iPhone 13 will have a smaller notch thanks to Face ID upgrade

Ultrawide angle lens upgrades are also said to be on the cards.

What you need to know

• A new Digitimes report says the iPhone 13 will have a smaller notch thanks to a redesigned Face ID system.
• It also says that the iPhone's ultrawide angle lens is getting an upgrade.

A new Digitimes report says Apple's iPhone 13 is getting a smaller notch thanks to a new, improved Face ID system.

A paywalled report shared by MacRumors states:

The next-generation iPhones' Face ID system will see some design changes with the size of the notch at the top of the screen to shrink and their ultrawide angle lens upgraded from 5P to 6P, the sources said.

The new design integrates Rx, Tx and flood illuminator into the same camera module, similar to that of a LiDAR scanner in the back camera module, to enable smaller notch sizes, the sources stated.

The suggestion that the iPhone 13 will have a smaller notch has been repeated now on multiple occasions. Digitimes does not note whether the changes to Face ID are merely structural and pertaining to design, or whether the changes will also bring with it improved functionality.

As noted overnight, this report also states that Apple's 2021 iPhone lineup is expected to get new sensor-shift stabilization technology across the board, a feature currently reserved for the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously stated Apple plans to roll out upgrades from the 12 Pro Max across its lineup this year.

One pretty important iPhone 13 leak claims that the device might not actually be called the iPhone 13 at all. Reports from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman say that engineers internally at Apple consider the new phone to be an 'S' upgrade, and Jon Prosser has reiterated that his sources indicate the 2021 iPhone will be an 'iPhone 12S'. Furthermore, due to the negative cultural connotations of the number 13, Apple may skip that number in its lineup altogether. Otherwise, the 2021 iPhone lineup is expected to reflect the iPhone 12, featuring four models of iPhone in three sizes. Expected upgrades include this latest camera rumor, smaller notch, Face ID, an under-display fingerprint scanner for Touch ID, and 120Hz display.