The 2019 iPhone models have not even been officially announced yet, and we are already starting to see reports about what will be in the 2020 iPhones. We have compiled the most notable ones here but take these with a big grain of salt. Even if these reports are accurate representations of what suppliers are saying, or come from moles within Apple itself, the company’s plans can and do change. There is still plenty of time before the design and features are totally set in stone.
The latest rumour: 4 new iPhone models in 2020
CNBC features a J.P. Morgan analyst report that says that Apple could release four new iPhone models in the fall of 2020. That is a change from Apple’s current line-up of three models.
The J.P. Morgan report says that the new iPhones will support 5G, with two high-end models (one 6.1-inch and one 6.7-inch) with support for mmWave, as well as a triple-lens camera and “World facing 3D sensing.” Two low-end models (one 6.1-inch, one 5.4-inch) will not have mmWave or World facing 3D sensing and will have a dual-lens camera.
All four iPhone models will have OLEDs. In late November, ETNews reported that Apple will be using OLED displays from Samsung that are thinner than the displays currently being used. How that will affect the overall thickness of the iPhone remains to be seen. While Apple could make the iPhone itself thinner, it is also possible that Apple could use the newfound space to be able to implement some other new technology, or to increase the size of the battery.
The J.P. Morgan report also says that in 2021, Apple could change how it releases iPhones. The company could decide to release phones twice a year, instead of the single release in the fall.
Say goodbye to the notch
Just a day after Ming-Chi Kuo teased an iPhone 4-style look for the next handset, Twitter leakster Ben Geskin, who has a solid track record for rumours, has posted an image of what he claims is “one of the 2020 iPhone prototypes.” The post does not have a tonne of information, but Geskin says the image is of a phone with a “6.7-inch display with Face ID and TrueDepth camera system housed in the top bezel.”
The size of the phone matches up with a previous Kuo rumor, but that is not what caught our eye. You do not need to look closely to see that there is no notch on this render, meaning Apple would need to shrink the TrueDepth camera system into the bezel at the top of the screen. That is not implausible—especially if the bezels are slightly thicker than they are now. Plus, that would certainly qualify as a “significant” design overhaul as Kuo has said is coming. Granted, Geskin says the image is “one of the 2020 iPhone prototypes,” which means this one might never see the light of day, but colour us intrigued.
iPhone 4-style redesign incoming
We have still got a long way to go until the iPhone 12 makes its debut, but there is already a reason to be excited. Analyst Ming Chi-Kuo says that whole next year’s iPhone will be getting a serious design overhaul. He is light on specifics, but compares it to the iPhone 4, which just so happens to be one of the best iPhone designs of all time. Specifically, Kuo says “the front and rear 2/2.5D glass are still used, but the metal frame surface will be changed to a similar design to the iPhone 4, replacing the current surface design.”
That means the 2020 iPhone could look like a tiny iPad Pro, which would be quite a change from the current curved look. Kuo does not say whether the notch would be going away, but we have to assume it will at least be getting smaller, especially since he notes that the “2H20 (second half of 2020) iPhone design will change significantly.” So if you were bummed that the iPhone 11 looked a bit too much like the XR, you might want to wait a while.
5G for all
While 5G is practically a certainty for the 2020 iPhone, the first round of rumours claimed that the next-generation modem would be limited to the flagship models, meaning the XR (or whatever it is called by then) would still slum it with LTE. Following the acquisition of Intel’s smartphone modem team for a cool billion dollars, those expectations have changed. Now, Ming-Chi Kuo believes that all three models will have a 5G modem on board.
The reason is simple: Apple does not want to miss the boat. While 5G is limited to a few models of high-end Android phones this year, Kuo sees 5G becoming much more commonplace among Apple’s peers, leading the company to ramp up development of 5G. Specifically, he sees the prices of 5G Android smartphones “will decline to $249-349 USD in 2H20,” which will put pressure on Apple to deliver support for the speedy network in all three of next year’s iPhones. Kuo also feels that the new team of some 2,000 members of Intel’s smartphone modem division will facilitate Apple’s development of 5G.
But it will not come cheap. While most Android phones will feature support for so “sub-6Ghz” 5G, many will lack support for the higher bandwidth mmWave, meaning you would need to buy a new phone when your network supports it. Apple’s iPhone modem will reportedly support both frequencies, essentially future proofing it for the 5G rollout. But that likely means the iPhone will cost even more. Whether that means it will have a higher starting point or the 5G option will simply be another tier, is not clear, but you should expect to pay more for 5G inside your iPhone.
ProMotion comes to iPhone
Apple’s iPad Pro models have had ‘ProMotion’ displays for a couple years now. It is a special LCD with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, along with adaptive refresh rate scaling. Thus far, the feature has not come to iPhone: All iPhones feature displays locked at a 60Hz refresh rate.
A well-known leaker of Samsung news on Twitter, Ice Universe, claims that Apple is in talks with Samsung and LG to provide a switchable 60Hz/120Hz display for the 2020 iPhones. One would assume that these would be OLED displays, as there is nothing particularly ground-breaking about variable refresh rate or high refresh rate LCDs.
It is also unclear if this display would have true adaptive refresh rates as the ProMotion displays on iPad Pros do, or if it would simply switch between 60Hz and 120Hz modes.
Time-of-Flight rear camera
A recent report from Digitimes claims that “Apple has reportedly asked its supply chain partner to supply VCSEL components for use in rear ToF camera lens in its mobile devices to be released in 2020, according to supply chain sources.”
We have heard this rumour before, both from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and Debby Wu, and in a research note from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
VCSEL (Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser) is a type of semiconductor that emits a low-power laser (usually infrared, so humans cannot see it). It is used in a lot of consumer devices today for simple range-finding; to assist in augmented reality, Apple would use a more complex chip that fires a big grid of lasers, then measures the time-of-flight for that light to determine distance. Effectively, this would produce a low-res “image” where each pixel has depth info rather than colour.
It is an efficient way to get a much more accurate 3D representation of the scene in front of the camera, which is useful in computation photography and especially in augmented reality.
Three models, new sizes, all OLED
As reported by MacRumors, oft-accurate analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reports that Apple will be sticking with the three-model lineup it introduced with the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR last September, but the sizes may be changing. According to Kuo, the new models will have 5.4-, 6.1-, and 6.7-inch screens, with all models getting the OLED treatment. That would bring the iPhone XR (or whatever it is called by then) up to speed with the other models.
Along with the XR’s OLED upgrade, the other two iPhone models will also be getting new screens. The iPhone XS Max will be increasing from 6.5 inches to 6.7 inches, which is to be expected in the wake of the Samsung S10 5G, but the iPhone XS will actually be getting smaller. According to Kuo, the 5.8-inch iPhone XS will be going down to 5.4 inches, a significant downgrade from its current size. Kuo does not offer an explanation for Apple’s decision, but presumably it would be to create even more space between the XS and the 6.1-inch XR. And it would throw a bone to people pining for the return of the iPhone SE.
5G modems on the way
As has been previously rumoured, Apple will likely be adding 5G modems to the 2020 iPhone, though Kuo says the faster connectivity will be limited to the XS and XS Max, with the XR retaining LTE 4G for at least a year. He also notes that Apple is working on its own 5G modem, which the company hopes will be ready by 2022 or 2023.
Now that Apple has settled its long-running feud with Qualcomm, it should be back on track to use the company’s second-generation 5G modem in 2020 iPhones. When Apple was exclusively using Intel modems, its 5G future was in doubt, as Intel reportedly kept missing important 5G development milestones.
IDG News Service
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