First glimpse of Apple's iPhone 13 reveals design surprise

With (we hope) mere months until the next iPhone reveal, rumours are rife about both its features and design. Now, thanks to new dummy units based on leaked specs, we've been given our clearest look yet at the iPhone 13 line up – and with the exception of one unexpected design touch, it looks pretty familiar.

The dummy units reveal four models just like the iPhone 12 line up – and appear to negate recent rumours that the 'mini' model is facing the chop. The designs look largely unchanged from their '12' counterparts – except for the camera module on the non-Pro models. It seems our best camera phones list won't be seeing a dramatic new design in 2021 (from Apple, at least).

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It looks the the iPhone 5-inspired square-edged design is returning – which is fine by us (we're big fans of the current design). And while we've heard big camera improvements are coming, each model still has the same amount of lenses: two for the standard models, three for the Pros.

But the most obvious change is the placement of said lenses on the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini. Rather than sitting vertically, the camera lenses are now diagonal. As for why, we're not sure (simply to differentiate it from the 12, perhaps?), but it's certainly an unusual look for the iPhone. The whole thing looks rather less symmetrical, which somehow doesn't feel very Apple to us.

There are, of course, other ways Apple can 'change up' the design of the iPhone 13. We've heard all sorts of colour-related rumours, covering everything from orange to hot pink

iPhone 13

A fan-made render of an orange iPhone 13 (complete with diagonal camera setup) (Image credit: Ian Zelbo on Twitter)

And besides, even if the design doesn't change much, the iPhone 13 is sounding pretty incredible on the inside. From a super-smooth refresh rate to a smaller (if not entirely removed) notch, it seems we're looking at a formidable upgrade. That said, the iPhone 12 line up is hardly old news – if you want the best iPhone available right here and now, check out today's best deals below. 

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Daniel John
Senior News Editor

Daniel John is Senior News Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of art, design, branding and lifestyle tech (which often translates to tech made by Apple). He joined in 2020 after working in copywriting and digital marketing with brands including ITV, NBC, Channel 4 and more.