iPhone 13 launch date tipped by analyst — and it’s later than we thought

By Tom Pritchard
published

The iPhone 13's release date may have been revealed, thanks to this analyst report

iPhone 13 Pro Max dummy unit
(Image credit: Unbox Therapy/YouTube)

We know the iPhone 13 (or whatever it ends up being called) is coming, the only question is when can we buy one? One analyst may have given us the answer.

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives believes that the iPhone 13 range will be announced during the third week of September. That would be a little later than usual since Apple tends to launch iPhones in the first or second week of that month. But this information does suggest that we may be seeing the iPhone 13 release date as September 24. 

We should point out that this is a guess, and it’s based on taking Ives’ prediction at face value. Apple typically holds its iPhone launch events on a Tuesday, with pre-orders then opening that Friday. The first wave of phones typically arrive in customer hands the following Friday.

If Ives is correct that means we would see the iPhone 13 launch on September 14, pre-orders opening on September 17, and then then the iPhone 13 release date on September 24. 

Ives didn’t reveal where he got the information from, but given his respectable track record as an analyst, and his sources in the supply chain, he’s proven himself to be trustworthy.

September has been the de-facto iPhone launch month for the majority of mainstream iPhones since the iPhone 5. The only exceptions are the iPhone 12, which was delayed to October thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the iPhone X. That arrived in November 2017, presumably so it wouldn’t interfere with the release of the iPhone 8 range in September of that year.

Ives also reiterated rumors that there will be 1TB storage options on the iPhone 13 range, and that all four phones will come with LiDAR sensors this year. That said, these rumors have both been refuted by some other sources, and we’ll have to sit tight and wait and see how things play out.

Other iPhone 13 rumors thus far point to a smaller notch for all four models, a faster A15 Bionic chip and under-display Face ID. And Apple could be upping its computational photography game with portrait mode for video and better results when shooting the night sky. 

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Tom Pritchard
Tom Pritchard
Automotive Editor

Tom is the Tom's Guide's Automotive Editor, which means he can usually be found knee deep in stats the latest and best electric cars, or checking out some sort of driving gadget. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining that Ikea won’t let him buy the stuff he really needs online.