72 MACWORLD DECEMBER 2021
FEATURE REVIEW: i PHONE 13If not for the arrangement of
the cameras, the iPhone 13
would be nearly impossible
to distinguish from the iPhone
12 (fave.co/3otksMG). There are other
subtle differences—it’s a hair thicker, the
volume and side buttons are lower, the
notch is smaller, and the colors are a bit
more subdued—but the main differentiator
is the diagonal placement of the rear
camera lenses.
Like everything about the iPhone 13,
that subtle change is more meaningful
than it seems. You get the same wide and
ultra-wide camera system as on the
iPhone 12, but the diagonal placement is
necessary to accommodate an advanced
camera system. It’s a classic Apple
upgrade—seemingly superfluous on the
outside but hiding much bigger things on
the inside.
The iPhone 13 will garner its share of
annual buyers, but it isn’t an essential
upgrade for anyone using an iPhone 12 or
maybe even an iPhone 11 (fave.
co/2ZNIXKa). But that’s not really who it’s
meant for. The iPhone 13 is the phone for
the millions of Apple users who skipped
the iPhone 12 and maybe even the iPhone
11 and will be perfectly happy with their