iPhone 13 Pro alleged photos show a massive camera

The launch of the Apple iPhone 13 is edging closer, and whether the company decides to have multiple events or not, we’re expecting the next generation of iPhone to be trailed next month. 

Plenty of iPhone 13 Pro upgrades have been rumored, and many of them center around the camera. Now, a supposedly leaked shot of the iPhone 13 Pro shell has given us an idea of how these upgrades could be achieved. In short, if the pictures are legitimate, the camera module is going to get bigger.

• iPhone 13 vs. iPhone 12 — the changes to expect
• iPhone 13 Pro — 5 reasons I’ll probably wait for iPhone 14
• Just in: Samsung Galaxy S22 upgrade reportedly just got killed — and that’s okay

The info comes from a photo shared by Majin Bu on Twitter. Bu — a relatively new leaker on the scene, but who was proved correct with a previous iPhone 12 silicon case leak — drew particular attention to the color, but it’s actually the camera module which is more interesting to us.

At a glance, this appears to look pretty much identical to the current iPhone 12 Pro, right down to the layout of lenses. But even with the unhelpful angle, adding some lines in indicates that the alleged iPhone 13 Pro has a larger camera module in place, with the edge of the bump lining up with the middle of the Apple logo.  

Notably, whether legitimate or not, this backs up past leaks we’ve seen. Last month, an alleged iPhone 13 Pro case attached to an iPhone 12 Pro proved to be a bit loose around the camera module, while a comparison of dummy units also revealed what appeared to be a small but significant size increase on the camera module. 

Suffice it to say, Apple wouldn’t increase the size of the module unless it was absolutely necessary, which goes some way to backing up the rumors we’ve heard about improved camera internals on the upcoming iPhones. The Pro models will reportedly offer a new 6-element ultrawide lens with autofocus for the first time. Larger sensors are tipped across the full range, too. 

These hardware improvements would complement some new software tricks, apparently. Portrait video recording, the ability to save video in ProRes format and filters to compensate for color reproduction are all rumored.  

As for the unusual color highlighted by Bu’s original tweet, Apple Insider speculates that this isn’t a new darker rose gold color at all, but a graphite or pre-production black iPhone 13 Pro shot under warm lighting. Certainly if it is rose gold, it’s a darker new interpretation of what the shade should look like, compared to Apple’s past products bearing that branding. 

• More: 5 Pixel 5a features Apple should steal for the next iPhone SE