For the past three years, the appearance of the iPhone has remained almost unchanged. Apple’s smartphones since 2017 are modeled after iPhone X, its first handset to lose the home button, shed its bezels and feature a notch.
If—like many Apple fans who have been disappointed with 2018 and 2019’s models—you’re up for a change, 2020 might be your year. According to a research note by reliable tech analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, via MacRumors, next year’s flagship iPhone is expected to sport a “significantly” different design.
Kuo’s track record for accurately predicting smartphone designs is widely documented on DesignTAXI and various tech sites. Apple enthusiasts knew way in advance of iPhone X’s wholly unique look, as well as upcoming models’ specs, from him.
Kuo anticipates that Apple will take inspiration from its past and borrow a visual aspect from 2010’s iPhone 4: its metal frame structure.
2020’s version, though, will be a “more complex segmentation design… replacing the current surface design,” Kuo says. It will be manufactured with “new trenching and injection molding” techniques, he adds, and that sapphire or glass will be used to “protect the trench injection molding structure.”
However, the tech expert projects that the costs of the metal and glass will increase by 50 to 60 percent and 40 to 50 percent respectively. The cost per unit would rise further should Apple decide to use tempered glass for the grooved cover.
The iPhone 4’s creation was spearheaded by Apple’s former design chief Jony Ive, and was the first smartphone to have an exposed square-edged aluminum frame between glass. The feature was quickly adopted by other smartphone makers.
Kuo believes the redesign will be a huge drawing point for fans, which isn’t surprising, as the appearance of the iPhone makes it a status symbol.
In a separate memo, Kuo anticipated 2020’s iPhones to arrive in new sizes: 5.4 inch, 6.7 inch and 6.1 inch. All three will sport OLED displays—a significant change for users of iPhone XR and iPhone 11, which are both still built with LCD screens.
The 5.4-inch and 6.7-inch models are expected to be the premium versions, and are believed to be installed with rear-facing time-of-flight 3D cameras for improved photography and AR experiences. All three are also projected to support 5G networks.
Image via Taylor Shomaker / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
[via MacRumors, images via various sources] http://www.designtaxi.com/news/406454/Apple-s-2020-iPhones-Could-Sport-Significant-Redesign-That-Resembles-iPhone-4/