Noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has a new research note predicting Apple’s next two years of iPhones, and there’s a wild new detail: Apple’s 2021 flagship iPhone will reportedly kill off the Lightning port, but USB-C fans (like myself) shouldn’t get too excited. According to Kuo’s note, Apple won’t replace the proprietary port with USB-C; rather, it will rely on an entirely wireless experience for charging and syncing,
The change would be a big one for Apple, which has relied on the Lightning port for all of its phones since it was first introduced on the iPhone 5 in 2013. And while modern-day iPhones are certainly less reliant on physically syncing data, going to a fully wireless model would have huge ramifications across the tech industry, with everything from charging cable companies to headphone manufacturers being impacted. Obviously, we’re still a long way out from 2021 — Apple’s 2020 iPhones aren’t even here yet — but Kuo does have a good reputation for predicting Apple’s plans, meaning it’s entirely possible that this is what the future of iPhones will look like.
Additionally, Kuo’s note goes into more details about what to expect from Apple’s 2020 lineup, which he notes will feature five new phones. First up is the long-rumored iPhone SE 2, which Kuo says will have a 4.7-inch LCD display and a form factor nearly identical to the iPhone 8.
The fall lineup of iPhones is where things get a little odder. Kuo’s note says that Apple is planning four OLED iPhones, all of which will have 5G. Similar to this year’s phones, there’s reportedly going to be a high-end triple-camera model (which will also feature ToF technology), which will come in two sizes: a 6.1-inch model and a 6.7-inch model. Presumably, these two are replacements for the existing iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max.
There’s also a lower-end dual-camera model, similar to the standard iPhone 11. But unlike the current lineup, that dual-camera model will also come in two sizes. According to Kuo, the new model (let’s call it the iPhone 12) will feature a 6.1-inch size, similar to the current iPhone 11, but it’ll also come in a smaller 5.4-inch size.