Small changes in sight on iPhone 13 and 13 Pro: new arrangement of the cameras and new notch, which will remain but leaving more space for the screen
Apple always proceeds rather cautiously on the subject of aesthetic changes. The iPads for example have adopted the same design for a long time, the aesthetics of the Macs themselves have remained unchanged for years, and the same considerations can be applied to iPhones. It's a conservative approach that clearly works, being the same for a long time.
So the iPhone 11s revolutionized the aesthetic layout of the iPhone X and Xs, changing mostly in the rear surface with a new design for the camera group. The iPhone 12 have followed the line of continuity to make iconic in the eyes of fans aesthetic solutions that end up identifying an iPhone from the first glance. According to the latest rumors, with the iPhone 13 to be unveiled in a few months, Apple plans to make a few changes to the design without revolutionizing anything: the iPhone 13 will remain very similar to the current phones, but will not be identical.
From vertical to diagonal: the arrangement of the cameras on iPhone 13
Judging from an image that ended up on the net in the last few hours, the iPhone 13 will continue to be macroscopically different from the iPhone 13 Pro for the lack of a rear camera. What would vary from the current range is the position of the two cameras of the iPhone 13.
Nothing would change in terms of number of sensors and even, say the well-informed, the size of the element on the back that surrounds cameras, LED flash and microphone. To vary would be the arrangement of the two sensors, currently arranged vertically while in the future, on the iPhone 13, placed diagonally.
Different as a result the positioning of the LED flash and microphone, the first higher while the other lower. Who distributed the image claims that these are the final prototypes of iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, but of course there is no certainty and probably will not exist until a few days before the presentation.
The "new" notch of reduced size
It would still be desirable for many that today's rumor turns out to be well-founded. In addition to the camera group of the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro, the rumor dwells on the opposite surface, in particular the notch. The bulky (then iconic) "notch" of Apple, which in addition to the camera for selfies contains the sensors necessary for the operation of Face ID, on the iPhone 13 would have significantly smaller dimensions than today.
This would be a less invasive solution, both for the eye and from the point of view of maximizing the display in relation to the frontal surface, a theme more topical than ever in a period in which most of the competition invests to eliminate every component to maximize the display, as they try to do with mixed results with the front camera for selfies.
Apple, at least for the moment, has no intention of resorting to extreme solutions, and it seems that it doesn't even want to question Face ID, which will remain firmly in place even on the iPhone 13 despite many calling for a more classic in-display fingerprint reader, more functional in pandemic.