Apple fans will have to wait a little longer as the iPhone 13 release date remains unknown

Most of the buzz surrounding Apple’s latest flagship phone is pure speculation at this point. Indeed, even the name at this point is guesswork – given the connotations surrounding the number 13, we have a feeling Apple is going to choose something more leftfield, just as it did with the iPhone X back in 2018.

Apple certainly does like giving things amusing names: the tech giant recently hosted a launch event called (wait for it) Spring Loaded, which unveiled a series of major new products to be released in 2021. We've seen a new iMac, a new iPad Pro, the highly anticipated (and affordable) AirTags, plus a new purple colourway for the iPhone 12.

However, as expected, there was no news on the iPhone 13's release date – it wasn't covered during the Spring Loaded event.

Read on to find out everything we know about the new iPhone 13 so far – and if you want to see a complete list of handsets being released this year, don’t miss our new phones 2021 article. And for more on the current reigning flagship iPhone, there's our iPhone 12 review and iPhone 12 Pro review, along with our (deep breath) iPhone 12 vs mini vs Pro vs Pro Max explainer to compare the various handsets in the range.

iPhone 13 release date

Apple typically releases its newest handsets in September each year, and we have no reason to think they’ll do otherwise in 2021. Last year, the iPhone 12 (pictured above) was released in late October, but that was due to supply issues caused by the Covid pandemic and lockdown restrictions across the world.

Covid has by no means gone away, of course, but we’re staying hopeful that the distribution of the iPhone 13 won’t be affected by lockdown, supply issues or, say, a container ship stuck in the Suez Canal. That would be really unlucky.

iPhone 13 price: how much will it cost?

It’s always worth looking at previous iPhone prices since Apple rarely deviates that greatly from the prices of the preceding generation of phone. On their release, the iPhone 12 started at £799, and the iPhone 12 Pro started at £999.

Yes, those are prices that – but when compared to flagship handset from other companies, iPhone aren't actually the most costly phones these days. Not when set against, say, the Sony Xperia 1 II, which was released last year for an eyewatering £1,099, or the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, which retails at £1,179.

iPhone 13 specs: what to expect

Apple hasn’t given any explicit information about the iPhone 13, but that doesn’t mean we’ve not been listening to the rumour mill.

One thing we know is that Apple has been developing a new processor called the A15 Bionic chip. This is reportedly due to go into production in May 2021 – so based on that, it seems fair to assume that it’s set to go into the next iPhone and will mark an upgrade on the A14 Bionic Chip that’s inside the iPhone 12.

Also, a number of images have surfaced online of a trio of iPhone displays, leaked by a Greek repair company. Such things should never be taken at face value – but if there’s any truth to these leaked pics, we can expect 5.4-inch, 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch displays for what might be the iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro.

These sizes all align with the iPhone 12 range, but where these new images show an evolutionary leap is in the size of the notch at the top of the display. This feature has been included in Apple’s phones since the iPhone X, but its size has drawn criticism in the past. If indeed that notch does get scaled-down, it will be welcome news for iPhone diehards everywhere.

On top of that, there are whispers of a 120HZ display – which we’d say is likely, since if you read our Sony Xperia 1 III release date article, it features in that company’s latest flagship phone. Factor in a potential 1TB (that’s a thousand GB) of storage, and you’ve got all the signs that Apple has another superb device in the pipeline.

Not sure whether to wait for the iPhone 13? We compare the current flagship models in our iPhone 12 vs mini vs Pro vs Pro Max guide and we're also keeping an eye on the best iPhone 11 deals.