Apple “on track” to launch four 5G iPhones in September, analyst claims

Renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has released his latest forecast about Apple’s upcoming product launches. According to Kuo, we will be seeing a range of 5G iPhones hitting shelves by the end of the year. 

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Building on previous predictions made at the end of 2019, Kuo said he expects Apple to release five handsets this year with the long-awaited, “affordable” iPhone SE 2 coming in the Spring followed by four 5G-enabled, high-end handsets launching in Autumn – a 5.4in model, two 6.1in phones and a 6.7in version. 

Initially, Kuo had suggested only the smaller and larger of these models would feature 5G modems yet has now adjusted this prediction to include the two mid-sized models as well. 

We’re almost certain Apple is working on the release of a 5G iPhone because the lack of 5G support in the iPhone 11 range was cited widely, especially considering Apple’s main rivals – Samsung and Huawei – are already selling 5G-ready phones and there’s a chance they’ll be on their second-generation 5G handsets before Apple even joins the party. 

The delay has been attributed, in part, to patent disputes between Apple and Qualcomm which have since been resolved.

Speaking at the launch of the Snapdragon 865 chipset, Qualcomm’s President Cristiano Amon confirmed that not only is a 5G-enabled Apple iPhone in the works, it’s the chipmaker’s “number one priority.”

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Kuo, therefore, expects all four 5G iPhones models to use Qualcomm X55 modem and Apple may disable 5G functionality in countries where 5G isn’t yet available to reduce production costs.

There are additionally rumours Apple is looking to split its launches between Spring/Summer and the Autumn to offer desired features sooner and if they expedite these plans, we could see a 5G iPhone as soon as March.