The iPhone 13 may see a significant camera upgrade in all four expected models. However, it is not certain if that means the front notch will be reduced in size.

DigiTimes claims that thanks to a new chipmaker working with Apple, the iPhone 13 is expected to have more time-of-flight (ToF) sensors. According to the report, the sensors will enable "instant immersive AR experiences." Augmented reality has not penetrated the masses, but the iPhone 13 could change that.

The ToF sensor is also a big help when taking low-light photos and portraits, so the good news is that Apple will continue to use this sensor and may add it to more phones.

The DigiTimes report itself is very business focused. In a short bulletin, it is revealed that American company II-VI is about to begin manufacturing VCSEL chips for use in Apple's ToF camera, and sources DigiTimes spoke with claim that these chips will be in the 2021 iPhone and will improve the AR capabilities of the next-generation device. AR capabilities of the next generation of devices.

What this means for iPhone users is that the LiDAR sensor that debuted in the iPhone 12 Pro is certain to return in the iPhone 13. Whether Apple will include it in the basic iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Mini, or keep it as a Pro model-only feature, is debatable; DigiTimes, in discussing the source's claim, wrote that it is "part of Apple's next-generation iPhone," and the latter It is annoying that this sounds like the situation.

The claim that the notch will be smaller is not, unlike other reports, a suggestion by DigiTimes, but by GizChina, which covered the story early on. In addition to the fact that a smaller notch was suggested shortly before the iPhone 11's launch, the new component will allow This speculation is reasonable, as it could mean that Apple could redesign the Face ID and camera hardware, reducing the space occupied by the notch. However, this idea is not confirmed by any of the reports in question.

There is also the LTPO display technology that is expected in the next iPhone. According to this recent rumor, the same technology used in Samsung's Galaxy Note 20 Ultra screen can be expected to be used in the iPhone 13. This would not only allow the iPhone to use a 120 Hz refresh rate for the first time, but would also allow the refresh rate to dynamically change to preserve battery life.

All of these upgrades will be essential for the iPhone 13 to compete with the Galaxy S21 and other new models to be released next year. However, since the next iPhone is not expected to launch until next September, it will still be a long time before we can be certain that this leak and other recent leaks are accurate.