iPhone 13 design leak just revealed a bad surprise

iPhone 13/iPhone 12S concept
(Image credit: Jermaine Smit/LetsGoDigital)

Details about the upcoming iPhone 13 continue to take shape — quite literally in the case of the latest leak, which gives us more information about the size of the iPhone 13. And it’s not good news for fans of thin phones.

MacRumors reports that it saw schematics for the models Apple plans to release this fall. And if the details of those schematics are accurate, it looks like both the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro models will be thicker than their predecessors. They'll also feature larger, thicker camera bumps than the iPhone 12 line. 

Specifically, the iPhone iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro models will likely be 7.57mm thick. That’s an increase of 0.17mm from the iPhone 12. The good news is that’s probably not a perceptible change to most people, but if the iPhone 13 feels a little thicker when you hold it this fall, just know that your mind isn’t playing tricks on you.

iPhone 13: Bigger camera bump

The phone itself isn’t the only thing getting thicker. The camera bump is getting bigger on the new iPhone models, too, in an effort to cut down on protrusion. The change will be more noticeable on the iPhone 13 Pro models, with MacRumors reporting that it will have a 3.65 mm bump versus the 1.5mm to 1.7mm bump on the iPhone 12 models.

iPhone 13 thickness

MacRumors shows off the relative thickness of the upcoming iPhone 13 models. (Image credit: MacRumors)

The iPhone 13’s camera bump is increasing, too — it will be 2.51mm according to the schematics.

iPhone 13: the reward for extra girth

But there’s more to the story than the thickness of the array, at least on the iPhone 13 Pro models. Those phones are rumored to get upgraded lenses, specifically the ultrawide camera. Reportedly, that camera’s aperture will increase and Apple will move to a 6-part lens, all in an effort to let in more light.

We actually saw an iPhone 13 Pro Max dummy unit in a YouTube video last week that heralded many of these changes, so think of this new report as confirmation that things are getting bigger with the iPhone 13 lineup.

iPhone 13 Pro Max dummy unit

(Image credit: Unbox Therapy/YouTube)

Beyond what we learned from these two rumors, additional iPhone 13 rumblings suggest that Touch ID is coming back, either as an in-display sensor or integrated into the power button much like the iPad Air 4. The iPhone 13 Pro models are also supposed to feature displays with dynamically adjusting refresh rates. 

Overall, we're not happy that the iPhone 13 could be getting thicker, but hopefully the upgrades will be worth the trade-off. 

Brittany Vincent

Brittany Vincent has been covering video games and tech for over 13 years for publications including Tom's Guide, MTV, Rolling Stone, CNN, Popular Science, Playboy, IGN, GamesRadar, Polygon, Kotaku, Maxim, and more. She's also appeared as a panelist at video game conventions like PAX East and PAX West and has coordinated social media for companies like CNET. When she's not writing or gaming, she's looking for the next great visual novel in the vein of Saya no Uta. You can follow her on Twitter @MolotovCupcake.