The iPhone 13 series is here.
Apple unveiled the new family of smartphones alongside the Apple Watch 7, iPad and iPad mini at the “California Streaming” event on 14th September, after weeks of speculation about what updates the new line-up would bring.
Similar to last year, Apple unveiled four brand new handsets: the iPhone 13 mini, the iPhone 13, the iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
While the design changes were minimal – the 13 series phones have a smaller notch, a super-fast A15 Bionic chip and impressive new cameras.
There was more good news for Apple fans, as the event confirmed the iPhone 13 release date, Apple Watch Series 7 release date and the new iPad and iPad mini 6 release date. However, there was no mention of the AirPods 3 during the showcase.
Here’s a summary of everything that Apple announced during the September virtual event, what’s new in the hardware this year and when you can expect pre-orders to go live.
Apple TV+
After a musical intro, Apple kicked off the show with a focus on Apple TV+, noting it had received 35 primetime Emmy nominations, with a whopping 20 for its show Ted Lasso alone. It unveiled a reel of shows that will premiere this autumn: including The Morning Show, Foundation, The Problem with Jon Stewart, Invasion, Swagger, Finch and The Shrink Next Door. It was an impressive showing for the Netflix rival.
Apple iPad (9th generation)
New iPad
Next up, Apple officially unveiled its 9th generation iPad, which starts from £319 and is available from next week – keeping a similar price as the prior model.
The new iPad 9 is up to “six times faster than the best selling Android tablet” and features the Centre Stage video capabilities that debuted on the iPad Pro – which detects people in the frame and dynamically follows them if they move. The front camera uses a 12 megapixel (MP) ultra-wide lens with a 122-degree field of view.
Pricing and availability: The new iPad 9, which will ship with iPadOS 15 software, will be available from 24th September. Pre-orders opened on 14th September.
Apple iPad mini (6th generation)
The iPad mini is also getting a major refresh this year, a move being described by Apple as the model’s “biggest upgrade ever.” It now has a larger 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display with 500 nits of brightness, and – like the modern iPad Air – the touch ID fingerprint system is now placed on the top right of the body.
Pricing and availability: The new iPad mini 6 is being priced at £479, and it will be available from 24th September. Pre-orders are open now via Apple.
Apple Watch Series 7
The Apple Watch 7 was also confirmed at the launch event. Compared to the previous model, the new smartwatch has an always-on display that provides close to 20% more screen real estate and borders that are 40% thinner.
Pricing and availability: Available in five new colours – midnight, starlight, green, blue and Product (RED) – the Apple Watch Series 7 starts from $399 and will be available later to pre-order and buy this Autumn. Check out our full Apple Watch Series 7 release date page for more information on the new smartwatch.
iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini
The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini feature Apple’s new A15 Bionic chip and a dual-camera system with the lenses placed diagonally. According to Apple, it’s the fastest CPU in any smartphone – up to “50% faster than the leading competition.”
Pricing and availability: The iPhone 13 mini starts from £679, and the iPhone 13 is priced from £779. Starting storage capacity has been upgraded to 128GB, with a new 512GB option also available. They come in five colours: pink, blue, midnight, starlight, and (PRODUCT) Red and will be available from Friday, 24th September.
iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max
The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max have each received a slew of upgrades – including a newly designed front that makes the selfie camera notch system 20% smaller than previous “Pro” models. Apple said its flagship phones have been “completely redesigned” on the inside, now including an A15 Bionic chipset that offers “up to 50% faster graphics performance than the leading competition”.
Pricing and availability: The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max are available from September 24. The Pro is priced from £949, while the Pro Max is priced from £1,049. Colors are graphite, gold, silver, and Sierra blue. Pre-orders go live on 17th September, and the phones will become available from 24th September.
Where to buy the Apple iPhone 13
The new products can be pre-ordered and bought via the Apple website.
The iPhone 13 won’t only be available to buy via Apple’s website.
When can you download iOS 15 software update?
iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 will be available on 20th September 2021.
Apple first previewed iOS 15 software updates in June, showing off changes to how it displays notifications, a re-designed Safari app that will make it easier to scroll the internet with one hand and new versions of multiple apps, including Maps, Weather and Notes. It will introduce a new “Focus” mode that only shows the notifications you want, and the bar that displays those notifications has also been totally revamped to show contact photos and have larger app icons.
You will be able to download the new software for free via Apple’s website.
iPadOS 15 will be available as a free software update for iPad mini 4 and later, iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, and all iPad Pro models.
Apple iOS users can currently participate in a free public beta, but the release date was confirmed at the 14th September iPhone launch event.
The big Apple iOS updates typically go live shortly after the September event. In 2020, iOS 14 came out on 16th September, one day after the event. In 2019, it released iOS 13 on 19th September, nine days after its showcase. In 2018, iOS 12 came out on 17th September, which was five days after that year’s event.
On April 20, the “Spring Loaded” event revealed:
M1 iPad Pro
M1 iMac
Apple TV 4K
AirTags
iPhone 12 in purple
On June 7–11, the WWDC 2021 event revealed:
iOS 15
iPadOS 15
watchOS 8
tvOS 15
macOS
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