Ming-Chi Kuo Says 2020 iPhone Will Feature Significant Chassis Redesign

The iPhone 11 is just fresh out of the oven but Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo already has his eyes set for the 2020 lineup. 

Kuo stated in his research note with TF International Securities that he expects Apple to bring about a significant change to its flagship iPhone design. To be more exact, he mentions that the smartphones will feature a new metal frame with “a more complex segmentation design, new trenching and injection molding procedures, and sapphire or glass cover assembly to protect the trench injection molding structure.“

He goes on to add that, while the phone will sill feature 2/2.5D glass “the metal frame surface will be changed to a similar design to the iPhone 4, replacing the current surface design.”

The iPhone 4 was the first smartphone that brought along the idea of wedging in an aluminum frame in between two panels of strengthened glass. This particular design was subsequently adopted by a large portion of the smartphone industry but the iPhone 4 still remains a bit of a special piece of technology for the Apple lovers. 

Kuo also states that the 2020 iPhones will have 5.4-inch, 6.1-inch, and 6.7-inch displays and they will all feature OLED screens, which is a leap from the two-OLED, one-LCD iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. The display glass, Kuo believes, will continue to be curved. 

Other features might include 5G and improved augmented reality features. 

All these bits brought together will see an increase in cost of 50% to 60% especially because the cost of the metal frame and glass case. If Apple decides to make the grooved cover out of tempered glass however, we might only see an increase in the cost of the metal middle frame and chassis by ‘just’ 25% to 35%.

Now all that’s left is to wait patiently for the autumn of 2020 to see just how much of this Ming-Chi Kuo got right. It’s worth mentioning that the analyst has been quite reliable in his predictions so far.