Despite not even being on sale yet, the iPhone 13 is old hat – analysts are already speculating about the iPhone 14! Ming-Chi Kuo – probably the best-respected Apple watcher going – has revealed what he expects from the 2022 line-up (via 9to5Mac), including an end to the unsightly notch that has blighted the handsets since 2017's iPhone X.
The notch houses the front-facing camera and the various sensors needed for Face ID. Kuo reckons this will be replaced next year by a pin hole selfie camera (like that seen on the Samsung Galaxy S21 and other Android handsets), but only on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.
The notch remained on the iPhone 13 family, but shrunk by 20 per cent.
Kuo also reiterated his claim that the iPhone 13 mini will be retired in favour of a more affordable handset that's the same size as the 6.1-inch iPhone 13. This has been rumoured since the iPhone 12 mini reported disappointing sales last year.
Kuo also reckons we'll see a 5G iPhone SE launch in the first half of 2022. The last SE model arrived in the first half of 2020, so would be due an update. And he thinks the two more premium iPhone 14 models will boast a 48-megapixel wide camera.
It's worth noting that a few of these predictions are rolled over from what some expected from the iPhone 13 (that 48-megapixel rear camera and punch hole front-facer, for example). And Kuo is far from perfect when it comes to predictions – he and others speculated that the iPhone 13 would have an emergency satellite connection in case of emergencies, of which there was no mention. But when it comes to iPhone predictions, he's as close to a soothsayer as we've got, so when he talks, it's always worth listening.
The iPhone 13 family launched last week with screens that are brighter and (in some cases) 120Hz, smaller notches, better cameras and longer battery lives. They're available to pre-order now, with shipping starting on Friday.
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