14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is projected to take the wraps off the new iPhone generation in the fall, and according to all the rumors swirling around the web these days, the company is ready to bet big on 5G this year.
In other words, all iPhones launching in 2020 are supposed to come with 5G, which is something that makes total sense given the adoption of this new technology is now happening at full speed across the world.
According to all the speculation, the new iPhone lineup will include 4 different models, as it follows:
- 5.4-inch (all-new model)
- 6.1-inch (iPhone 11 successor)
- 6.1-inch (iPhone 11 Pro successor)
- 6.7-inch (iPhone 11 Pro Max successor)
But according to one analyst, a fifth model is also planned, albeit it’ll be more or less a variant of the 5.4-inch iPhone.
Because all four iPhones presented above are supposed to come with 5G support, the fifth version which will be based on the 5.4-inch model will stick with 4G. And this totally makes sense for at least several reasons.
First and foremost, you need to look at the whole thing from a 5G availability perspective. With the world now embracing 5G, this new technology isn’t currently available all over the world, so while the rollout advances, not everyone can use it. In other words, these are countries where a 5G iPhone wouldn’t make much sense, simply because customers there wouldn’t be able to unleash the full potential of the device.
And because the 5G iPhone is expected to be rather pricey, there’s a chance the sales overall could be impacted in some specific markets, with customers eventually looking elsewhere for their new phones.
And this is the purpose of the 4G iPhone 12. In the countries where 5G isn’t yet available, an all-new iPhone 12 that is offered with 4G is just what the doctor ordered, and the best of all, it would come at a lower price. And this is because the lack of 5G allows Apple to reduce the price in these markets.
How much Apple is going to lower the price, however, is something that remains to be seen, but some people say this device could cost approximately $649. And this makes sense. iPhone prices currently look like this:
- iPhone SE (2020) – Starting at $399
- iPhone 11 – Starting at $699
So between $399 and $699 there’s a $300 gap that more or less defines the mid-range market and which Android currently dominates. Mid-range smartphones are very often the ones bringing home the market share and generating important revenue, so Apple kind of loses the battle here simply because it’s going for a premium with its new iPhones.
With a $600 to $650 iPhone 12 coming this year, Apple could very well target this market as well, and it goes without saying that many potential Android customers would end up buying an iPhone just because… well, it’s an iPhone. Apple’s brand remains incredibly strong, and a cheaper iPhone at this price point could actually be a hit.
Whether or not Apple plans to embrace this approach is something that remains to be seen, but right now, the mid-range market is a part that the company doesn’t address as efficiently as it should. And a cheaper iPhone 12 could be the missing player going after the affordable Android devices that are so successful these days.
The new iPhones should be announced in September, but if a cheaper 5.4-inch iPhone is indeed planned, expect to hear more about it in the coming months as we approach the official launch.