Apple has already sent out invitations to its next event which will be held on September 10th. At this event, we should see the company introduce the 2019 iPhones.
According to MacRumors, a source who claims to work at one of the major carriers says that pre-orders for the handsets will commence on September 13th with the actual release date scheduled for September 20th. This happens to be the schedule that Apple has followed for a few years now. The only difference is that all three phones will be launched on the same date; you might recall that in 2017 and 2018 the
iPhone X and
iPhone XR both were released in November.
We expect to see Apple announce the iPhone 11 with a 6.1-inch LCD display, and two “Pro” models sporting OLED panels. These would be the iPhone 11 Pro (5.8-inch) and iPhone 11 Pro (6.5-inch). A case render from manufacturer Olixar for one of the iPhone 11 Pro models
included a special sleeve for a mini-version of the Apple Pencil. This dovetails with a report disseminated by Citibank’s Private Banking unit late in July that called for
Apple Pencil support for the iPhone this year. If this turns out to be true, it would be one more strike against the wishes of the late Steve Jobs, who passed in October 2011. Jobs famously dismissed the use of a stylus when unveiling the original
iPhone in January 2007 and also didn’t foresee the need for
phone screens larger than 3.5-inches.
Don’t expect 5G support or a Type-C port for the iPhone until 2020
All three units will be powered by the Apple A13 Bionic chipset manufactured by TSMC using its 7nm process. You’re probably familiar with the square camera module that will be found on the upper left-hand corner of the rear glass panel of the 2019 iPhone models. The iPhone 11 Pro units will have three cameras housed in the module: a primary camera, a telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom and an ultra-wide-angle camera. The iPhone 11 will have a dual-camera set-up that will include the same cameras found on the iPhone Pro models minus the ultra-wide-angle snapper. A recent report noted that the new iPhones will take better quality photos in a low-light environment and that the quality of some photographs will rival those taken by traditional cameras.
Renders of the Apple iPhone 11 Pro
Another new feature expected on the upcoming iPhone models is reverse
wireless charging. This will allow the rear glass panel on the new phones to be used as a wireless charging pad to power up
AirPods (in the wireless charging case), the
Apple Watch or compatible phone. Because reverse wireless charging uses the host phone’s battery, Apple has reportedly hiked the capacity of the batteries that will be found inside the new models; the iPhone 11 Pro (6.5-inch) is said to have a 4000mAh capacity battery which would be the largest ever found inside an iPhone. Reverse wireless charging was first employed on the
Huawei Mate 20 Pro and Samsung added the feature to its 2019 flagship models under the name of Wireless PowerShare.
No, the 2019 iPhones will not feature 5G support. That will most likely be found with the 2020 models. And if you were expecting a Type-C charging port, that is something else that Apple will include with next year’s handsets. This year though, Apple just might save you $29 by including an 18W charging brick in the box. Even though the 2017 and 2018 models support fast charging at that speed, Apple includes only a 5W adapter with those units.
Lastly, we could see Apple announce that its new handsets have enhanced water resistance. Earlier this year,
a new feature called Underwater mode was tipped for this year’s iPhones. This supposedly will allow users to navigate the touchscreen on their handsets even when underwater. In addition, a patent filed by Apple this year revealed new technology that would allow the iPhone to take quality photos while submerged. Unless Apple changes its warranty policy, using an Underwater mode would seem risky; even with the current IP68 (
iPhone XS,
iPhone XS Max) and IP67 (
iPhone XR) ratings, the company will not honor its warranty for water damage.
