Welcome again to another blog where we look at the 2020 Apple phone releases. With the March event now behind us, all our eyes are on the September Apple Release.
Apple has had a very consistent flow of Releases since 2007 when the first iPhone made its debut. Below is the list by year and models
- 2007 – iPhone
- 2008 – iPhone 3G
- 2009 – iPhone 3GS
- 2010 – iPhone 4 (new design)
- 2011 – iPhone 4s
- 2012 – iPhone 5 (new design)
- 2013 – iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c
- 2014 – iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus (new design)
- 2015 – iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus
- 2016 – iPhone SE(march) iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
- 2017 – iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X (new design)
- 2018 – iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max
- 2019 – iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max
- 2020-iPhone SE(2nd gen)
Although the release of the next iPhone is still months away, we’ve started to hear early rumours about what the iPhone 12 could look like. If we’re going on past trends, Apple will release a 12, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max.
Design
The new CAD renders reveal lots of new design changes, but it’s also important to note that the design you see here is about 70% finished. The display would have significantly thinner bezels – around 0.9 mm thinner than the current ones and the notch, if finalised, it will be a tad wider than the one on the OnePlus 6, for reference, but still smaller than the one today. This would allow for bigger display ( 6.7 inches) but the body will be slightly taller and wider too. Now forming a square shape for its quad-camera setup, the iPhone 12 Pro Max will include a LiDAR sensor as well, but it might be positioned differently as we already pointed out. The camera arrangement still isn’t final.
Display
Though Apple is expected to continue offering both high-end and low-end iPhones in 2020, all the devices may come equipped with OLED displays this year, with Apple doing away with LCDs for its iPhone lineup.
A14 Chip
Rumours suggest TSMC will manufacture the 5-nanometer chips Apple will use in its 2020 iPhone lineup. The 5-nanometer process will produce chips that are smaller, faster and more battery efficient due to improved thermal management.
TSMC was on track to begin volume production of its 5-nanometer A14 Chips designed for the iPhone on April.
The A14 Chip is said to focus on speeding up Artificial Intelligence and AR tasks.
Battery
The iPhones coming in 2020 could have some small gains in battery capacity as Apple suppliers are working on a custom battery protection module that’s 50 per cent smaller and thinner than the same component in previous iPhones. That could free up valuable space in the iPhone.
Colors
One rumour suggests that at least one of the iPhone 12 models could come with a new navy blue finish. Apple introduced a new midnight green colour with the iPhone 11 Pro lineup, so it’s not unreasonable to think there could be a new blue colour in the works as well. Another rumour suggests the iPhone 12 models could come in light blue, violet, and light orange, among other colours.
Touch ID
Though not echoed by other rumours, Taiwanese site Economic Daily News believes that at least one of the iPhones coming in 2020 will use an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor manufactured by Qualcomm.
We’ve heard ultrasonic fingerprint sensor rumours before, but most rumours have suggested that Apple is targeting a 2021 launch date for the technology. Qualcomm in late 2019 unveiled a 30x20mm in-display fingerprint sensor for smartphones that Apple could take advantage of although as of now we are unsure whether the technology I will be implemented in the iPhone 12.
5G Connectivity
In 2020, Apple plans to transition back to Qualcomm modem chips instead of Intel chips, using Qualcomm’s 5G technology in its iPhones. Qualcomm and Apple were previously embroiled in a bitter legal battle but managed to settle their disagreements in April of 2019.
All of the iPhones expected in 2020 will use 5G technology, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Release Date
The iPhone 11 lineup debuted at an Apple press event on Sept. 10 last year so it stands to reason that the new iPhone 12 would follow in September 2020. So if Apple is able to stay on track and the phone comes out on the second Tuesday of the month, we could be looking at an iPhone 12 release date of Sept 8.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, however, multiple reports have pointed to a delay of the iPhone 12. A recent Bloomberg report says that the iPhone 12 phones are still on track for a Fall launch. Moreover, a separate Digitimes article cites supply chain sources who deny that Apple has asked to delay production
