iPhone XS and iPhone XS MaxSource: Apple

What you need to know

  • A new iPhone 12 rumor suggests Apple's next-generation of iPhones may be slightly thinner than the current iPhone 11 range.
  • That's according to Japanese outlet Mac Otakara.
  • There are also some details about camera sensors, and overall form factors.

A pretty jumbled rumor from Mac Otakara claims that the next iPhone could be ever-so-slightly thinner than its predecessor.

The news apparently comes from an Apple supplier in China, and a translation of the page makes for some pretty muddled reading. The report initially says:

According to information from Apple's Chinese supplier, the upcoming iPhone, launched in September, may have the same housing design and differ only in the number of rear cameras.

The rumor points to a 3D printed mock-up of the 6.5-inch iPhone as a comparison for thickness:

Compared to the case design of the iPhone 2020 6.5 inch model 3D print mock obtained from Alibaba Sources introduced earlier, the thickness is about 7.40 mm, but the display bezel has a common design such as 2 mm thick It is more likely.

The iPhone 11 Pro Max is 8.1mm, so not a massive difference, but thinner nonetheless.

The report states that all upcoming iPhone models will feature OLED displays, and that "TrueDepth cameras appear to continue to be adopted" for FaceTime.

In terms of form factor of some of the other devices, it states that the 5.4-inch iPhone model is "half the height between iPhone SE and iPhone 8". The SE was 4.87 inches tall, and the iPhone 8 was 5.45 inches, both with the distinctive iPhone bezels at the top and bottom of the display and featuring a Home Button.

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Similarly, the 6.1-inch model falls between the iPhone 11 and the 11 Pro in terms of size, and the 6.7-inch model is reportedly slightly taller than the iPhone 11 Pro Max.

The 5.4-inch and 6.1-inch models have a two-screen camera equivalent to the iPhone 11, but the 6.7-inch model three-lens camera may have a larger sensor size than the rear camera of the iPhone 11 Pro Max.

It's suggested that both smaller models will feature the same camera configuration as the iPhone 11, and that only the larger 6.7-inch model is reported to feature Apple's three-lens setup from the iPhone 11 Pro. Furthermore, the largest 6.7-inch model "may have a larger sensor size" than the iPhone 11 Pro. There's no mention of the 6.1-inch camera because the specs apparently haven't been confirmed by analysts.

All three sizes of rumored iPhone will reportedly have a different number of microphone holes at the bottom, however there is no indication as to whether this might just be an aesthetic change, or whether it has functional value too.

The rumor reaffirms reports that the next gen iPhone will have a body similar in design to that of the iPad Pro, that is with crisp, right-angled edges as opposed to its current rolled design.

Last week, Mac Otakara reported that the iPhone 11 would feature Apple's new A13 chip, and that the 5.4-inch model would be an "updated version" of the iPhone 8 in terms of form factor.

There's nothing more concrete to these rumors than the Mac Otakara report, however analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously stated that Apple is expected to release new iPhones sized at 5.4, 6.1 and 6.7 inches this fall.

Separate reports suggest that Apple plans to release a follow-up to the iPhone SE, previously dubbed the iPhone SE 2 in Spring 2020. More recently it's been suggested however that this will actually be named iPhone 9, with renders pointing to a design similar to the iPhone 8.