Apple event: iPhone 13, iPad 2021, Apple Watch 7 and more announced

Welcome to the live blog! We'll be covering today's Apple event and all of the exciting tech we're expecting to see. We've been covering all of the rumors surrounding the iPhone 13 for months now – and today is finally the expected announcement date. We're definitely interested to see how many of the rumors turn out to have legs – and how many end up being wishful thinking! There are some interesting leaks that have sprung over the past month or so, which we'll be rounding up in the countdown to the event. 

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One of the latest rumors we've seen for the iPhone 13 regards improvements to Face ID. Apparently, the updated Face ID function could be so advanced that it might even be able to unlock the handset when the user is wearing both a mask and glasses.

Apple employees were reportedly testing the new and improved Face ID through a special case that attached to their own iPhone 12 handsets. As reported by GSMArena, Apple was apparently asking its employees to register their face with the iPhone 13 Face ID as normal. However, it was then asking them to unlock their phone while wearing masks and glasses. 

Meanwhile, a recent article from Bloomberg had some interesting insights on these upcoming handsets, suggesting that we will be seeing at least three new major camera and video features. One of the most exciting new features will be a video version of the iPhone's already-popular Portrait mode. This will give users the ability to mimic the silky-smooth bokeh that professional video cameras can produce. 

Users will also be able to take advantage of shooting video footage in ProRes, which will give higher quality video and enable editors to have more control during post-production. This follows the introduction of Apple ProRaw to the iPhone 12 Pro models last year, which gave users more flexibility when editing their photos. 

The final big camera update will give users the ability to better control the colors and exposure in their images. Apparently, we'll be seeing more filters for users to choose from, including "one for showing colors at either a warmer or cooler temperature while keeping whites neutral".

Selfie camera notches are a weirdly controversial aspect of smartphone technology, so it's been interesting to see some rumors suggesting that we'll be seeing a different (possibly smaller) notch in the iPhone 13 models.

An older report from DigiTimes (via PetaPixel) suggests that Apple is planning to shrink the size of its FaceID sensor chip, enabling them to scale down the front-facing notch that houses the selfie camera. By scaling down the Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL) chips that are used in the FaceID scanner, Apple will reportedly be able to reduce production costs and produce more chips on a single wafer. 

The iPhone 12 series was originally due to feature a 120Hz refresh rate, but it appeared that manufacturing issues possibly caused by the pandemic caused Apple to have to choose between a high refresh rate screen or including 5G. Thankfully, this time round, the rumors point to at least two iPhone 13 handsets (the Pro and the Pro Max) with 120Hz displays.

We're officially under 10 minutes away from the Apple Keynote beginning! As we near the start of the event, we're wondering whether we will indeed see the new iPhone models be named the iPhone 13 (as their unofficial moniker until now has been). The number 13 is seen as an unlucky number in many countries, so some have wondered whether we'll see the reintroduction of the 's' format (i.e. the iPhone 12s), or whether Apple will skip 13 and go straight to iPhone 14. 

It looks like we're starting! Hang fire for the first official announcement…

We're starting off with covering Apple TV Plus, including some promo footage for upcoming shows including Ted Lasso (a personal favorite of ours!), The Morning Show and more. 

Now we're onto the products, kicking off with the new iPad. Packing the A13 Bionic chip and featuring a CPU, GPU and Neural Engine that's 20% faster. Plus, the iPad 2021 has an upgraded image processor that means that the rear camera will have better autofocus capabilities in low light. Meanwhile, the front-facing camera has been upgraded to a 12MP Ultra Wide camera with 122º field of view. The iPad 2021 will also borrow the Center Stage function from iPad Pro – a FaceTime feature that follows the user around the frame as they move. 

Starting at $329 for 64GB ($299 for students), the iPad 2021 is available to pre-order today and will ship next week.

Apple has also announced a new iPad Mini with a new design featuring stylish rounded corners and four colors. It also features a Liquid Retina display and a new 8.3" display with 500 nits of brightness without changing the physical footprint of the device. The Touch ID sensor has been moved to the power button, giving the screen more space. The new iPad Mini has 80% faster GPU performance and an improved Neural Engine that has 2x faster machine learning. Interestingly, the iPad Mini will now have 5G internet as well, with speeds of up to 3.5 Gbps. 

The camera functionality has been upgraded, with a 12MP rear camera with an f/1.8 aperture. Meanwhile, the front facing camera is the same 12MP Ultra Wide camera as the iPad Pro and the (just announced) iPad 2021. This means that we're also seeing the Center Stage function in the iPad Mini as well. 

