Apple will reduce the size of the notch in the iPhone 12, but only in a single version of this upcoming handset.
That’s one of the predictions made Monday by a respected analyst about what’s on the docket for Apple’s September 15 event.
Shrinking the iPhone 12 notch
Ming-Chi Kuo of TF Securities said in a note to investors that the 5.4-inch version of the iPhone 12 will have a smaller screen cutout. This is the smallest version of the new handset, and the notch’s width is being reduced to make room for the clock and networking icons to fit on on either side.
This raises the question, if Apple can shrink it on this model, why not on every iPhone 12 version? But that’s allegedly not happening.
And Kuo also dashed hopes that this upcoming handset will have a 120 Hz “ProMotion” display. Apparently, the power drain from it and 5G cellular-wireless connectivity would have been too much.
The analyst reiterates earlier predictions that there’ll be four iPhone 12 models: a single 5.4-inch one, two with 6.1-inch displays, and a model with a 6.7-inch screen. All will have 5G.
Get ready for the iPad Air 4 and Apple Watch 6
But Apple’s event scheduled for Tuesday won’t feature the new iPhone, according to Kuo. And Mark Gurman of Bloomberg says the same. Both sources agree that the focus will be on iPad Air 4 and Apple Watch Series 6.
The new tablet on the docket is expected to be significantly redesigned, with a nearly edge-to-edge display. Kuo reiterated earlier reports that it will have a Touch ID fingerprint scanner built into the power button, not Face ID. And he went on to predict that future iPad models will have this same feature, possibly signaling the end of the Home button on iPadOS tablets.
The analyst from TF Securities predicted that Apple Watch Series 6 will include a blood oxygen sensor, but the overall design will mostly remain unchanged when compared to Series 5. Numerous earlier sources have said the same, as does Gurman. A new form factor is coming in 2021, though.
Gurman, but not Kuo, says there’ll also be a new low-cost version of the Apple Watch announced Tuesday.
Both these sources agree that the iPhone 12 will be announced at a separate event in October, closer to the release of the new handset. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed production, leading to a later-that-usual debut.
