Report: 2020 iPhones to utilize iPhone 4-like metal frame

The iPhone 11-series barely hit store shelves in some regions and there’s already chatter about the 2020 successor. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that the 2020 iPhones will be redesigned, with Apple possibly looking at the past and recycle the iPhone 4’s metal frame in building the new models around it.

We predict that the new 2H20 iPhone design will change significantly […] The metal frame and the front and rear 2/2.5D glass are still used, but the metal frame surface will be changed to a similar design to the iPhone 4, replacing the current surface design

Next year’s iPhones are rumored to feature 5G capabilities, so Kuo believes that an approach similar to the iPhone 4 will “reduce the negative impact of metal shielding on the high-frequency transmission efficiency of the internal antenna”, as MacRumors reports.

Kuo also predicts that the cost for an iPhone built this way will increase significantly. In terms of sizes, the analyst foresees a 5.4, a 6.1, and 6.7-inch model of the with OLED panels on the entire line-up. All three should be 5G capable, but only the highest end will get ToF sensors on the back.

Ming-Chi Kuo predicts 2020 iPhones will be significantly redesigned, with similar metal frame to the iPhone 4

Here’s a render of what it could look like: pic.twitter.com/5mTfFPKB7J

— Ben Geskin (@BenGeskin) September 25, 2019