The tweet claims that apparently Apple had planned to include the tech across the iPhone 13 models this year, but without going into details, they claim that Apple changed their minds. Perhaps it could have been due to component shortages, or maybe the cost was too much and it ate into their profit margins, but whatever the case is, the tech might not debut in non-Pro iPhone models this year.
https://twitter.com/dylandkt/status/1414338686314074116
So how would this affect customers? As it stands, Apple uses the LiDAR in the iPhone 12 lineup to help enhance the augmented reality experience. It also helps with Portrait mode while in Night Mode, other camera enhancements, and also to help measure a person’s height. This isn’t to say the non-Pro iPhones will have bad cameras, it’s just that LiDAR helps enhance some of its capabilities.
If you’re not too fussed then the lack of the feature might not be a big deal, but if it matters to you, then you might need to spring for the more expensive iPhone 13 Pro handsets.