Much unto the manner of launching the iPhone SE as an improved version of the iPhone 5 and 5S, Apple may be all set to launch the iPhone 8S as a follow up to the iPhone 8. Sources inside the Taiwan-based Fubon Securities Investment Trust suggest that the upcoming device may retain the iPhone 8’s 4.7” LCD display, making it the first smartphone to be launched with comparatively thicker bezels and a physical home button since 2017.
While the iPhone 8S (as it may be called) will continue sporting a single rear camera setup, its primary sensor will be much improved, resembling that of the iPhone XI. And that is not all that the 8S shall be borrowing from the XI since other additions shall include the latter’s next-gen A13 processor and 128GB of base storage.
Expected to be priced at $649 (Rs 46,000), the iPhone 8S may be launched at Apple’s annual event in late March 2020, with an initial 20 million units to be produced by Pegatron.
Besides the 8S, Apple has a number of smartphones lined up for 2019 itself, and this list includes the iPhone XI, iPhone XI Max, a successor to the iPhone XR, and a compact iPhone XE.
The iPhone XI and XI Max may be equipped with updated displays sporting thinner bezels and a slightly smaller notch. Rumors suggest that the devices may sport a triple rear camera setup, owing to the addition of a new wide-angle offering. They shall also boast of boosted battery capacity and feature support for reverse wireless charging, which, as has already been seen in the case of the Galaxy S10 series, will allow users to charge other phones and accessories like the AirPods and the Apple Watch.
The replacement for iPhone XR, for its part, may sport a 6.1-inch LCD display, a dual rear camera setup, and, like the iPhone 8S and the iPhone XI duo, sport Apple’s A13 chip and iOS 13 out of the box.
As for the rumored iPhone XE, it is expected to be the successor to the iPhone SE and may feature a 4.8-inch display with a notch and Face ID, along with Apple’s A12 Bionic on the inside instead of the upcoming A13 chip. It shall also feature a single 12-megapixel rear camera, an aluminum build, and a probable negative wireless charging support.
Apple’s 2020 lineup may look something like the following:
- iPhone XI Max – $1,099
- iPhone XI – $999
- iPhone XS Max – $999
- iPhone XS – $899
- iPhone XR2 – $799
- iPhone XR – $649
- iPhone 8S – $649
- iPhone XE – $599
- iPhone 8 Plus – $599
- iPhone 8 – $499
- iPhone 7 Plus – $469
- iPhone 7 – $399
