iPhone 13 unveiled: Apple launches new iPhones, smartwatches and iPads

Cupertino-based company launches four new models – the iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max – at its ‘California Streaming’ online reveal

Apple has launched its 5G-enabled iPhone 13 series as it wrestles with other smartphone manufacturers to increase its market share and attempts to diversify its product portfolio to attract more budget-conscious customers.

The new models – the iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max – were released at Apple's ‘California Streaming' online event broadcast live from the company’s headquarters in Cupertino on Tuesday.

“These are the best iPhones we have ever created,” Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook said.

For budget users, the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 models start from $699 and $799, respectively. The iPhone 13 Pro costs $999, while the iPhone 13 Pro Max starts at $1,099.

With a 13.7-centimetre display, the iPhone 13 mini is one of the smallest and thinnest 5G smartphones in the market. The iPhone 13 comes with a 15.5cm display.

The iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max come in two screen sizes, 15.5cm and 17cm.

Kaiann Drance, Apple's vice president of iPhone marketing, displays the new iPhone 13 during an event on Tuesday. AFP

“iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max make up our most pro-iPhone line-up ever with the biggest advancement for our camera system, the best battery life ever in an iPhone and the fastest performance of any smartphone,” Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing Greg Joswiak said.

Mr Cook unveils the Apple Watch 7 during a special event on Tuesday. AFP.

The iPhone 13 Pro line-up features the best camera system in iPhone history, the company claimed.

All three rear cameras on pro models come with the latest sensors and bigger lenses that are optimised to work seamlessly with the latest iOS 15 mobile operating system. They are powered by the new image signal processor for improved noise reduction and tone mapping.

The iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 come with an advanced dual-camera system for improved photos and videos in low-light situations. They introduce a new cinematic mode that offers innovative tools to video storytellers.

The iPhone through the ages: Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduces the iPhone to the world in San Francisco, California, on January 9, 2007. It had a 3.5-inch screen and 2MP camera. Reuters

The iPhone 3G was launched in 2008 with a faster 3G connection. It also added location services. Reuters

The iPhone 3GS was released on June 19, 2009. It was twice as fast as its previous version. AFP

The iPhone 4 was released on June 24, 2010. It featured FaceTime for the first occasion as well as a retina screen. Reuters

A later release, this time on October 14, 2011, the iPhone 4S had a new dual-core processor. Reuters

Apple CEO Tim Cook takes to the stage following the reveal of the iPhone 5 in San Francisco, California, on September 12, 2012. This was the first 4-inch screen and the phone was faster and slimmer. Reuters

The iPhone 5C arrived on September 20, 2013 and was less expensive and very similar to the iPhone 5 except it came with colourful casing. Getty Images

The iPhone 5s came at the same time as the 5C and introduced touch ID and a motion data processor as health and fitness apps started to come to the fore. Getty Images

The iPhone 6 marked another double launch when unveiled on September 9, 2014. The 6 had a 4.7-inch screen, faster processor and improved camera. AFP

The iPhone 6 Plus had a 5.5-inch screen and was $100 more expensive. Reuters

The iPhone 6s came on September 25, 2015 with 3D touch and a camera that could shoot 4K video. EPA

The iPhone 6s Plus is displayed at Tokyo's flagship store on September 25, 2015. Both new phones came in a new colour - rose gold. AFP

Unveiled on March 21, 2016, the iPhone SE had the same design as the iPhone 5 and saw a return to the 4-inch screen which was preferred by some users. It was more affordable and hence lacked features such as Touch ID. AFP

The iPhone 7 announced on September 7, 2016, said somewhat controversially goodbye to the audio jack. Reuters

The iPhone 7 Plus had a dual camera added. AFP

The iPhone 8 was released on September 22, 2017 and had a new glass and aluminium design, retina HD screen. Reuters

A customer gets his hands on an iPhone 8 Plus on launch day in Tokyo on September 22, 2017. The launches also saw speakers that were 25% louder and the most powerful and smartest chip in a smartphone (according to Apple). AFP

The iPhone X marked a decade of iPhones on September 12, 2017. It's main changes were an edge-to-edge super retina screen. Touch ID was removed with Face ID introduced. Reuters

The iPhone XS was released on September 21, 2018 and had a Super Retina OLED screen with improved scratch and water resistance. Face ID was faster. Reuters

