The new 2021 iPhone 13 will offer the best of the high-end iPhone 12, and more: new SoC, new radar sensor and new 5G modem.
From Taiwan comes good news for Apple Fans who don't live in the US: the next iPhone 13 range will feature a 5G modem that can also connect to millimeter waves (the so-called 5G mmWave), i.e. those capable of delivering the highest performance albeit in a rather small space.
Most likely to provide Apple with the components for this type of connection will be Qiqi, a company that recently announced a strong increase in sales forecasts for 2021 and that already supplies components to Qualcomm. But this will not be the only novelty of the future iPhone 2021 range, which will see the presence of LiDAR even on low-end models. Inoltre, a completare il quadro delle novità di iPhone 13 rispetto ad iPhone 12, ci sarà il nuovo processore Apple A15 che offrirà più potenza a fronte di consumi inferiori. Se iPhone 12 ha stupito molti, quindi, c’è da attendersi un dispositivo anche migliore per il 2021.
Apple iPhone e 5G mmWave
Qualcuno starà già pensando: il 5G millimetrico non è una novità per Apple, perché è già presente sugli iPhone 12. Questo è vero solo in parte, perché gli unici iPhone 12 compatibili con il 5G più veloce sono quelli venduti negli Stati Uniti.
A causa del costo dei componenti necessari, e del loro risicato numero sul mercato, Apple ha infatti deciso di equipaggiare con il 5G mmWave solo gli iPhone 12 venduti in madre patria. All others, including those that can be bought in Italy, are compatible only with the 5G standard, the so-called "sub-6GHz 5G".
The sub-6GHz 5G, unlike the mmWave, has a much greater range but a much lower speed (but still higher than the current 4G). 5G mmWave, however, must be integrated with device-specific electronics, which led Apple to the decision to differentiate models sold in America from those sold in the rest of the world.
iPhone 13: LiDAR across the board
LiDAR technology debuted on an Apple product with the iPad Pro. Only later, with the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max (but not also on the standard iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini) did it arrive on smartphones. In 2021, however, it should be on all iPhone 13s.
At least that's what DigiTimes thinks, hearing from sources from Apple's supply chain. According to those sources, the iPhone 13's LiDAR will be manufactured by Sony, following a three-year commercial agreement.
It should also be pointed out, however, that DigiTimes' sources haven't always proven to be 100% reliable when the Taiwanese news outlet talked about Apple news.
iPhone 13: great expectations for the A15 SoC
Finally, but this is not news, the iPhone 13 will feature the new A15 chip, heir to the current A14. It won't be a revolutionary chip, because it will continue to be produced with a 5nm technology (but probably more refined than the current one) and it will still be made by TSMC.
However, Apple has recently shown to the world its new M1 processors for desktop computers (Mac Mini) and laptops (MacBook Pro and MacBook Air) and these SoCs have amazed the world. Not only because they mark Apple's farewell to Intel's X86 architecture in favor of ARM, but also because they are extraordinarily efficient.
The M1s heat very little and can withstand heavy workloads without batting an eyelid for a very long time and analysts are convinced that Apple will bring at least part of the innovations introduced with these processors also on the new A15.
This will certainly translate into more power for the same power consumption, if not even at lower power consumption.