The iPhone 13 mini packs everything from the iPhone 13 into a smaller phone. As technology progresses so too does our need for bigger or smaller screens. Apple knows that not everyone believes “bigger to be better” and this is why the iPhone 13 mini is a popular choice.
iPhone 13 Pro
Every year, Apple brings the best bits of their new smartphone and make it even better. The result is their Pro model. This is the iPhone 13 Pro range which Apple says is more pro than ever before. Here, you’ll find the biggest upgrades are in areas like the camera and display. But, you’ll also find some great technological innovation for things like filmmaking.
iPhone 13 Pro Max
The iPhone 13 Pro Max adds further innovation to the iPhone 13 Pro with the additional benefit of an even bigger display and larger battery combined with the best camera in an iPhone to date. The iPhone 13 Pro Max features the best battery life ever in an iPhone.
iPhone 13 And iPhone 13 Mini Comparison
|
iPhone 13 |
iPhone 13 mini |
Display |
6.1-inch |
5.4-inch |
Weight |
174g |
141g |
Display Type |
Super Retina XDR |
Super Retina XDR |
Water Resistance |
IP68 Rated |
IP68 Rated |
Chip |
A15 Bionic |
A15 Bionic |
Rear Camera |
Dual 12MP Wide and Ultra Wide System |
Dual 12MP Wide and Ultra Wide System |
Front Camera |
12MP TrueDepth Camera |
12MP TrueDepth Camera |
Battery |
All Day Battery Life |
All Day Battery Life |
Operating System |
iOS 15 |
iOS 15 |
iPhone 13 And iPhone 13 Pro Comparison
|
iPhone 13 Pro |
iPhone 13 Pro Max |
Display |
6.1-inch |
6.7-inch |
Weight |
204g |
240g |
Display Type |
Super Retina XDR with ProMotion |
Super Retina XDR with ProMotion |
Water Resistance |
IP68 Rated |
IP68 Rated |
Chip |
A15 Bionic |
A15 Bionic |
Rear Camera |
Triple 12MP Wide, Ultra Wide and Telephoto System |
Triple 12MP Wide, Ultra Wide and Telephoto System |
Front Camera |
12MP TrueDepth Camera |
12MP TrueDepth Camera |
Battery |
All Day Battery Life |
All Day Battery Life |
Operating System |
iOS 15 |
iOS 15 |
iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini
At the Apple Event, we got a first glimpse of one of the world’s most popular phones. Both the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini were revealed at the event, packed full of features to meet and exceed the needs of most smartphone users. Here’s what we learned.
Design
The iPhone 13 range has been given the total redesign treatment, both inside and out. Now featuring a new flat-edge design and aluminium frame, you’ll be able to get the perfect sized iPhone to suit your needs.
Both models have received an IP68 water resistance rating. This means anything from getting caught in the rain to falling in the bath shouldn’t impact your beloved iPhone.
Apple has redesigned the TrueDepth camera space on the front. This means you still get to enjoy fast and secure FaceID unlocking but with a smaller notch.
If memory was ever a concern, Apple had good news too. Now, the starting capacity for iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini is 128GB.
Display
The iPhone 13 mini features a 5.4-inch display while the iPhone 13 puts the slightly larger 6.1-inch display into your hands. Both phones bring the toughness of Apple’s Ceramic Shield into their display.
Also to feature on the iPhone 13 range is the Super Retina XDR OLED Display. This display means you can view your iPhone better than ever in the light of outdoors while also powering higher peak brightness when viewing HDR images and videos you’ve captured.
Camera
The iPhone 13 brings the most advanced dual-lens camera system ever to iPhone. This is thanks to a great combination of camera hardware and software being powered by the A15 Bionic chip.
The new wide-angle rear camera houses Apple’s biggest sensor ever in a dual-camera system. It’s capable of gathering 47% more light for brighter results with less noise. Sensor-shift OIS, first launched on the iPhone 12 Pro Max is now also coming to iPhone 13, stabilising your shots.
Beyond stills, the iPhone 13 range will also feature cinematic mode, allowing you to shoot video with stunning automatically focused shots. You can also shoot HDR video with Dolby Vision with 4K video capture supported on all cameras up to 60 fps.
All the favourites return too including Portrait Mode for capturing stunning bokeh shots.
Battery
One of the most remarkable things to emerge from the whole Apple event was battery life. Despite a full suite of upgrades that need more power than ever to operate, these are the most power efficient iPhones to date. Both offer all-day battery life thanks to smart power management and improved chip efficiency.
