Leaked iPhone 13 Front Glass Panel Shows a Smaller, But Still Visible Notch; Alleged Image Outs The Design

More early rumors surrounding Apple’s next iPhone 13 & iPhone 13 pro turned up this week. The alleged front glass panels were featured in a photo, courtesy of the blog MacRumors. We’re given a sneak peek at what could be the final design for the new iPhone generation.

Citing the repair provider iRepair as their source, MacRumors reports that the three panels belong to their respective iPhone 13 models. The smallest of the trio is 5.4”, the standard one is 6.1”, and the largest display extends 6.7” across — much like the dimensions of the current iPhone 12 line.

However, the notch has stuck around another year. It’s still wedge-shaped and bleeds into the screen, but Apple has managed to shrink it somewhat. The front-firing speaker now rests in a cutout made in the top-bezel. This aesthetic choice was leaked last year, previously thought to belong to the iPhone 12.

The industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had already noted that the FaceID feature (the sensors for it take up the most space inside the notch) would use “consolidated components” that make the wedge smaller. It would mark the first time Apple has tweaked the front design since it was first introduced back in the iPhone X. 

Mr. Kuo further claims that following the iPhone 13 series, Apple has plans to ditch the notch in 2022. It’ll be replaced with a hole-punch layout and later with an all-screen panel.

Save for its reduced notch, iPhone 13 presumably retains most of its design cues from the iPhone 12. But this year, the 120Hz ProMotion screens and the new A15 chip are expected to debut too.