The iPhone XS Max had the largest iPhone screen to date at 6.5 inches. It could handle 3 million pixels. Reuters

The iPhone XR was slightly cheaper than the XS and came with a 6.1-inch screen. AFP

A customer looks at the iPhone 11 at an Apple store in Dubai Mall on September 20, 2019. EPA

A man tries out the iPhone 11 Pro in Cupertino, California, on September 10, 2019. AFP

Midnight Green was introduced for the iPhone 11 Pro Max, while there was also a new three-camera system. Reuters

Arriving on April 15, 2020, the iPhone SE was for budget-minded customers and was pretty much a replica of the iPhone 8. Its 4.7-inch screen felt rather on the small side compared to the big screens of its big brothers. Apple Inc. / AFP

The iPhone 12 on October 13, 2020 introduced a new processor and a screen that offered four times better protection if dropped. Apple / AFP

The iPhone 12 mini offered a 5.4-inch screen. Getty Images

Mr Cook showcases the iPhone 12 Pro during an event at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, on October 13, 2020. This upgrade saw a faster chip, 5G speed, a "camera system that’s killer in low light. A LiDAR Scanner for more realistic AR. And two great sizes to choose from — including our largest display ever". Apple / EPA

The iPhone 12 Pro Max was categorised as a 'legacy phone'. Reuters

The new iPhone 13 was unveiled on September 14, 2021. It has a smart data mode which helps battery life, more 5G bands and antenna lines that use material made from recycled plastic water bottles. AFP

Apple CEO Tim Cook showcasing the third generation iPhone SE featuring 5G and the A15 Bionic chip on March 8, 2022. EPA

The Apple iPhone 14, 14 Plus, Pro Max and the Apple iPhone 14 Pro were unveiled during an event on September 7, 2022. It didn’t raise its US prices during one of the worst years for inflation in decades. The biggest addition was emergency calling after a car crash. Bloomberg

“Our customers rely on iPhone every day, which is why we have made iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini more powerful, more capable and more fun to use,” said Mr Joswiak.

“Both phones have beautiful designs … with incredible durability, water resistance and a big jump in battery life to ensure customers can depend on their iPhone when they need it,” he added.

Apple’s new phones are powered by a new chip designed by the company - the A15 bionic.

The company’s executives called the chip the “fastest” in the smartphone industry. It uses five-nanometre technology and includes 15 billion transistors that make the new iPhones up to 50 per cent faster than other brands and enable them to perform 15.8 trillion operations per second.

Customers will be able to pre-order the new phones from Friday.

Although Apple saw a good response to its previous iPhone 12 series, the company is facing stiff competition from Chinese brands such as Xiaomi and Oppo.

The technology company, which sold more than 49.2 million devices to grab a 15 per cent market share in the second quarter, was pushed to third place in the smartphone industry by Xiaomi in the three months to June 30, US research company Gartner reported.

Overall, global smartphone shipments to end users stood at 328.8 million in the second quarter, an annual increase of 10.8 per cent, despite supply constraints because of Covid-induced production disruptions and component shortages.

Apple's iPad product marketing manager Katie McDonald talks about the new iPad mini on Tuesday. AFP

Apple also rolled out its latest Apple Watch Series 7, which features narrower borders that allow the display to maximise the screen area while minimally changing the dimensions of the watch itself.

Powered by the latest watchOS 8 operating system, the new smartwatch offers various health and wellness tools, such as an ECG app and a blood oxygen sensor.

“[With the] largest and most advanced display, to enhanced durability and faster charging — [the Apple Watch 7] makes the world’s best smartwatch better than ever before,” Apple’s chief operating officer Jeff Williams said.

Mr Cook talks about the expansion of Apple Fitness+ on Tuesday. AFP

It offers about 20 per cent more screen area and thinner borders at only 1.7 millimetres – 40 per cent smaller than those on Apple Watch 6. It also offers 18-hour battery life on a single charge and 33 per cent faster charging compared with the previous series.

Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing Greg Joswiak displays the advanced features of the new iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max. AFP

Apple also introduced a new iPad mini and iPad. Both devices will be in stores from Friday.

Featuring the A15 bionic chip, the new iPad mini delivers up to 80 per cent faster performance than the previous generation.