Grab iPhone 12 or Wait for iPhone 13?

Last updated September 14, 2021
Written by:
Bill Toulas
Bill Toulas
Cybersecurity Journalist
iPhone 13 Concept Design, Leandro Peixoto | Dribble

The iPhone 12 has just been announced, but many of you may already be thinking about the iPhone 13 that's to come next year. After all, waiting a year isn't that much time, and if you're already rocking a powerful device, you're not compelled to upgrade to the iPhone 12. To answer the question of whether the wait is worth it, one has to rely on valid assumptions and rumors on what the iPhone 13 could bring.

Starting with the assumptions, we would suggest that the higher refresh rates that haven't landed on the iPhone 12 are going to be inevitable on the iPhone 13 - otherwise, Apple will look like they're falling behind. They just can't afford to exclude the "ProMotion" display technology, as they couldn't afford to exclude 5G this year.

The second assumption is that the iPhone 13 will finally succumb to the pressure to adopt USB-C in favor of the Lightning port. Rumors claim that the iPhone 13 is entirely port-less, relying solely on wireless data transfer and charging, so no matter how things unfold, there's going to be a development on that part too.

Thirdly, 5G is going to mature a lot this year, and mobile models will get better at how they handle heat generation and dissipation. It's just a matter of natural development, as optimization can only come through practice, so the iPhone 13 may approach 5G in a more energy-efficient way.

Possibly, Apple may make the leap to under-display sensors that would wipe off that notch from the front of the device, but we wouldn't hold our breath on that. Possibly, the notch is just going to get a bit smaller, and that's it. Other rumors talk about a significant refresh of the Face ID system, which isn't exactly a problematic aspect of the device's functionality anyway.

iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 13 Purchase

In conclusion, we'd say that if you're running a capable device, stay with it, and ignore the sirens. We're not spending much time outside anyway, so getting a new device right now isn't a priority.

If you're in need of a capable device at this moment, though, iPhone 12 has a fair price, and it's an amazingly powerful smartphone from every aspect. Thus, waiting for the iPhone 13, in that case, doesn't make sense, because it's not likely to come with big improvements over this year's models.

Apple iPhone 12 Event 2020



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