A new supply chain report from Ming-Chi Kuo says the 2019 iPhone lineup will feature a larger battery and two-way wireless charging.
Kuo’s report goes as far as to name the companies that will supply the technology to Apple. The suppliers for the 2019 iPhone’s two-way Qi wireless charging are said to be Luxshare, an existing supplier, and Sunway, which will be a new Apple supplier for wireless charging.
STMicro is reportedly supplying the controlling circuitry, with a companion chip intended to boost charging efficiency supplied by TI.
Kuo’s report says the iPhone batteries will grow by as much as 20 to 25% in the iPhone XS replacement, while the iPhone XS Max-level 2019 device could increase by 10 to 15%. The extra space for the new battery will be allowed by the use of a new OLED screen laminate, with fewer needed layers than the existing models. Meanwhile, the iPhone XR-level device will see a battery size increase of only 0 to 5%.
The analyst also says the 2019 iPhones will retain the traditional Lightning connector, rather than adopt the USB-C connector, as the iPad Pro lineup has.
Also expected to stick around another year are Apple’s TrueDepth camera and its companion, the display notch. TrueDepth may see a updated higher-power flood illuminator for better Face ID recognition. The new 6.1-inch model might see a RAM upgrade form the iPhone XR’s current 3GB to 4GB.
As usual, reports like these, even from generally reliable sources like Kuo, should be filed under “rumors” and taken with a grain of your favorite salt-free seasoning. Apple traditionally unveils their new iPhones in September, so we’ll see how accurate all of this is then.
(Via AppleInsider)