Apple hasn't yet set a date for the iPhone 13 launch. But even with the launch of this fall's new iPhone still up in the air, the folks that follow Apple's product releases are starting to block out dates on their calendar.
The latest to come out with a time frame for the iPhone 13 launch is Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives. In a research note to investors that MacRumors spotted, Ives said to expect the iPhone 13 to launch in the third week of September.
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"The iPhone 13 appears to represent 35%-45% of iPhone builds in Q3, this positive outlook gives us enhanced confidence that 2021's launch timing will be 'normal'" MacRumors quotes Ives as saying. "From a timing perspective, we believe the current iPhone 13 launch is slated for the third week in September."
That's certainly in line with the iPhone 13 expectations of others. The most widely held theory is that Apple is shipping its new lineup in September, returning to its regular schedule of iPhone releases after the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the iPhone 12 launch and forced Apple to roll out new devices on a staggered schedule in October and November.
It's unclear from the report on the Wedbush investors note whether the iPhone 13 launch means the week that Apple will unveil the phone at one of its product events or the time when the new phone will actually hit retail shelves. For what it's worth, when we did our back-of-the-envelope calculations to guess as to when the iPhone 13 would arrive, we settled on the week of Sept. 12, with Tuesday, Sept. 14 as the most likely date for an Apple event. Under that schedule, the iPhone 13 models would ship a week to days later, which lines up with the time frame touted by Wedbush.
Earlier this week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman predicted a busy fall release schedule for Apple, with the Apple Watch 7, updated AirPods, new MacBooks and a new iPad mini and 9th-gen iPad joining the iPhone 13 on Apple's to-do list.
Of course, at the moment, nothing is official, as Apple is yet to send out invites for a product launch of any sort. Assuming that the mid-September time frame is correct, we wouldn't expect those invitations to go out until the end of this month or the beginning of next — basically two weeks in advance of the iPhone 13's big day.
Ives' note contains a few other tidbits of interest to anyone wondering about iPhone 13 features. He reiterates a claim from an earlier research note that the iPhone 13 Pro models will have a 1TB storage option. Additionally, he believes that the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini will be getting LiDAR sensors, matching a feature on the Pro versions of Apple's phone. Some analysts had cast doubt on whether LiDAR would come to the less expensive iPhone 13 models.
The iPhone 13 is rumored to be shipping in the same sizes as the iPhone 12 lineup from this year. Most rumors suggest the notch on the display of every phone will shrink, while the Pro models are reportedly in line to get fast refreshing displays and improved ultrawide angle cameras.
