With smartphones becoming more expensive and more high-tech with each passing year, it is good to have some peace of mind when carrying them around. Apple has included a Ceramic Shield front cover that is apparently tougher than regular smartphone glass. The new iPhone 13 models are also rated IP68, meaning they are protected against dust as well as survive splashes and even a dip in the pool. 

All the new iPhones will boast brighter screens and support High Dynamic Range. The display offers 1,000 nits of brightness on the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini. Meanwhile, the iPhone 13 Pro models are now 1200 nits bright. A brighter display means you will be able to better view your content under the sun.

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Apple gets criticised for the notch a lot. It has finally done something about it, reducing it by 20 per cent. Nevertheless, you still get the same Face ID hardware on the inside, along with the same selfie camera.

Android phones have been praised for their high refresh rate screens, and Apple is finally adding this much-requested feature for iPhone 13 Pro. Apple says the refresh rate varies depending on what you are doing, so it will raise it to 60 to 120Hz when you are scrolling or watching a movie, and drop as low as 10 to 30Hz when the screen is static.

With every new iPhone announced, Apple has been pushing the boundaries of mobile photography. To no one's surprise, both iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini will have two new dual 12-Megapixel cameras (one wide and one ultra-wide) with larger sensors and aperture to let more light in. A better image stabilisation has also been added to the main camera, allowing it to capture better low light photos.

Apple has reserved its biggest enhancements for its Pro models. This year, both the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max boast an improved triple camera set up. Just like before, this consists of wide, ultra-wide and telephoto cameras. The telephoto camera now offers 3x optical zoom, allowing you to capture subjects that are further away. Meanwhile, the ultra-wide gains a new macrophotography mode to capture close up subjects as close as 2cm.

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Across the board, Apple has given the cameras on all of its phones bigger sensors and aperture to let more light in. This basically means you can capture clearer photos in low light conditions or at night. In addition, Night Mode is now available on all cameras.

Apple’s iPhones are well known for their great video taking capabilities, and they have pushed the envelope further with the new Cinematic mode for the iPhone 13 range. Under this mode, users can capture dramatic movie-like shots with a shallow depth of field that blurs the subject or background. It even shifts focus automatically, plus you can adjust it even after you’ve captured it.

The iPhone 13 Pro models also introduce ProRes, an advanced video codec that can be used to deliver stunning quality videos that offer more vibrant colours. Apple says this makes videos good enough to be used in commercials, films and even broadcasts.

The iPhone 13 phones will be powered by Apple’s new A15 Bionic chip. It’s said to be more powerful than last year’s A14 chip by offering better graphics performance playing mobile games while being more efficient, saving battery life in the process. It’s worth noting that Apple is placing these same chips on its next-generation iPads.

Given the new iPhones will have brighter and smoother display, you may be concerned about battery performance. It turns out that Apple has anticipated this. It claims the new models will offer better battery life, between one and two hours more of usage than before. 

With all the fancy new cameras and ability to capture cinematic video, you might be worried about using up the available storage quickly. Fortunately, the storage on iPhone 13 line starts from 128GB, dropping the ludicrously small 64GB option from previous years. At the other end of the spectrum, the iPhone 13 Pro models now offer up to 1TB of storage—that’s as big as some hard drives!

There is still no word as to when Apple's new iPhone 13 phones will be available in Malaysia. However, we do know that pre-orders for the iPhone 13 will start on September 17 and a US release is scheduled for September 24.

In Malaysia, prices for the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 start from RM3,399 and RM3,899. Prices for iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max start from RM4,899 and RM5,299 respectively.