We’re just days away from the official unveiling of the next-generation iPhone, but it’s never too early to look ahead to next year. On Friday, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo released a new research note in which he predicted the three most significant upgrades that Apple will bring to the 2020 iPhone line next fall.
In the note, which 9to5Mac had a chance to see, Kuo predicted that the iPhone 12 will feature “(1) all-new form factor design, (2) 5G support, and (3) camera function upgrades.” He believes that these changes will drive year-over-year growth of the iPhone as high as it has ever been, despite declines in recent years.
Although Apple is widely expected to revamp the rear camera array on the iPhone 11 this year and add a third lens to keep up with the competition, a full redesign seems to be off the table. If all of the leaks, rumors, and reports are to be believed, Apple is saving its next major redesign for 2020, at which point the design which has persisted since Apple introduced the iPhone X in 2017 will be replaced. But no further details were provided.
Apple is probably going to skip 5G altogether in 2019, but by next fall, 5G will likely have established a foothold in the US and abroad, and Apple will more than likely jump on board. As for those “camera function upgrades,” Kuo didn’t go into detail in his latest note, but in the past has claimed that Apple will include a 3D time-of-flight sensor on the iPhone 12 that would enhance the quality of photos and allow for additional AR features.
Beyond the three major upgrades listed above, Kuo also predicted that the 2020 iPhone will be equipped with ultra-wideband tech that will come with the new antenna design. He says that new iBeacons could leverage the technology to improve indoor navigation on next-gen iPhone models.
