2019 iPhone rumour roundup: What you can expect on 11th September

1.) Number of iPhone models

The past two years have seen Apple releasing three iPhone models in September and 2019 looks to be no different. There are likely to be three new models replacing the iPhone XR, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, and there's a good chance that will be called the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max.

2.) No major design change

The last major design revamp was in 2017 when Apple unveiled the iPhone X. Before the iPhone X, the iPhone 6, iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 series looked much very similar to each other except for some minor changes such as the switch from a physical Touch ID button to a pressure-sensitive Touch ID. Based on this trajectory, it is likely that we are not seeing much design changes in the 2019 iPhone lineup. 

Bloomberg reported last week that Apple would be introducing a matte finish for some color options. This would help differentiate the 2019 iPhone models from the 2018 lineup. In addition, Apple is said to be introducing new shatter-resistant glass and enhanced water resistance to the 2019 iPhone models. 

The only notable change which has been reported extensively over the past few months is the rear camera module(s). This will be discussed further in the next section. Below are some purported CAD renders which show no major design changes across the three models: 

There could be minor design changes such as slimmer bezels, a slightly smaller notch and a uniquely-shaped mute button on the side.

3.) Cameras are a big part of the 2019 iPhone lineup

One of the hottest trends in the smartphone industry this year is the inclusion of a triple-lens system on flagship phones. While some brands are starting to release phones with four rear cameras, triple-lens system is going to be an essential feature of any 2019 flagship phone. 

Rumors of the iPhone adopting triple-lens system surfaced in April 2018. Economic Daily News claimed that at least one 2019 iPhone model would come with three rear cameras. Yuanta Securities analyst Jeff Pu also made a similar claim in the following month.

The first credible report of the triple-lens system appeared in January when reliable tipster @OnLeaks and Digit.in published purported renders of the 5.8-inch 2019 iPhone model. The renders reveal a rear square bump at the top left corner of the phone which houses three camera sensors. 

The rear square camera bump may be unsightly for some, but a report suggests that Apple has gone to great lengths to integrate the bump into the phone as much as they can. It is said to be a part of a single glass panel made from a new and unique material. In addition, Apple deliberately designed the bump to enclose three smaller individual bumps surrounding the camera lenses to give a 3D effect.

Each camera lens will be surrounded by a thin ring which will match the color variant of the iPhone. The camera lenses are also specially coated in black so that they can blend in better with the surrounding bezel to look less conspicuous.

The Wall Street Journal reported days later that new camera features are going to be the main highlight. Aside from re-affiriming rumors of a triple-lens system on the flagship model(s), the WSJ said the successor of the iPhone XR will have a dual-camera module.

Bloomberg shared more details about the triple-lens system in February; it believes the third camera is able to capture a larger field of view and enable a wider range of zoom. The three cameras are also believed to help take more pixels to be used with a software feature to "automatically repair a photo or video to fit in a subject that may have been accidentally cut off from the initial shot”.

9to5Mac reported that there would be a new feature called Smart Frame which captures the area around the framed area in photos and videos so that users can adjust the framing or apply automatic perspective and crop corrections. The extra information will be kept temporarily and removed automatically for privacy reasons. 

In a report released last week, Bloomberg revealed the "Pro" models can take higher resolution images that can rival some traditional cameras, deliver better low-light imaging performance and have significantly improved video recording capabilities. 

As for the front camera, reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed it will be upgraded from 7MP to 12MP. It will also use a 5-element lens component, which is different from the 4-element lens used on the current iPhones. According to 9to5Mac, the upgraded front camera can support slow motion video recording at 120fps. Live Photos will be enhanced to take double the length of the video from three seconds to six seconds. 

4.) USB-C is coming ... in a different way

USB-C is positioned as the solution for all device needs from power and data delivery to display and audio connectivity. We've seen more phones being launched with USB-C ports this year. Will Apple do the same? 

DigiTimes reported in June 2018 that USB-C is arriving on the 2019 iPhone models. Its sources claimed that Apple is redesigning the chargers and related interface for the iPhone and iPad. The USB-C transition could start with the iPhone in 2019. This was only partially true when Apple unveiled the 2018 iPad Pros with USB-C ports and the 18W USB-C power adapter that was supposed to debut with the 2018 iPhone.

Earlier this year, Japanese site Macotakara shared that the 2019 iPhones "might" make the switch to USB-C. It has not yet reached the reference design stage, hence it cautioned that the USB-C transition might not happen this year. One month later, Macotakara backtracked on the report and reported that Apple will continue to use the Lightning port with the slow 5W charger.

Tipster @OnLeaks said Apple is testing several prototypes with USB-C ports, but did not confirm whether the transition will happen this year. iOS 13 beta hints that USB-C could be coming to the iPhone this year. The recovery screen from an iPhone running iOS 13 beta shows a USB-C cable pointing to a computer instead of a Lightning cable. When @OnLeaks obtained purported renders and video of the 2019 iPhone models, he shared that the Lightning port will be retained on the phones. 

While Apple is likely to retain the Lightning port for another year, ChargerLab has some good news to share. It believes Apple will bundle the 18W USB-C charger and a USB-C to Lightning cable with the 2019 iPhone models to reduce charging times. This is reiterated by Chinese site news.mydrivers.com. 

5.) 5G or no 5G?

