iPhone 13 Front Glass Reveals Smaller Notch With Earpiece Relocated to Top Bezel

iPhone 13 models are widely expected to feature a smaller notch, and we are able to share a first look at the potential design.

Greek repair provider iRepair has provided GeekWebGuides with an alleged photo of front glass panels for iPhone 13 models, with the same three 5.4-inch, 6.1-inch, and 6.7-inch display sizes as the iPhone 12 lineup. The notch on each iPhone is visibly smaller as a result of the earpiece speaker being moved up into the top bezel, a design choice that was first rumored for iPhone 12 models last year but failed to materialize.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and a few other sources previously claimed that a few Face ID components will be consolidated in iPhone 13 models, resulting in a smaller notch, but they did not mention the earpiece being repositioned.

The notch's design has gone unchanged since it debuted on the iPhone X in 2017. After shrinking the notch this year, Kuo said that Apple plans to switch to a hole-punch display design for at least some 2022 iPhone models, similar to Samsung's Galaxy S21 and other recent smartphones, followed by an iPhone with a true all-screen design without a notch or holes and an under-display fingerprint scanner as early as 2023.

Beyond the notch, iPhone 13 models are expected to have a virtually identical design as iPhone 12 models, with key new features rumored to include a 120Hz display on Pro models, larger batteries, a faster A15 chip, and camera improvements. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 13 lineup in September, marking a return to its usual launch timeframe.