Over the past couple of years, Apple has garnered a lot of success by making its entry-level iPhones just a bit more affordable, with the iPhone 11 recently sucking up 39 per cent of all smartphone sales in Q4 2019. And if the latest 2020 iPhone rumours are correct, Apple could release two new affordable iPhones this year instead of just one.
According to Japanese Apple enthusiast site Mac Otakara, Apple is planning to offer a total of four new iPhones in 2020 comprised of a 5.4-inch model, two 6.1-inch models, and a premium 6.7-inch iPhone. For 2020, it appears that all iPhones will come with FaceID and OLED screens—which should be a nice upgrade from the LCD displays Apple used on the iPhone XR and iPhone 11—with the high-end 6.7-inch iPhone potentially featuring an extra-large 3-inch camera sensor for better photography.
However, for people looking for future bargains, the lower-end version of the 6.1-inch iPhone and especially the 5.4-inch iPhone could be the most intriguing, with the latter appearing to be the spiritual successor to the iPhone SE (RIP). However, unlike the old SE, this new 5.4-inch iPhone is said to feature a more modern design with super slim bezels, a large OLED display, and no home button. Additionally, like the iPhone 11, both the 5.4-inch iPhone and the lower-end 6.1-inch iPhone will offer dual rear cameras.
Sizewise, Mac Otakara claims the 5.4-inch iPhone stands halfway between the original iPhone SE and the iPhone 8 (so somewhere between 4.87 and 5.45-inches tall), so despite a small increase in dimensions, the new 5.4-inch iPhone should still be super pocketable and quite manageable even for people with smaller hands. Meanwhile, the 6.1-inch iPhone reportedly stands between the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro in size, with the 6.7-inch iPhone coming in at slightly larger than the iPhone 11 Pro Max.
While Mac Otakara did not have info on expected pricing for any of the four new iPhones, reports of a new, smaller iPhone should be a welcome development for anyone still mourning the death of iPhone SE back in 2018. Personally, I’ve felt, for years, that one of Apple’s biggest missed opportunities was not turning the SE into Apple’s mid-range phone line. This would provide an even less expensive alternative to the iPhone XR or iPhone 11, instead of forcing people to seek discounts by purchasing year-0ld handsets or refurbished units.
That said, anyone looking for a deal on an iPhone XS or XS Max should know that Apple just began selling refurbished versions of Apple’s 2018 flagship iPhones, with a 64GB iPhone XS going for $US700 ($1,019) (down from a launch price of $US1,000 ($1,455)), while a 64GB iPhone XS Max goes for $US800 ($1,164) (down from $US1,100 ($1,601) at launch.)
Either way, with potentially four new iPhones due out in 2020 on top of additional 5G-ready models of those handsets, Apple could be ramping up to release the biggest number of new iPhones ever this year.