TF International analyst Ming Chi Kuo – who’s usually pretty on the ball with his Apple forecasts – has been busy updating his iPhone related predictions. Among his latest premonitions are the following:
2021 iPhones
Kuo claims the new 2021 iPhone 13 will not adopt USB-C. Kuo believes that USB-C would negatively impact revenue from the ‘Made for i’ program, and that the lightning connector is easier to waterproof. Read: Will there be an iPhone with USB-C?
Nor will the new iPhone gain Touch ID via the side button (as seen on the iPad Air). Kuo claims that there are no visible signs in the current plans for the iPhone to make these changes.
The new 2021 iPhones will offer higher capacity batteries, which hopefully means a bit longer battery life.
We can expect to see a reduced notch area in the 2021 iPhones, according to Kuo.
Kuo dismisses any suggestion that all the 2021 models will be equipped with LiDAR, instead he believes the sensors will only be available in iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max.
The ultra-wide camera for the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max will be upgraded. Increasing from fixed focus 5P (f/2.4) to autofocus 6P (f/1.8).
The new Pro and Pro Max iPhones will use LTPO technology and add 120Hz support.
Kuo says Apple is also looking at integrating the SIM card slot into the mainboard, which could save space.
2022 iPhones
Some 2022 iPhone models will not feature a notch! Instead, there will be a “punch-hole” for the camera, according to Kuo.
The 2022 iPhone front facing camera will supported autofocus.
2023 iPhones
Ming-Chi Kuo thinks we might see the first foldable iPhone in 2023. This so called iPhone Flip could also offer support for Apple Pencil.
Kuo also suggests that Apple may launch a new lower-end iPhone with around a 6in LCD screen, Face ID, and a price below $600 in early 2023. This would replace the iPhone 11.
He also thinks that at least one new high-end iPhone in 2023 will feature a fingerprint scanner under the display. (There have previously been rumours that the iPhone 13 will get under-screen Touch ID and in a later prediction made in April 2023 Kuo noted that he expects there will be no iPhone notch on the 2023 iPhone because Apple will mount the Face ID camera under the screen.
Plus the camera on the back of the iPhone will offer a periscope lens with a 10x optical zoom. Despite this neither the mobile nor the camera module will be thicker than at present, claims Kuo. Read iPhone 13 models to get premium camera feature.
And there may be no notch or hole-punch on the display, according to the analyst. Read: iPhone 13 with smaller notch.
Via MacRumours and 9to5Mac.
Including reporting from Mikael Markander & Anders Lundberg on Macworld Sweden.
Author: Karen Haslam, Editor
Macworld editor since 2008, Karen has worked on both sides of the Apple divide, clocking up a number of years at Apple's PR agency prior to joining Macworld almost two decades ago.
Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. Her focus is Mac, but she lives and breathes Apple.