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Apple redesigning iPhone this year with flat sides and smaller notch, says report

Bloomberg has published a new report detailing much of Apple’s product roadmap for 2020, including the four new iPhones that have been widely rumored. Corroborating Ming-chi Kuo’s analysis from last year, Apple is said to be redesigning the iPhone Pro chassis with flat edges reminiscent of the current iPad Pro. Kuo claimed the screen glass would still be slightly curved, while Bloomberg says it’ll be flat.

Bloomberg reports that there will be two iPhone Pro models with three cameras on the back and that they will feature the new iPad Pro’s LIDAR 3D-scanning system — it’s not clear whether that will take the place of one of the iPhone 11 Pro’s existing three cameras, though. It’s also unclear whether the boxy redesign will come to the two lower-end dual-camera models that are reportedly replacing the iPhone 11.THE FACE ID NOTCH WILL ‘LIKELY’ BE REDUCED IN SIZE

The report says that the largest iPhone Pro will have a “slightly larger” screen than the iPhone 11 Pro Max’s 6.5-inch panel, and that the Face ID notch will “likely” be reduced in size. Kuo predicted last year that the Pro models would come in screen sizes of 5.4 inches and 6.7 inches.

Bloomberg also says to expect a smaller, cheaper HomePod speaker as early as this year, following up on its own reporting from August. This new model is now said to have a similar design to the existing HomePod, but come in at around half the size. Apple is reportedly planning a second-quarter release.

Finally, Bloomberg also says to expect new versions of the MacBook Pro, Apple TV, iMac, and entry-model iPad, though doesn’t give any details on what the refreshes might include. A 14-inch MacBook Pro with scissor-switch keyboard has been predicted by Kuo.

Apple doesn’t expect the coronavirus pandemic to cause major delays, according to Bloomberg, though certain iPhone models could end up launching weeks later than usual. Engineers are reportedly heading to China to finalize work on the lineup next month ahead of mass production.

Source: The Verge

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Bloomberg: New low cost iPhone entering production next month, could be released next march

According to a new report from Bloomberg this evening, Apple’s upcoming low-cost iPhone will enter mass production next month. This is the device that has commonly been referred to as the iPhone SE 2 and iPhone 9.

Today’s report says Apple is preparing to officially unveil this iPhone “as early as March,” with production being split between Foxconn, Pegatron, and Winstron.

In terms of what to expect from this iPhone, Bloombergreiterates much of what has previously been reported. It is said to feature Touch ID integrated into the Home button, the same A13 processor as the iPhone 11, and a design similar to the iPhone 8. That means we should expect a 4.7-inch LCD panel, flanked by bezels on the top and button, with a single lens camera on the back.

Previous reports from Ming-Chi Kuo have predicted that the iPhone SE 2/iPhone 9 could have a starting price as low as $399. Currently, Apple sells the 64GB iPhone 8 for $449, so an even more affordable iPhone SE 2 with the latest A13 processor could prove to be a tempting upgrade path for those users.

It remains to be seen what Apple will name this iPhone. While Kuo has commonly referred to it as the “iPhone SE 2,” it’s not necessarily a direct followup to the 4-inch form factor of the iPhone SE. Other reports have suggested it will be called the iPhone 9, given its positioning between the iPhone 8 and iPhone X: more advanced internals than the iPhone 8, but without the modern design of the iPhone X and newer.

What’s Apple’s logic behind this device? Kuo has said that the iPhone SE 2 will mainly target iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users, who cannot update to iOS 13 this year. If Apple pushes those users towards the iPhone SE 2 with an A13 processor, more iPhone customers will be running iOS 13 and will be able to access new Services like Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade.

What do you think of the iPhone SE 2/iPhone 9? What might Apple name it? Let us know down in the comments!