The iPad Mini will start from $499 in both Wi-Fi and cellular connections, available to pre-order from today and will start shipping next week.

Now we're onto the Apple Watch 7! The new Retina Display has 20% more screen area with 40% thinner borders than the Apple Watch 6, including softer curved corners. It's also up to 70% brighter too. The durability has also been improved, with the most crack resistant front screen and the first Apple Watch to have IP6X dust resistance and WR50 water resistance. 

The 18 hour battery life has remained the same. However, it can charge up to 33% faster than the Apple Watch 6, taking just 45 minutes to charge up to 80%. 

The Apple Series 7 will be available starting from $399, available to order later this fall. 

It looks like we're starting on the new iPhones!

The iPhone 13 is here (that answers the question of whether Apple was going to skip the number 13 or not)! iPhone 13 features a new look with the lenses placed diagonally and five new colors. The selfie camera system has been redesigned so that the notch can be 20% smaller. iPhone 13 has been rearchitected under the hood, including a bigger battery. The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini both feature a 28% brighter screen that has improved power efficiency. 

The new chip inside is called the A15 Bionic, which features 15 billion transistors and a 6-core CPU that's 50% faster than the top competitor. It also has a 4-core GPU, which delivers 30% faster graphics than the leading competition (no word on what exactly this competition is meant to be, but we're possibly assuming the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra?). 

Meanwhile, the camera system has been upgraded to the most advanced dual-camera system from Apple. Interestingly, the new 12MP sensor features the same Sensor Shift iOS from the iPhone 12 Pro Max. 

Apple is focusing heavily on the new Cinematic Mode, which looks like it could be a bit of game-changer for smartphone content creators. It essentially looks as though users will be able to mimic a shallow depth-of-field from professional cinema cameras, shifting the focus from subject to subject. 

The iPhone 13 also has an upgraded battery life (thankfully!). The iPhone 13 mini's battery will give 1.5 hours longer than the iPhone 12 Mini, while the iPhone 13 will feature 2.5 hours longer battery life than the iPhone 12. 

The iPhone 13 Mini will start from $699 and the iPhone 13 will start from $799, with the base models featuring 128GB storage. Meanwhile, 256GB and 512GB variants will also be available. 

It looks like we're onto the Pro models now!

The iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max come in four metallic finishes with a stainless steel band around the sides, including a new light blue color. It has the new A15 Bionic chip, giving it what Apple are billing as the fastest graphics performance in any smartphone. 

The iPhone 13 Pro models have a brand new Super Retina XDR display, which features 1,000 nits peak outdoor brightness. ProMotion has also come to iPhone with the 13 Pro – finally giving iPhone a 120Hz screen! The adaptive frame rate means that the handsets will automatically adjust the frame rate depending on what the user is doing – if you're slowly scrolling then it might be around 30Hz, but if you're using a graphics-intensive game, then it could go up to 120Hz. This is a great way to save battery life. 

The iPhone 13 Pro models will feature an all-new camera system – billed as Apple's "biggest camera advancement ever". The telephoto lens now features 3x magnification and the new ultra-wide camera will enable macro photography for the first time on iPhone, magnifying subjects with a minimum close focusing distance of 2cm. All of the cameras will also now have Night Mode, made possible through advanced computational photography. 

The iPhone 13 Pro models will also have Smart HDR 4 and new Photographic Styles (also available in the vanilla iPhone 13 models), which means you can set your own individual preferences. This is very interesting, as the computational photography all smartphones do is usually conducted behind-the-scenes. However, you can now shoot in your own set style straight out of 'camera', adjusting aspects such as Warmth. 

ProRes video will also be coming to the iPhone 13 Pro models later this year (no word on when exactly this will be). This means you'll be able to record up to 4K 30fps in Apple ProRes or DolbyVision. Meanwhile, the iPhone 13 Pro's battery lasts 1.5 hours longer than the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max's battery lasts 2.5 hours longer than the iPhone 12 Pro Max's. 

The iPhone 13 Pro will start at $999 and the iPhone 13 Pro Max will start at $1099. The storage options include 128GB / 256GB / 512GB and a brand new 1TB option.

You'll be able to pre-order all four iPhone 13 models this Friday, available from 24 September.

It looks like we're wrapping up now! This was definitely a jam-packed Apple event, with two new iPad models, the new Apple Watch Series 7 and the four new iPhone 13 models. We're most excited about the new iPhone 13 series, as the new camera module on the iPhone 13 Pro models look like they could be genuinely brilliant. We're also really interested in the new Cinematic Mode, so once we get our hands on a model for review we'll be taking a closer look. 

Thanks for joining us and have a good night!