Only a little over a month since the new iPhone 11 series was released, there’s already plenty of talk online about the next iPhone series. Reports said that after three years, Apple will no longer use the iPhone X design. Their new phone is also expected to come out in September, the same month the iPhone 11 was launched. Here’s a lowdown on the 2020 iPhone from Ming-Chi Kuo and Benjamin Geskin, known in the mobile phone industry as reliable forecasters of all things Apple.
Name and Design
Apple will follow the 2019 naming scheme and launch the iPhone 12 next year instead of an “11S family.” Kuo, who has numerous contacts in Apple’s supply chain, said that the new model will be based on the design of the iPhone 4 released in 2010. The new iPhone’s metal frame, which holds the front and rear glass together, will have a flat surface compared to the curved surface of iPhone 11’s aluminum and stainless steel frame. It will also come in three sizes: 5.4 inches, 6.1 inches, and 6.7 inches. Kuo added that iPhone 12 has a trench injection molding structure with a sapphire or glass cover. The technology will reportedly facilitate the sending and receiving of high-frequency transmissions through internal antennas. Meanwhile, Geskin tweeted images of a phone without any notches. He expects the new phone’s TrueDepth or front-facing camera system will be shrunk to fit the bezel at the top of the screen.
5G Connectivity
In a separate tweet, Geskin showed a schematic drawing of a 2020 iPhone prototype featuring wider antenna lines that will support 5G connectivity. He described the antenna as over one millimeter thick and made of glass, ceramic, or sapphire. The 5.4-inch and 6.7-inch phones will be able to support 5G by next year. With Apple’s recent acquisition of Intel’s smartphone modem division, the former will soon manufacture its own modem chips. In the meantime, reports said that Qualcomm will supply the chips to be used in the iPhone 12.
Rear Time-of-Flight (ToF) Camera
An exciting feature of the upcoming iPhone is the 3D sensing camera with ToF sensor or lens, Kuo added. The TOF will use laser technology to add depth to photos through a blurred background effect.
OLED Display
The organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) screen of the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max will be seen in all of iPhones 12’s three sizes, with Samsung expected to continue supplying the panels. The screens will provide a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, offering smoother animation and a better scrolling experience.
A14 chip
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, which became the exclusive supplier of Apple’s A13 chips this year, will reportedly produce iPhone 12’s 5-nanometer A14 chips. The A13 chip already gives up to four hours of extra battery life to the current iPhone 11 so the next version is expected to be superior to the current processor in terms of speed and energy efficiency. Whether the leaks about the next Apple phone will affect the sales of outlets selling iPhones of the latest 11 family remains to be seen. Still, iPhone followers are definitely in for a sleeker, more powerful unit.
