'iPhone 13' dummy units hands on: What we can learn about Apple's upcoming iPhones

 

Ahead of Apple's expected iPhone upgrade this fall, we got our hands on four "iPhone 13" dummy units to see what we can learn about the rumored lineup.

Specifically, we have Apple's "iPhone 13 mini," "iPhone 13," "iPhone 13 Pro," and "iPhone 13 Pro Max," assuming Apple sticks with its numbering scheme and increments as it has in years past — not including the iPhone X.

We directly compared them to our iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max. As this is an "S" year, we typically don't see all that many external hardware changes. Apple tends to focus on performance, the cameras, and other unique features with major redesigns landing every-other year.

To be clear, these are dummy units and not official "iPhone 13" models. They were sourced through the same channels as past years, which turned out to be highly accurate.

Just because last year's were accurate, however, doesn't guarantee that these will be. These are based on recent schematics that case manufacturers are already relying on to produce cases en masse for Apple's unannounced phones. Those schematics aren't a sure thing and there could absolutely be changes in what Apple eventually releases.

To lend credence to these devices is a bevy of rumors. We've seen many rumors regarding the sizes of the new devices, the changing of the notch, and the size increase on the camera module.

Hands on with iPhone 13 dummy units

Our initial impression of the lineup is that Apple is indeed sticking with the same screen sizes this time around: a 5.4-inch "iPhone 13 mini," 6.1-inch "iPhone 13" and "iPhone 13 Pro," and 6.7-inch "iPhone 13 Pro Max."

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said that Apple will be ridding itself of the 5.4-inch model starting in 2022, so "iPhone 13 mini" could be your last chance at a small iPhone.

Across all models, we can see there is at least some change coming to the TrueDepth camera system on the fronts of the phones. Apple has shifted the earpiece all the way to the top edge, leaving the camera just off-center.

This doesn't necessarily infer a change in the size of the notch as recent rumors have suggested but it will be a change one way or another. Since these dummy units don't have actual screens but pieces of black glass on the front we can't see exactly the size of the notch.