Apple announces iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max with A15 chip and more

iPhone 13 Pro (Image credit: Apple)

What you need to know

Apple has announced the new iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max.
New cameras, a new display, and a smaller notch are all here.

Just as we expected, Apple just announced the new iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max during its California Streaming event — and neither new device disappoints.

Taking much of the iPhone 13 features and improving on them, the new flagship phones are faster than ever thanks to the new A15 chip and expanded 5G connectivity. Again, just like iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max sport a new notch that's 20% smaller than last year.

In terms of performance, the new A15 chip offers six cores, four of which are high-performance parts. A five-core GPO will make sure games run like crazy on this thing, too.

Up front, we have a new display with support for ProMotion that can handle a 120Hz refresh rate when needed. When it isn't, that screen ratchets all the way down to just 10Hz. Brightness comes in at 1,000 nits peak output, 20% more than the iPhone 12 lineup from last year. Screens are still 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch for iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, respectively.

Buyers will be able to choose between graphite, gold, silver, and sierra blue colors — adding a new color to the lineup.

Iphone 13 Pro Colors (Image credit: Apple)

Cameras are why tons of people will buy iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max. The new 77mm telephoto lens offers 3x optical zoom, while a new ultrawide lens offers improved low-light performance. The wide angle lens is much the same, so expect great shots no matter the lighting situation.

The new camera system means Apple can now offer a macrophotography feature via the ultrawide camera. A minimum distance of 2nm will make for some great photos, while Night mode is now available across all three cameras for the first time, too.

Apple has also announced Photographic Styles, allowing people to set individual preferences for the photos that will be taken. These changes will apply to images as they're captured, rather than simply applying a filter after the fact.

Apple also confirmed that ProRes video will arrive later this year, giving creators more control over their recordings. 4K 30fps ProRes support will be included, although it isn't clear when. Regardless, there's little doubt iPhone 13 Pro Max is now the best iPhone for people taking photos and capturing video.

Owners of the new iPhones will notice a battery life increase of up to 2.5 hours longer than previous models — the longest of any iPhone ever, Apple notes.

Pricing is the same as last year, with iPhone 13 Pro starting at $999 and iPhone 13 Pro Max starting at $1099. And yes, a 1TB model will be available for the first time as well. Pre-orders begin this Friday, September 17 and the phones will be available from Friday, September 24.

iPhone 13 Pro

All-new A15 Bionic processor, new cameras, and more

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.