So, yet another iPhone 13 rumor breaks cover and, once more, we're met with information that suggests the phone may receive some really exciting sounding upgrades.
We've already heard speculation the new iPhone could sport a blisteringly vivid 120Hz refresh rate display, a boundary pushing A15 Bionic chipset, and a smaller-than-ever notch.
But now, a report out of Asia claims "the next-generation iPhones are expected to have upgrades in camera modules and 3D sensors for Face ID", and that is apparently going to be brought about, in part, by the utilisation of more VCMs (voice coil motors).
While seemingly quite inconsequential, this is really exciting if true, as VCMs are used to provide improved focus control in cameras, using magnets to deliver precision movements of the system's different components. Simply put, they are very useful and could be used in everything from the iPhone 13's Face ID sensor system, to a brand new periscope camera.
All of which sounds great to me. Combine all those things and the iPhone 13 is shaping up to be a stunning mobile phone, that probably in iPhone 13 Pro Max form is going to offer a huge 120Hz screen, a processor that smokes everything else on the market by miles, an advanced and upgraded camera and Face ID system, and what will likely be the most beautiful design to date. It looks like it will be an absolute sure fire hit for Apple.
The thing is, though, I won't be buying one.
Many times over the past five years or so I have countenanced switching to iPhone from my Android stomping grounds, but every single time the fact that Apple's handsets tended to be a year or two behind Android's flagships prevented me from making the switch.
At heart I am a tech enthusiast and wherever possible I want to be using the very best, most pioneering technology there is on the market. And, as much as Apple is a master of many aspects of phone design, and the maker of the best selling phones on Earth, and even I am in awe of how easy they make it to have a great experience within the iPhone ecosystem (well, most of the time), the fact that I would have to except I wasn't going to be at the forefront of many smartphone technologies if I used an iPhone always made me stop short of jumping.
The real sad thing is that, from what I can see at least, the iPhone 13 looks like the phone that could've, if just released a year ago, helped me make that jump. I'd have a phone in my pocket that not only had the world's best software ecosystem but also a technically impressive (and competitive) 120Hz screen, best-in-class processor and really powerful and refined camera system, potentially even with a periscope zoom shooting mode to rival that of the best Android phones.
But instead Apple released the Apple iPhone 12 range, which aside from the A14 Bionic processor, was comfortably beaten everywhere else by Android flagships, from battery life to camera system, screen refresh rate to RAM.
And now, as I've written about recently, I've decided to very shortly move on from the world of single screen phones to that of the best foldable phones, with the incoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 (slated for release mere weeks before the iPhone 13 range) targeted as the device to lead me into the promised land.
It looks like just as Apple deliver the phone that would of made make the jump to iPhone, I'm going to jump instead to a foldable.
There is, though, one thing that could make me forgo the tantalising world of 2-in-1 phone and tablet functionality, which is as I've written about also recently, an under display camera system. Unfortunately, as is always now seemingly the way with new hardware features, it very firmly looks like Apple is once more going to be playing catch-up to Android on this point.
But with the iPhone 13 looking so strong right now, here's hoping that I've made the right choice!
