Apple will release three new iPhone 11 models this coming September and when it does, no one should be surprised. First, you’ve got the fact that Apple is a creature of habit and tends to do the same things on the same schedule each and every year. But on top of that, all three new iPhone 11 models have been detailed extensively in leaks. We’ve heard all about them, we’ve seen renders of the new models based on design files that were stolen from the Foxconn factory where the new iPhones will be manufactured, and we’ve read several reports about the new iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Max, and iPhone 11R (or whatever Apple ends up naming them) from the world’s most accurate Apple insider, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
So, what’s in store from Apple this year? According to all those leaks and reports, the new iPhone 11 series will look exactly like the current iPhone XS series from the front. Around back, the iPhone 11 and 11 Max will feature a new triple-lens camera that replaces the current dual-lens rear camera on the XS and XS Max, while the iPhone 11R will get a dual-lens camera in place of the iPhone XR’s single-lens shooter. All three phones will feature rear camera arrays that are housed in large square camera bumps, as you can see in the render at the top of this post. Aesthetically, those will be the biggest differences between this year’s iPhones and last year’s models. But it looks like Apple is planning several new features for the upcoming iPhone 11 series, and a few unexpected ones were just revealed in a fresh report.
A new report published by Apple news blog 9to5Mac offers a somewhat deep dive into Apple’s plans for the iPhone 11 series. The bulk of the post reiterates things we already know all too well about the upcoming new iPhones. There will be three of them and they’ll be upgraded versions of Apple’s current iPhone lineup, the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR. They’ll look just like them and feature the exact same display sizes and resolutions, and they’ll still have Lightning ports, not the new USB-C ports that had been rumored briefly.
Of course, we already knew all that. Thankfully, however, there’s a bit more meat to this report.
The Apple blog claims that Apple will include a new upgraded Taptic Engine that Apple refers to in iOS software by the codename “leap haptics.” Given that 3D Touch will reportedly no longer be a feature of Apple’s iPhone lineup beginning with this year’s iPhone 11 lineup, it’s likely that the new engine will provide even more impressive haptic response than the component Apple currently uses.
As for the new triple-lens camera around back, we finally know about at least one feature set to debut on the iPhone 11. 9to5Mac found references to a new feature called “Smart Frame,” which sounds very cool. According to the blow, Smart Frame uses the wide-angle sensor in the iPhone 11’s triple-lens camera to capture additional detail outside of the area visible on the iPhone’s display. This way, users will be able to re-frame a photo after it’s captured. Beyond that, the iPhone 11 phones will also include an upgraded front-facing camera that supports slow-motion video recording at 120 fps.
Apple’s new iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Max, and iPhone 11R aren’t expected to be announced until early September, so we can expect plenty more info to leak between now and then.
