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They will llikely try to make them look a little bit different. They sell alot better if you can see that it's a new device.
But don't expect big changes.
 
We’re so close to the point where the whole front of the device is a display. We have steel and aluminum options for the build. Glass back won’t be going away I think given the antennas and Qi charging.

Given that, how much can the design change? Maybe flat sides instead of round? But then its change for the sake of change.

Also, why does the design need to change? Look at their other mature products - iMac, MacBooks, iPads - they go for much longer stretches before any significant changes.

I am curious though with the ‘S’ naming this year if they’re planning on going back into the tick tock cycle of redesign followed up S update. I really can’t see them wanting to get stuck into that pattern again though. I hate the Roman numeral part of the naming (X being ten) given that there’s a letter immediately after it (S or R), but when seeing them listed out it looks cool. iPhone XS, iPhone XR. I wonder if they continue and maybe add another lower in the lineup as well (iPhone XE?), and then update all of these on an annual basis?
 
If you think about it, the design really has not changed since the intro of 6. Sure the materials have changed, but the overall design is pretty darn similar from the 6 all the way to the XS line.

A phone is always going to be sort of a thin, oblong thing, right, so in that sense iPhones have not changed at all. Just in size. They are ALL pretty darn similar, Oppos, One+, Samsung, iPhone - they are all long/tall, thin oblong glass-fronted and in some instances backed packaging, wrapped around individual innards. HOW much could they change? Round phones? Perfectly square ones?
 
I don't think there will be a BIG redesign, at this point where can they go? it's not like we can get a circular phone or something as drastic. I think Apple tweak the design, a better camera, smaller notch? maybe a new generation of Face ID and things like that. They will probably stick with the 3 versions, like the XR, XS and XS Max.

I think alongside the iPhone's this year we will see new AirPods (that are rumoured) maybe even the Airpower and the rumoured over the ear headphones if they don't get delayed.
 
Based on what Apple has said in the past, I would expect the next iPhone to be similar to the X. The iPhone X was a year ahead of its scheduled release so the XS is really the first edition of the X paradigm.
 
A phone is always going to be sort of a thin, oblong thing, right, so in that sense iPhones have not changed at all. Just in size. They are ALL pretty darn similar, Oppos, One+, Samsung, iPhone - they are all long/tall, thin oblong glass-fronted and in some instances backed packaging, wrapped around individual innards. HOW much could they change? Round phones? Perfectly square ones?
Sure, but look at an iPhone 6, 7, 8, X, and XS from the bottom or side. They are pretty identical. Now look at the iPhone, 3G, 4, and 5. Outside of the 4 and 5, those are rather different. I know we have hit peak smartphone and that there isn't a ton to differentiate anymore, but in the first half of the iPhone's life, there were several designs and the second half has pretty much been the same design brought on with the 6.
 
I don't think 2019 iPhone will have a major redesign of the exterior. But I do think Apple will upgrade the internals of the device.

I think we are going to see a thinner OLED panel, that might allow them to put in a larger battery(3300mAh).

They will probably upgrade the camera resolution(sure megapixels aren't everything, but they do help to an extent, "Night Shot" AI algorithms can only do so much if there is not enough light being captured in the first place. I think they will go up to 16MP camera). I think Apple is going to put out faster wireless charging, probably 10W.

They will probably be interested in upgrading the WiFi system to 802.11AX support, which should allow true gigabit WiFI(that's the next big thing IMO, since cable companies are working on 10-gigabit home internet, we will eventually be able to take advantage of that on a phone)

They might switch to USB-C, which would give faster charging and better accessory support.

Lastly, I do see them upping the maximum storage option to 1TB, and 5GB of RAM. Though I would like to see 1TB and 6GB of RAM(like the iPad Pro).
 
I think a safe bet would be saying a smaller notch on 3 models and the Max getting the 3rd camera lens. They might still surprise us since their sales are falling, so they would need to have something special in order to push these new iPhones. The 2020 models, of course, will be touted as 5G iPhones, but this year they need something else.
 
Perhaps the design of the new iPad Pro? But I doubt it I could see them going with this design for 2 more years since next year would be the XI and then presumably the XIS.... I dont think they will change the design during an "S" release.
 
I don't think 2019 iPhone will have a major redesign of the exterior. But I do think Apple will upgrade the internals of the device.
Obviously, the 2019 iPhones will have updated internals. At the very least, it'll have the A13 chip.

I think we are going to see a thinner OLED panel, that might allow them to put in a larger battery(3300mAh).
Apple will put in a large enough battery to maintain the one-day of battery capacity. If they can do that with the same capacity (or smaller) battery, and make the phone thinner, they will.

They will probably upgrade the camera resolution(sure megapixels aren't everything, but they do help to an extent, "Night Shot" AI algorithms can only do so much if there is not enough light being captured in the first place. I think they will go up to 16MP camera).
I could be wrong (perhaps very wrong) about this, but I was under the impression that (all things being equal), more megapixels will results in reduced low-light photo quality. If the sensor is the same size, but the pixels are smaller, they gather less light. For a sensor to maintain or improve low light performance, while adding pixels, you'd have to increase sensor size. Better yet, keep the MP count the same and increase the sensor size.

