Apple’s 2020 iPhones Will All Come With 5G Support, Top Analyst Claims
In a recently obtained note to investors, respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities revealed that the three iPhone models that are scheduled to arrive in 2020 are all expected to come with support for the 5G connectivity standard.
As explained by MacRumors, Kuo had previously predicted that two of the three iPhone models for 2020 would come with 5G support. However, the new note suggests that Apple is planning to include 5G on all of next year’s models in an effort to compete with Android phone makers that are expected to include the feature on their upcoming lower-cost devices.
Specifically, Kuo expects the prices of 5G-compatible Android smartphones to drop to about $249 to $349 by the second half of next year, though these devices might only be capable of supporting the sub-6GHz spectrum, unlike next year’s iPhones.
According to Kuo, all three iPhones in next year’s release cycle may support both mmWave and Sub-6GHz spectrums in order to satisfy the needs of U.S. consumers. It isn’t clear yet whether Apple has plans to introduce a budget-priced 5G iPhone that only comes with sub-6GHz support, but as pointed out by the analyst, Apple might not have enough resources to develop this cheaper device by 2020.
Furthermore, it was also hinted that Apple’s recent purchase of Intel’s smartphone modem business could give the Cupertino, California, company additional resources for producing parts that would allow next year’s iPhones to support the 5G standard.
Kuo: All three new iPhone models in 2020 to support 5G https://t.co/N3JGxc32Ke by @bzamayo pic.twitter.com/zV61eheHBQ
— 9to5Mac (@9to5mac) July 28, 2019
Consumers won’t just have 5G support to look forward to on next year’s iPhones. In a separate report that also cited Kuo’s latest information, 9to5Mac wrote that two of the 2020 iPhones will include time-of-flight sensors, which could potentially improve photo quality while also allowing the devices to support augmented reality features due to the “higher-fidelity” 3D images produced by these sensors. This comes several months after Kuo wrote that Apple’s iPads would come with the 3D-sensing feature when Apple refreshes the tablet line early next year.
Regarding the other features and specifications Apple’s 2020 iPhones could ship with, MacRumors cited an earlier note from Kuo, which suggested that the devices might come in new size options, with 5.4-inch and 6.7-inch high-end variants offered along with a 6.1-inch device identical in size to 2018’s iPhone XR. While the more affordable iPhone XR is the only current model that features an LCD screen, previous rumors have claimed that all of next year’s iPhones will include OLED displays, per 9to5Mac.
