The iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max were the latest phones to embrace the “phablet” trend, which shows no sign of slowing down as phones get bigger and bigger. It follows its Android rivals, as phones like the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and Oppo Find X2 Pro become enormous workhorses.
However, one outlet has found that Apple will be moving the other way in an attempt to cover all its bases with the upcoming launch of the iPhone 12.
Insiders speaking to MacRumors have revealed that Chinese manufacturing company BOE Technology, which creates smartphone displays, will be creating a 5.4” display for one of Apple’s 2020 iPhones, suggesting it’s part of the iPhone 12 range.
This is a smaller screen than any phone in the iPhone 11 lineup and even smaller than the standard iPhone X, which tops out at 5.6”. As the trend in phone lineups is to offer standard, premium and ultra-premium handsets (as we saw with the iPhone 11 and Samsung Galaxy S20 range) Apple is breaking the mould by offering a fourth, smaller and presumably more affordable handset.
In fact, MacRumors claims the 5.4” phone will be the smallest iPhone ever with a notch display, which means FaceID technology will make an appearance in the smaller phone. It also confirms the notch, in some form, will remain part of the iPhone 12.
Previous rumours suggested FaceID technology will be incorporated into a single punch-hole camera, and without all those sensors, the notch could be reduced or even eliminated altogether. However, it doesn’t seem like this is the case.
It’s also possible the smallest iteration of the iPhone 12 lineup could be renamed. We’re expecting a budget iPhone from Apple, the iPhone 9 or SE2, that has been delayed as a result of the global health crisis threatening supply lines. It’s likely this smaller iPhone could now appear alongside, or as part of, the iPhone 12 lineup.
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Apple isn’t the only big smartphone maker targeting the mid-range market. Recent leaks suggest Google’s Pixel 5 smartphone, which is reportedly packing a Snapdragon 765 chipset, could be an upper-mid-ranger rather than a direct competitor to the likes of Samsung and Apple’s premium flagship phones.
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Matt Evans now works for T3.com sister brand TechRadar, covering all things relating to fitness and wellness. He came to T3.com as staff writer before moving on, and was previously on Men's Health, and slightly counterintuitively, a website devoted to the consumption of Scotch whiskey. In his free time, he could often be found with his nose in a book until he discovered the Kindle.
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