Some analysts predict that the biggest upgrade of the 2020 iPhone may be the introduction of 5G network support, which will cause Apple to go through a huge iPhone upgrade cycle.
Editor’s note: This article comes from “Tencent Technology” , review: Le Study, reproduced with permission.
According to foreign media reports, even before Apple released the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro in September 2019, many people began to guess what features the company’s planned iPhone in 2020 might have.
Some analysts predict that the biggest upgrade in 2020 may be the introduction of 5G network support, which will cause Apple to go through a huge iPhone upgrade cycle.
Dan Ives, an analyst at Wade Bush Securities, released a research report on January 29 after Apple released its first fiscal quarter report. He believes that 350 million iPhones are in the window of opportunity for upgrading. A study released by market research firm Strategy Analytics in November last year also showed that Apple may surpass Samsung and Huawei in 2020 to lead the 5G smartphone market, although Samsung and Huawei launched 5G-enabled smartphones long before Apple.
According to forecasts by analyst Tianming Guo and other reports of Tianfeng International Securities Company, Apple’s next iPhone is expected to introduce other major changes, such as different specifications options, improved design and new 3D cameras.
Here is what we know so far about Apple’s new 2020 iPhone.
All Apple iPhones may support 5G in 2020
Guo Mingming said he expects Apple to bring 5G capabilities to all of its flagship iPhones in 2020. Guo has a significant record in predicting future Apple products. He reportedly initially stated that only two of Apple’s 2020 smartphones will be compatible with 5G networks, but in a recent report, he revised his outlook.
In a report this January, Guo Mingxuan said that the iPhone is also expected to support millimeter wave-based 5G networks. Millimeter-wave 5G networks are significantly faster than existing 4G LTE networks because they utilize high-frequency, non-congested radio frequency bands. However, because millimeter-wave 5G networks are vulnerable to interference, the widespread deployment of these networks is very challenging. Initially, Guo said in an earlier report that new iPhones that support millimeter wave 5G may be delayed until the end of 2020 or 2021, but his recent research seems to have overturned this claim.
2020 version iPhone will also have an OLED screen.
Gu Mingming said in the same report that Apple may completely abandon LCD screen technology in all new iPhones this year and use OLED screens. This is significant because in the past two years, Apple has equipped LCD screens instead of OLED screens for its cheapest new iPhones, such as the iPhone 11 and iPhone XR. Compared with LCD screens, OLED screens usually provide better contrast and deeper blacks, but they also cost more.
There may be four models of the 2020 iPhone
Gu Mingming wrote in a report that Apple’s next-generation iPhone may have four models. This will mark the company’s departure from its smartphone strategy, which it has adhered to in recent years. For example, in 2019 and 2018, Apple released three new iPhone models of different models.
Guo expects that Apple will launch a 5.4-inch iPhone, two 6.1-inch iPhones, and a 6.7-inch iPhone. Guo said that although all these iPhones are expected to have OLED screens and 5G support, one of the 5.4-inch models and the two 6.1-inch models may only have two cameras instead of three. This indicates that these two models may be upgraded versions of the lower-priced iPhone 11.
Guo Ming’s research also shows that the next iPhone will not be equipped with a 5.8-inch screen familiar to iPhone X, iPhone XS and iPhone 11 Pro users.
This autumn’s iPhone will upgrade 3D camera for augmented reality
In addition to 5G connectivity and new screen sizes, another major feature update for the new iPhone this year is expected to be the camera. According to reports, Apple plans to equip the 2020 iPhone with a more powerful rear 3D camera to achieve better augmented reality capabilities.
The new camera will use a laser scanner, which is different from Apple’s current spot projection technology for facial recognition in the iPhone X series front camera. The report says that in addition to the augmented reality capabilities of the iPhone, the new 3D camera can also be used to take deeper photos.
It may use 5G chips from Qualcomm and Samsung
According to a report released by Guo Mingyi in April 2019, Qualcomm and Samsung may supply 5G chips for Apple’s new iPhone in 2020. This is not surprising given that Apple and Qualcomm recently settled their long-standing legal disputes. Apple also acquired Intel’s smartphone modem business for $ 1 billion in July 2019, a move that may help the iPhone makerYour own modem.
Apple may get some design inspiration from iPhone 4
Guo Mingming wrote in a report that the design of Apple’s 2020 iPhone may include restoring the metal frame on the iPhone 4. The analyst also said that Apple will change the design of the iPhone “substantially” this year.
New iPhone may use under-screen Touch ID fingerprint scanner
Apple has cancelled the Touch ID fingerprint scanner in its latest flagship product and switched to Face ID facial recognition technology, but the company is likely to re-launch fingerprint scanning technology this year. Barclays analyst Blaine Curtis believes that Apple may integrate Touch ID directly on the iPhone screen this year.
It was also reported last September that Apple is developing an under-screen fingerprint scanner for the 2020 iPhone, although the report states that this feature may be delayed until 2021.
This may help the 2020 iPhone compete more directly with competitors such as the Samsung Galaxy S10, which already has under-screen fingerprint recognition.
The new iPhone may inherit all new features introduced in the iPhone in 2019
Apple’s 2020 iPhone may inherit all the new features of iPhone11 and 11Pro. This means they are likely to have the iPhone 11 Pro’s triple camera system and night mode, among other features.