Now that the iPhone Xs, Xs Max and Xr have been announced and released (as of this writing, the iPhone Xr hasn’t been released yet), it’s time to have some fun and speculate what next year’s iPhone models will be like.
The newest line up of Apple’s phones were updated versions of last year’s iPhone X, typical of a S-cycle revision. This paves the way for next year being a more dramatic upgrade to Apple’s flagship product, and based off rumoured features and changes we didn’t see this time around, I thought it would be fun to speculate what the 2019 iPhone line up will be like. Let’s look into our crystal ball…
The Name
I feel I could write a whole article on the history of Apple’s naming of iPhone models, but for now I will take a stab at what they will be naming next year’s models.
I think it’s safe to say that Apple has skipped the iPhone 9 and that we will never see an iPhone with that name. Now there’s a chance that the iPhone 8 could evolve into the iPhone 9, but I’m pretty certain that Apple is done with home button models and the iPhone 8 will be the last phone with a forehead and chin.
So, the next logical number after X (10) is 11. I could be making an obvious point here, but there are some interesting possibilities around this. First, if it will be called the iPhone “11”, will it be the iPhone 11 or iPhone XI? The iPhone X used a roman numeral numbering system, which I had thought Apple did away with after getting rid X from macOS. If Apple decides to continue with this numbering system, then we might have to deal with people saying iPhone ex eye. Sigh
Another possibility would be that Apple decides to ditch the romans and go back to regular old numbers. iPhone 11 has a nice look to it.
My prediction for this one is it’ll be called the iPhone 11. X looked good, a single, striking character. XI starts to look awkward, and in 2021, the iPhone XIII looks really weird. And what happens in 2057, when we have iPhone XXX? Not a good look.
To the Max?
Like it or not, Apple will likely stick with “Max” for the large screen version of the iPhone 11. I’m already getting used to saying it, so I’m sure by then no one will care.
iPhone 11 Max looks pretty plausible.
The Internals
Like every iPhone since the iPhone 4, the system on a chip has been an Apple custom designed A-chip processor. Apple will obviously continue to design their own silicon and will continue to name them with the A”insert number here” convention. This year saw the A12 Bionic chip, with the A11 Bionic chip being last year’s chip.
It’s interesting to note that the Bionic moniker was used two years in a row, which was a subtle signal by Apple that the A11 and A12 are very, very closely related.
We will most definitely see the A13 chip. It’s anyone’s guess what fancy moniker Apple will add to this new chip, but it won’t be Bionic again.
As for the specification of the chip itself, there will be more power packed into a 7nm processor. The A12 has a six-core CPU and a four-core GPU and a Neural Engine that can process 5 trillion operations a second. The A13 could have 8-cores CPU with four high performance cores and four power efficient cores. As for the GPU, we might see a five core chip, which could coincide with a new Metal 3 API from Apple.
The Camera
Earlier this year, rumours had been swirling that the iPhone Xs Max would have a triple camera system. But, closer to Apple’s September announcement, it was becoming clear that this wouldn’t the case. Now rumours point to next year’s model getting the new camera system.
Samsung has just announce a triple camera lens phone, while Huawei has had a tri-cam system for a while now. Samsung’s approach was to make the third lens an ultra wide lens that mimics what the human eye sees. Huawei’s approach was to make the third lens a monochromatic lens that would add lighting detail to images.
Apple’s approach to having a three lens array would be to assist in their ongoing efforts in AR. The third lens would be used for wider stereoscopic mapping to help with augmented reality, and for improved Portrait mode thanks to a wider parallax effect. As well, the third lens could be a ultra wide lens or even a macro type lens.
As for the image sensors for this new Camera array, we may finally see Apple up the megapixels count. Since the iPhone 7, the camera has had a 12-megapixel sensor. Might we see a 20-megapixel sensor? Not likely, but expect an upgrade of at least a couple megapixels. Also, expect to see a slightly larger f-stop for even better low light photos.
The Body
I think it’s safe to say that the overall body shape and size will be the same as this year’s lineup. Glass, front and back. Steel frame. Curved edges. The same basic profile since the iPhone 6 which I feel is still a solid look and feel.
We could see some small tweaking of the placement of buttons and switches, but Apple will be sticking with physical buttons a little while longer. This is due to the fact that the only way cases will work on an iPhone is that the buttons are physical.
