iPhone 13 mockup helps confirm smaller notch

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This is an iPhone 13 mockup obtained by Macotakara.
The iPhone 13 might look much like this 3D-printed mockup.
Screenshot: Macotakara

Among the improvements expected in the iPhone 13 is a smaller notch. The latest evidence is a 3D-printed mockup of the device that supposedly shows how Apple rearranged the components behind the screen cutout for the upcoming model.

The plastic unit was obtained by Japanese site Macotakara, aka The Mac Treasure Tracing Club. The site made a video of its find.

The mockup shows the iPhone 13 Pro notch shrinking by roughly 0.3 inches in width. It becomes just a hair taller, though.

This fits with previous rumors that the iPhone screen cutout will get smaller. The mockup looks nearly identical to the front glass panels that appeared in recent images. In both unconfirmed reports, the iPhone speaker has been moved up into the display bezel. That allows the notch to become less wide.

3D-printed iPhone mockups are a real thing

This leak is part of long-running phenomenon. For years now, 3D mockups of Apple handsets appear in Asia well before the devices are unveiled. These often prove quite accurate. A set showing every model in the iPhone 12 series appeared in June 2020, months before the official announcement, for example. However, the 3D mockups can’t be completely trusted. A false one showing a completely notchless-design also leaked out that same month.

The mockups are supposedly based on specifications Apple gives Asian companies in its component supply chain. But sometimes they’re based on nothing real.

Other iPhone 13 rumors

A smaller notch is unlikely to cause anyone to toss their current iPhone out the window. But Apple is supposedly making other changes, too. The 2021 series could be the first with 1TB of storage as an option. It could offer smoother, 120 Hz screens. And there could be a Touch ID fingerprint scanner in that screen. And there are other changes rumored.

But this year likely won’t be a radical iPhone redesign. Numerous sources indicate the iPhone 13 series will include four models in the same three sizes as its predecessor.

Whatever the design, expect CEO Tim Cook to unveil the iOS 15 handset this autumn. We’ll know then if this iPhone 13 was real or fake.

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