What to expect from Apple’s next-gen iPhones? Expect the same 5.4- and 6.1-inch display sizes for the regular “iPhone 13” models alongside the same 6.1- and 6.7-inch displays for the “iPhone 13 Pro” models and, significantly for those who hate the inelegant kludge, a smaller notch (TrueDepth camera and sensor system).
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
Here’s what I’m expecting:
• New camera capabilities, including a video version of Portrait mode dubbed Cinematic Video, a new AI-driven filter system to apply different styles to your photos, and higher-quality video recording in ProRes for the Pro models.
• A faster A15 chip with the same core counts as the A14 chip.
• New screen technology that will enable ProMotion (a faster, 120-hertz refresh rate on the Pro models) and potentially an always-on screen mode.
Year two of the big 5G push is a fair marketing reason to jump to 13 — despite the number being considered unlucky in some regions. The smaller notch also could give Apple reason to move to 13. Or Apple can avoid this whole discussion by finally ditching numbers like it did long ago on the iPad.
MacDailyNews Take: ProMotion finally arriving on iPhones is a big deal (especially if the company makes Apple Pencil work with the flagship iPhone 13 Pro Max.
As for the naming, we’ve been outspoken on the self-defeating “S” model designation for many years. Some examples:
“S” year iPhones were not “slight upgrades,” but that horrid mischaracterization is exactly why we advised Apple to drop the the stupid “S of Death” naming scheme many years ago. – MacDailyNews, September 13, 2017
Apple, enough with the stupid iPhone ‘S’ naming already.
iPhone “S” years usher in hugely significant features, such as oleophobic displays, significant GPU improvements, world phone capability, Siri personal assistant, video stabilization, panorama photos, 64-bit processors, TD-LTE support, Touch ID, and 3D Touch, among other improvements and additions. Each year’s iPhone deserves its own number. By not doing so, Apple is shooting itself in the foot; handicapping iPhones with an “S” every other year. Why Tim Cook or Phil Schiller haven’t put an end to this stupid – yes, stupid – “S” naming is inexplicable. Why don’t you just name it “iPhone No Big Deal This Year,” Tim and Phil?
Here’s what you say onstage and in the press release when there’s no “iPhone 7s” and you jump directly from iPhone 7 to iPhone 8: “The improvements are such that the new iPhone deserves its own number.” Period. Done. Mission accomplished. It’s your naming convention, Apple, and you can correct your stupid mistake at any time. — MacDailyNews, September 16, 2015
It’s as if Apple is naming iPhone models solely for their own internal inventory purposes, just so they can keep track of which model is which, with no regard for how the iPhones are perceived by the rest of the world – the media, the customers, etc. – outside One Infinite Loop.
The “S” doesn’t stand for “Speed,” it stands for “Stupid.” Yes, we know it’s the same case design; we know the “S” version is the one you make the big margins on; we get it. Call it the “S” internally if you must, but don’t be so engineer-ish that you insist on calling it that on the box, too!
It’s not about sales figures or the model’s success (as long as “iPhone” is in the name, it will be a success), it’s about setting a tone. In this case, with the “S,” Apple sets a tone that they are just making an incremental update… Why gift the naysayers with the opportunity, Apple? — MacDailyNews Take, April 5, 2013
Again, here’s how we’d name them:
• iPhone mini (2020)
• iPhone (2020)
• iPhone Pro (2020)
• iPhone Pro Max (2020)
or, better yet:
• 5.4-inch iPhone (2020)
• 6.1-inch iPhone (2020)
• 6.1-inch iPhone Pro (2020)
• 6.7-inch iPhone Pro (2020)