USB-C
There are rumours of an October 2018 Apple event that will introduce new iPad Pro models with a USB-C port. If this proves to be true, and I think this could be true, I see this coming to 2019 iPhones. It’s going to be controversial, just like when Apple switched to Lightning back in 2012 with the iPhone 5. But, switching to USB-C makes sense as Apple would want to streamline all products to charge using the same power adapters and cables.
The Display
Okay, so the biggest change a year ago, with the iPhone X, was its display. People had their doubts, but within a year I think it’s clear that this is the future of all smartphones. The iPhone 11 will see Apple trying to push the display to the limits.
Apple has been calling the iPhone X and now iPhone Xs displays “edge to edge,” and yes there are less bezels then previous iPhone displays, but it’s not quite edge to edge. Expect Apple engineers to continue reducing the bezels to get a more edge to edge screen.
I can also see Apple upping the resolution of the display. With Apple heavily supporting Dolby Vision in it’s iTunes catalogue, it’s natural that Apple would want to get their displays to near, or even full 4k. It might seem like overkill for such a small screen, but if you consider the 6.5 inch iPhone Xs Max display, it could look amazing.
The Notch
Another area of improvement I’m sure Apple is targeting, is the TrueDepth camera array, or the notch. Pretty much everyone I know that has an iPhone X has gotten so used to the notch that they forget it’s even there. But, when watching a video in full screen, or playing games, you are often reminded of it’s presence.
I’m certain that Apple is going to reduce the size of the array and gain back space on the display. I could see the front camera and infrared camera being combined. The dot projector and flood illuminator could also be combined in some way and made smaller. I expect to see a narrower and flatter TrueDepth camera array that could be half the size.
For anyone who can’t stand the notch, it’s too bad for you. Clearly, Apple doesn’t want to go back to the chin and forehead, and until they can find a way to hide the array under the screen, there will be the notch.
The Sizes
The iPhone Xs comes in two sizes. 5.8 inch and 6.5 inch displays. I don’t see the iPhone getting any bigger than the Max. The Max is the same size as the previous Plus models and I think that’s as far as Apple is willing to go in terms of physical size of an iPhone.
I think the real question is, will we see a 5.8 inch iPhone next year? I will get into the iPhone Xr later in this article, but it’s screen size of 6.1 inch makes you wonder why Apple made it’s screen larger than that of the iPhone Xs.
As weird as having an in-between 6.1 inch screen in the mix, I think Apple will stick with a 5.8 inch model as people do find that size to be just right.
The Price
I’ll keep this section short and simple.
iPhone 11 is going to be expensive. iPhone Xs starts at $999 USD like the iPhone X before it, and the iPhone Xs Max starts at $1099 USD. Expect the same prices next year and start saving up.
What about the R?
This year Apple introduced not just one, but two new iPhone sizes. The 6.5 inch iPhone Xs Max and the iPhone Xr with a 6.1 inch LCD display.
What Apple does with the iPhone Xr next year is going to be interesting. It really depends on how Apple views this product. The iPhone SE was basically an iPhone 5s with an A9 chip. It was in the iPhone lineup for two years and served as an entry level device; or as an iPhone for people who just didn’t want to go bigger than a 4 inch display. Is the iPhone Xr the new iPhone SE? Or will Apple treat this differently and update it along side the flagship models every year as a lower cost variant?
Well, price-wise, the iPhone Xr is not the same category as the iPhone SE, but I feel it serves a similar purpose. I think Apple is planning on keeping this phone around for a while. I don’t think Apple will refresh it every year, maybe every couple years. The current model has an A12 chip. Next year it won’t be refreshed but the price will be dropped. Then the following year it will be refreshed along side the iPhone 11s.
September 2019 is going to be a big
There have been some major iPhone re-designs in the history of the device. The iPhone 4 with it’s sleek Leica-like design. The iPhone 5 had the first change in screen size. The iPhone 6 with the increase in overall size, and the introduction of the Plus size. And, the iPhone X with it’s edge to edge screen and removal of the Home button.
The iPhone 11 won’t be a major re-design, but will have some major refinements to the iPhone X/Xs design. Like the iPhone 7, and to a further extent the iPhone 8, there’s going to be enough changes to entice a lot of people to upgrade.