Thanks to this, the iPhone 13 mini can outlast the iPhone 12 mini by 1.5 hours while the iPhone 13 goes 2.5 hours longer than the iPhone 12.
iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max
The iPhone Pro and Pro Max range is the most advanced Apple technology for those who want their phone to really push performance. This year, Apple says the range is “more pro than ever before”. Here’s why.
Design
The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max have been redesigned both inside and out. Available with 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch displays respectively Apple has also reclaimed some screen real estate. The notch is now 20% smaller thanks to a redesign of the iPhone’s TrueDepth camera system.
The all-new Pro line-up features a flat-edge design, constructed with surgical-grade stainless steel bands. The IP68 rating means both phones can be submerged in water for up to thirty minutes, but we do still advise against it!
Display
Both Pro phones now feature Apple’s Super Retina XDR displays with the Ceramic Shield glass giving the range one of the most robust displays on the market.
Apple also introduced adaptive refresh rates on both devices capable of supporting up to 120 Hz when needed. When you’re reading, your iPhone will cleverly drop the refresh rate to 10 Hz to save power. As soon as you start scrolling again, 120 Hz kicks back in to give you the best user experience.
All of this is underpinned by a 5-core Graphics Processing Unit that’s 50% faster than the competition.
Camera
The Pro range is home to Apple’s most advanced suite of mobile camera technology ever. All three rear cameras, the wide, ultra-wide and telephoto camera, get new sensors specifically designed to work perfectly with iOS 15 while making the most of the A15 Bionic chip; more on those updates later. Ultimately, the result is an iPhone than captures better shots at all times, especially in low light.
But the upgrades go beyond capturing stills. The new iPhone 13 Pro range is also aimed at budding movie makers. Once amazing new feature is Cinematic mode which is capable of capturing video with rack focus.
Even if you’re not a professional filmmaker, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max has been designed to let you capture incredible quality video like never before without making it complicated.
Battery
Despite all of these power hungry upgrades in the Pro range, Apple is still promising improved battery life. This is down to a bigger battery, intelligent power management and the improved efficiency of the A15 Bionic chip.
The iPhone 13 Pro will last 1.5 hours longer than the iPhone 12 Pro while the iPhone 13 Pro will go 2.5 hours longer than the iPhone 12 Pro Max. All of this means that the iPhone 13 Pro Max is the longest lasting iPhone ever.
Apple’s New A15 Bionic Chip
We’ve mentioned Apple’s new A15 Bionic Chip quite a lot, but what is it? More and more, new smartphones depend on their chips to drive the most innovative features. Few do this better than Apple.
Even improved camera features like Cinematic Mode rely on the processing power of Apple’s chipset. The new A15 Bionic is not only the reason behind so much of the developments that rely on machine learning, but it’s also behind the improved power efficiency.
It’s also at the core of new iOS 15 features like Live Text so let’s take a look at that.
Apple’s New iOS 15
You’d be forgiven for thinking this was all about smartphones but Apple also released iOS 15 at their launch event. Every new iPhone needs a new operating system right?
Operating systems aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but this one is particularly interesting as Apple has packed iOS 15 full of some great new features. Here are some of our favourites.
iOS 15: Focus
Apple is working to ensure your daily smartphone interactions are efficient and more meaningful. This is the reason behind introducing Focus, a feature that helps you stay in the moment when concentration is key, or step away and unplug. You can choose from a preset Focus or make your own to dictate which apps can send you notifications.
iOS 15: Safari
Apple’s native browser gets a significant facelift with iOS 15. The layout is changed to maximise your screen space with the tab bar now moved to the bottom. This has the added benefit of being easier to access with just your thumb. You can also organise your tabs, use voice search and install extensions you’ve been using on your Mac.
iOS 15: Live Text
This is an incredibly useful feature Apple brings to their suite of hardware in iOS 15. Live Text lets you copy text directly from photos. This is a massive time saver for tasks like popping a WiFi password into your phone. It also lets you call phone numbers directly from photos you’ve taken amongst a range of other helpful applications.
You can also directly translate on your phone using Live Text. Handy if you’re trying to work out what’s on the dinner menu on a trip to Italy.
Excited about what we’ve learned from the Apple Event? Don’t forget, you can buy your new iPhone 13 now and be amongst the first in Ireland to have one.