5G is the buzzword in the telecommunications and smartphone industry today. It is also fast becoming one of the key features of flagship phones this year. Is Apple going to launch a 5G variant of the iPhone this year? In short, nope. But it has a complicated timeline.

Although Apple engineers reportedly "have been engaged with Intel counterparts for early work on 5G" in 2017, both companies still faced issues in 2018 with Intel's 5G modems having heat dissipation issues which pushed back the timeline for a 5G iPhone launch to 2020.

Bloomberg reported in December 2018 that Apple is likely to wait as long as a year after the initial deployment of 5G networks to release a 5G iPhone. This means that Apple could be holding off plans for a 5G iPhone until at least 2020. However, where would Apple get the 5G modems if it was engaged in a legal dispute with Qualcomm? It began a search for a "cellular modem systems architect" in December 2018 which hints that Apple is looking to design its own modems.

During a testimony trial between Qualcomm and the U.S Federal Trade Commission in January, Apple revealed that it approached Samsung and MediaTek for 5G modems to use in the iPhones. But the company did not say whether it eventually secured a deal for the modems or a 5G iPhone is planned this year.

In February this year, Reuters reported that Apple moved its modem chip engineering team into the in-house hardware technology group. This is interpreted as a sign that radio modem design has been given a higher priority within the company. In the same month, Apple hired Intel's 5G modem developer Umashankar Thyagarajan who was working on the XMM 8160 5G modem.

There were rumors of Huawei being "open" to selling 5G modems to Apple, but the Chinese company shot down the reports. Even if there was a secret deal, the ongoing trade war between the U.S and China could have sunk the deal.

Apple and Qualcomm agreed to end their dispute in April and settled for a multi-year chipset supply deal. This strengthened the earlier reports of Apple looking at a 2020 time frame for a 5G iPhone instead of this year. The deal also caused Intel to exit the 5G smartphone modem market, which Apple eventually acquired the former for US$1 billion. The acquisition is believed to save "years of development work" for Apple as it could take at least five years for Apple to deploy its own 5G modems.

Reliable analyst Kuo claimed in his June report that the first 5G iPhones would launch in 2020 and they will use Qualcomm modems. Apple's own 5G modems are expected to be ready in 2022. A July report by Reuters points to a slightly more aggressive timeline; Apple is said to have plans to use an internally developed 5G modem in some of its products by 2021.

6. ) Death of 3D Touch

Once an overhyped feature, 3D Touch got lesser attention since its introduction in 2015 on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. Rumors of its demise started last year. 

Barclay's analyst, Blayne Curtis, reported in August 2018 that the 2019 iPhone models will lose 3D Touch support. The Wall Street Journal also mentioned in a report that the pressure sensitive component for 3D Touch could be removed across the iPhone lineup to cut costs.

The first credible evidence of that happening appeared in iOS 13 developer beta where no trace of 3D Touch gestures was found. 3D Touch features appear to be replaced by long-press gestures. 9to5Mac claims that Apple will introduce a new type of Taptic Engine to improve Haptic Touch and potentially replace 3D Touch.

Chinese sites news.mydrivers.com published a list of purported specs of the three iPhone models which indicate the absence of 3D Touch.

 

7.) Apple Pencil support for the iPhone

With the entire iPad lineup supporting Apple Pencil, it is not far-fetched to suggest that Apple could be doing the same for the iPhone this year. 

In October 2017, The Investor claimed that Apple has been working on a new iPhone model which comes with a stylus and it could launch as early as 2019. In March 2018, reliable analyst Kuo shared his prediction that the iPhone would eventually support Apple Pencil.

TrendForce and Economic Daily News suggested in August 2018 that the 2018 iPhone lineup would have Apple Pencil support, but it turned out to be false. Nonetheless, the likelihood of this year's iPhones supporting Apple Pencil could not be ignored. 

Citi Research claimed in a report last month that Apple Pencil is one of the new features coming to the iPhone this year. A purported specs list of the upcoming iPhones by Chinese site news.mydrivers.com also corroborated the report.

If Apple is going to bring Apple Pencil support to the iPhone, it would have to design a smaller Apple Pencil for use on the iPhone. This would be another opportunity for Apple to upsell an optional accessory to drive sales in a period of slow iPhone growth.

8.) Launch event, retail availability

Apple sent out media invites for an event on 10 September, 10 am (SGT, 11 Sept, 1 am) at the Steve Jobs Theatre in Cupertino. The teaser image is a multi-colored Apple logo with the tagline "By innovation only". Is Apple trying to hint something? 

Three of the five colors in the logo match the current color options of the iPhone XR - blue, yellow and red. What about the other two colors (green and lavender)? Well, Macotakara believes Apple will replace the current coral and blue options with green and lavender. The new iPhone 11 would then come in white, black, yellow, green, lavender and red. 

If history is any indication, pre-orders for the new iPhones should be on 13 September, Friday with retail sales a week later on 20 September. SoftBank's president accidentally revealed the date last month during a meeting where he was asked about Japan's new Telecommunications Business Law going into effect on 1 October.

Apple should be keeping the retail prices of the iPhone models steady this time despite the threat of tariffs on its core products. After all, the currency fluctuations late last year had prompted Apple to consider lowering the iPhone prices in some international markets to boost sales. Chinese site news.mydrivers.com believed the prices will be similar to the 2018 iPhone lineup.

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