Four 5G iPhones with ToF cameras may launch in 2020, report

From a bunch of reliable reports, it has become evident that Apple won’t be able to launch a 5G iPhone this year.

A new report from CNBC quoting Samik Chatterjee, an analyst at J.P. Morgan, one of the leading financial services firm, claims that Apple will try to boost its iPhone sales next year by releasing at least four iPhone models. The analyst expects Cupertino to launch three new OLED iPhones with 5G modems and at least two of them will also have ToF camera.

It’s pertinent to note here that ToF is a cheaper camera setup that employs time-of-flight techniques to resolve distance between the camera and the subject for each point of the image. Meanwhile, the Cupertino giant will also reportedly launch a budget phone but it is unlikely to be iPhone SE 2. The next budget iPhone would be a full-screen device without the home button and will be specifically aimed at markets like China and India where people go for cheaper, large-screen devices than Apple’s current expensive Face ID lineup, the analyst detailed.

The analysis from JPMorgan suggested that “at least two of the three models adopting world facing 3D Sensing (Time of Flight) will be driving industry-leading AR/VR capabilities which can be leveraged by custom-built applications (including games)”. However, he also revealed that Apple is now going for the “value” market, meaning a phone with the size of the iPhone 8, but without the 5G modem and at a relatively lower cost.

As you know that Apple usually releases its iPhone lineup in September right in time for the holiday season, and for 2019 we will see only three new devices with the unusual camera setup, but improved shooters overall. The analyst also predicted that Apple is aiming to restore sales growth, with 195 million expected units to be shipped in 2020, up from the estimated 180 million in 2019.

Although there are areas where Apple is still in the lead, for the first time it seems that Apple is lagging behind in design innovation. According to inside sources from the company’s supply chain, the new iPhones will have a slightly smaller notch and that too will launch in 2020.