iPhone 13 features: Apple reveals improved camera, battery life on new phones ahead of September release date
The iPhone 13 and Apple Watch Series 7 were among the new products confirmed during Apple’s annual keynote presentation streamed from its Californian headquarters.
The new iPhone 13 Pro smartphone will go on sale on 24 September (Photo: AP)
Improved cameras, longer battery life and greater resilience when dropped or knocked are among the new features in Apple’s latest range of iPhones, which are less expensive than last year’s handsets.
The tech giant revealed four new models the 5.4-inch iPhone 13 mini, 6.1-inch iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, and the 6.7-inch iPhone 13 Pro Max, all of which contain redesigned camera systems to shoot sharper, more detailed images and videos.
The two Pro models sport Apple’s “biggest camera advancement yet” for their three rear-facing cameras, the company claimed, supporting faster shutter speeds and boasting a 92 per cent improvement in photos taken in low light conditions on the ultrawide lens.
Academy Award-winning director Kathryn Bigelow, who experimented with the new system, said the iPhone 13 Pro’s camera was so sophisticated, it had the potential to revolutionise the film industry.
“It will change the language of cinema in a very positive way,” she said, speaking with cinematographer Greig Fraser, who worked on the much-anticipated forthcoming Dune film.
All four iPhones have been redesigned to withstand being dropped and knocked about thanks to reinforced, more durable screens, and benefit from what Apple promised was a “big jump” in battery life thanks to the energy-efficient A15 processor.
The company also announced two new iPads, a standard entry-level model and an updated iPad mini, and an Apple Watch Series 7 smartwatch, complete with a larger display, which will go on sale later in the autumn.
This is the second consecutive iPhone launch Apple has held purely as an online-only event after the pandemic prevented the company from inviting the world’s press and celebrities to an in-person unveiling of the iPhone 12 in October last year.
The tech giant was ordered to stop preventing App Store developers from linking to third-party payment options by a court in California as part of the company’s ongoing legal battle against games company Epic Games.
A new feature called Photographic Styles applies edits in real-time as a photo is rendered, allowing users to create custom filters that can be applied to multiple pictures to help them develop a specific signature style.
The new iPhone 13 handset comes in a choice of five colours (Photo: AP)
While Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers ruled that the court “cannot ultimately conclude that Apple is a monopolist”, the decision means software makers will be able to bypass Apple’s 15 per cent to 30 per cent cut, which could result in a loss of billions of dollars in revenue each year.