iPhone 11 release date, news and rumours – hidden scanners, tri-camera and more
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UPDATE: Apple has announced the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro, but our original rumour round-up for the handsets remains below.
Read about all the specs and features that were tipped to appear on Apple's new blowers before the official launch.
What is the iPhone 11? All you need to know
The iPhone 11 is what we're calling Apple's next smartphone, expected to launch later in 2019.
The handset is tipped to be a direct sequel to last year's iPhone models, and will likely boast powerful specs, an amazing camera, and a swanky design.
But there's confusion about the name: what do you call the phone that comes after the iPhone XS or iPhone XR?
The "X" stands for "10", so people suspect that the next handset will be dubbed iPhone XI or iPhone 11 – but we won't know until Apple makes an official announcement, which won't happen for some time.
iPhone 11 release date – when is Apple's new iPhone 2019 out?
Apple is a creature of habit, sticking to an obvious pattern for iPhone releases each year.
The big launch event always takes place in September, and generally falls early on in the month – on a Tuesday or Wednesday, typically.
This year, the likeliest dates for an Apple event are Tuesday, September 10 or Wednesday, September 11.
Our money is on the former, so mark it in your calendars.
Of course, the iPhone won't actually arrive in stores on launch day – you'll have to wait about a week and a half to actually buy one.
Pre-orders will likely become available on Friday, September 13.
And our best guess is that the phone will turn up in your local Apple Store on Friday, September 25.
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iPhone 11 specs and features – the latest news and rumours
We're still a long way off the iPhone 11 launch, so rumours are thin on the ground.
We'll likely see a ramping-up of iPhone 11 news in summer once the handset's design has been finalised – and details start leaking out from Apple's supply chain.
What we do know is that Apple will almost certainly introduce a new smartphone processor.
Each year Apple upgrades its A-series chips to give new iPhones boosted performance.
We're expecting an Apple A13 chipset for the iPhone 11 – which will likely provide significant speed boosts.
The Sun spoke to mobile expert Dan Ives, a top industry watcher who believes we'll see three cameras on the back of the new iPhone.
"This next phone will all be about triple rear-camera capabilities, with enhanced optical lens capabilities a major selling point," said Dan, a Managing Director at Wedbush Securities.
"There could also be significantly enhanced face recognition technology and some other hardware/design enhancements to catalyse upgrades."
One rumour suggested that an under-screen fingerprint scanner was in the works, although this might not be available in all regions.
Many Apple rivals are expected to launch 5G smartphones in 2019 – taking advantage of superfast 5G phone networks rolling out in the UK this year.
But it's widely reported that Apple won't launch a 5G handset until 2020.
Foldable iPhone 11 – will Apple's 2019 iPhone have a folding design?
This year we've seen an influx of foldable phones from brands like Samsung (Samsung Galaxy Fold), Huawei (Huawei Mate X), TCL and Royole – with another seemingly on the way from Motorola.
And gadget fans around the world are now watching Apple to see if the fruity firm will fight back, putting out a foldable phone of its own.
We recently revealed how Apple has likely been experimenting with foldable iPhone screens in secret labs.
But one top expert thinks we won't see a foldable iPhone from Apple until 2020.
"We believe Apple is late to the game on the foldable phone front vs. Samsung, and we do not expect a foldable phone released from [Apple HQ] until 2020," said Dan Ives, a top analyst at Wedbush Securities, speaking to The Sun.
According to Ives, Apple is "playing from behind the eight ball" on foldable phones – waiting to see whether they take off.
He told us that "price points right now are too high for foldable phones to gain any meaningful traction", and he's probably right.
After all, Samsung's Galaxy Fold will set Brits back around £1,800, while the Huawei Mate X will cost you north of £2,000.
That won't always be the case though, according to Ives: "We believe in a year these price points will be below £1,500 and start to gain share of the smartphone market in the 5%-10% range of all smartphones sold by 2021."
We also spoke to another top analyst, Ben Wood, who thinks Apple has already been testing foldable iPhone tech.
"It is inconceivable that Apple has not been experimenting with flexible displays in it design labs for years," the CCS Insight expert told The Sun.
However, Ben pointed out that Apple is "rarely the first to embrace cutting-edge technologies like this" – and instead prefers to wait, and get the tech right.
"You can be sure Apple will be scrutinising the new products from Samsung, Huawei and others with a forensic level of detail trying to figure out how Apple can best deliver a foldable iPhone," he explained.
Apple has shown interest in foldable phones previously, but only through patents.
Sadly, patents don't signal any intent to actually create a product, and Apple hasn't confirmed plans to launch a foldable iPhone. Not yet, anyway.
iPhone 11 price – how much will Apple's 2019 iPhone cost?
Last year, Apple rocked the smartphone world by massively increasing the cost of an iPhone.
The entry-level model – the iPhone XR – was priced at £749, which was the most expensive "starter" iPhone to date.
And the more premium iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max cost a ludicrously high £999 to £1,449.
Apple faced plenty of criticism over the pricing, and even downgraded its sales forecasts for the costly models in early 2019.
So how will Apple price its new smartphone?
Expert analyst Dan Ives, of Wedbush Securities, told The Sun that we're expecting at least two iPhone models this year.
The top model will likely keep a similar price, while the base model will get even cheaper.
"While the next version of [iPhone] XS will have similar £1,000 price points, we believe the next version of [iPhone] XR will have price tags in the £600 range – a 20% cut from the £740 today," he explained.
He said Apple needs "to lose their pricing hubris" on the iPhone XR, and focus on Chinese customers who are less willing to pay over the odds for smartphones – given the cheaper handsets widely available locally.
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