They might switch to USB-C, which would give faster charging and better accessory support.
Honest question here. What benefits would replacing lightning with USB-C have?

Lastly, I do see them upping the maximum storage option to 1TB, and 5GB of RAM. Though I would like to see 1TB and 6GB of RAM(like the iPad Pro).
1TB? In AppleWorld, a Max/1TB would cost something like $1,750. Folks are already complaining about the 512GB model costing $1,450, imagine the uproar over an additional $300. I guess if flash memory pricing improves, the could move the tiers to 128/512/1024 and keep the same pricing structure.
 
Sure, but look at an iPhone 6, 7, 8, X, and XS from the bottom or side. They are pretty identical. Now look at the iPhone, 3G, 4, and 5. Outside of the 4 and 5, those are rather different. I know we have hit peak smartphone and that there isn't a ton to differentiate anymore, but in the first half of the iPhone's life, there were several designs and the second half has pretty much been the same design brought on with the 6.
I don’t see it that way.

The iPhone 2G, 3G and 3GS were of a similar design.

4 and 4S were of the same design.

5 and 5S had the same design which was basically an elongated iPhone 4 with different material finish on the rear.

You then had 6, 6S and 7 with the same design. You can count the 8 but that launched alongside the next new design.

The X is a redesign. It has different material finishes, a different size and removes the front bezels/ home button.

There’s always been 2 or 3 iterations of each design.
 
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I don't think there will be a BIG redesign, at this point where can they go? it's not like we can get a circular phone or something as drastic. I think Apple tweak the design, a better camera, smaller notch? maybe a new generation of Face ID and things like that. They will probably stick with the 3 versions, like the XR, XS and XS Max.

I think alongside the iPhone's this year we will see new AirPods (that are rumoured) maybe even the Airpower and the rumoured over the ear headphones if they don't get delayed.

The triple lens camera seems to be almost a certainty at this point, as for accessories are concerned, definitely the AirPods are due for an upgrade, and I still think the Airpower has an opportunity to ‘re-debut’ in 2019. And if you think about the advantage with the Airpower, it doesn’t require direct placement to charge, you can set the device anywhere on the mat to charge, and _that_ is unique enough where I would want something like that for my Apple devices.
 
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Every year (okay, every two years) I think "At this point, how can the design still be changed? It's already perfect" and yet, they still change it, for good or bad.

Personally, I think 2019 iPhones will have a redesign. A lot of people are talking about something like iPhone 5 design, where it's boxy and stuff, since the iPad got that one.
 
Let's ask for an iPhone 4 retro design... Image the 11 Max, with flat sides and SS frame, color matching glass back.

Look very closely at the iPad Pro 2018. You might be onto something here. Either the they make glass sandwich or all aluminum sharp corner phones (still with a notch of course).
 
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Look very closely at the iPad Pro 2018. You might be onto something here. Either the they make glass sandwich or all aluminum sharp corner phones (still with a notch of course).

I would love that design on the new iphone, that would definitely get me to upgrade.
 
Obviously, the 2019 iPhones will have updated internals. At the very least, it'll have the A13 chip.

Apple will put in a large enough battery to maintain the one-day of battery capacity. If they can do that with the same capacity (or smaller) battery, and make the phone thinner, they will.

I could be wrong (perhaps very wrong) about this, but I was under the impression that (all things being equal), more megapixels will results in reduced low-light photo quality. If the sensor is the same size, but the pixels are smaller, they gather less light. For a sensor to maintain or improve low light performance, while adding pixels, you'd have to increase sensor size. Better yet, keep the MP count the same and increase the sensor size.

Honest question here. What benefits would replacing lightning with USB-C have?

1TB? In AppleWorld, a Max/1TB would cost something like $1,750. Folks are already complaining about the 512GB model costing $1,450, imagine the uproar over an additional $300. I guess if flash memory pricing improves, the could move the tiers to 128/512/1024 and keep the same pricing structure.


$1,750 for 1TB, great, now I can have my music library offline, download my VUDU movie/TV collection, record my video in 4K, and store RAW images so I can edit them later from the computer...

Benefits of replacing lightning with USB-C, hmm... The ability to plug in a USB flash drive and transfer all of my files easily to a computer. I only need to carry ONE charger that can charge an iPad, MacBook and an iPhone, while still being compatible with my friends Android devices of one of them forgets a charger. Makes it much easier to interface with a MacBook if I only need one USB-C cable for both an iPad and an iPhone.

For the camera, yes, increasing pixel count while keeping sensor size the same will reduce low-light performance. However, many Android phones have 16MP cameras, with sensor sizes that are larger than the ones on iPhone, and they manage just fine. I am sure Apple could figure out a way to increase sensor size, even if they have to make the phones thicker. In fact, if Apple makes the next iPhone a bit thicker, that gives them the perfect excuse to increase the battery size and put in a larger heat pipe on the CPU.
 
I really wish they went to an iPhone 5 style body with flat edges. It looks more distinct and it would stand out from the competition. Flat edges give better grip which means it could be used without a case, which would make the phone look better. Plus flat edges give more useable surface area for the internal components. I really don’t understand why Apple moved away from that body style.
 
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