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The iPhone 12 and 5G might lead to a huge sales super cycle for Apple

By Joshua Swingle

Published: Nov 25, 2019, 7:50 AM

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iOS Apple

The iPhone 12 and 5G might lead to a huge sales super cycle for Apple

iPhone 12 Pro concept render

The iPhone 11 series has been selling quite well since it launched in late September, but if new reports are to be believed, Apple is targeting significantly higher sales for next year’s iPhone 12 series.

The iPhone 12 could start a new sales super cycle

Citing supply chain sources, DigiTimes claims Apple has already sent iPhone 12 shipment forecasts to its most important partners. The idea is for them to start preparing now because the company is expecting a so-called ‘super cycle’ next year which will put a significant amount of extra pressure on suppliers. Apple last experienced a super cycle back in 2014 when it released the iPhone 6.

The increased demand will reportedly be fueled by the adoption of 5G and could lead to a huge 30% jump in new iPhone sales, pushing the combined number of iPhone 12 sales by the end of 2020 to 100 million units. For reference, Apple is forecasting 70-75 million iPhone 11 shipments this year and annual growth usually sits somewhere between -5% and +5%.

iPhone 12 Pro concept render

Most analysts and reports seem to agree that iPhone sales will grow next year thanks to the arrival of 5G compatibility, but the numbers predicted vary massively. A separate report published less than one month ago by Nikkei Asian Review, for example, claimed iPhone 12 sales will total just 80 million units by the end of 2020, putting annual growth somewhere between 6% and 14%.

Regardless, we’re still 10 months away from a release. Therefore, there’s still plenty of time for Apple to adjust its iPhone 12 sales forecasts as demand becomes easier to measure.

iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro specs, features, and release date

For those of you wondering, the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro are expected to introduce a range of upgrades beyond the 5G integration mentioned above. These will include changes to the front panel, revised internals, and extra cameras.

Rumors indicate the standard iPhone 12 will stick to a 6.1-inch display but replace the LCD technology with OLED. As a result, slimmer bezels to match the ones found on this year’s iPhone 11 Pro are predicted. Other modifications will include the next-gen A14 Bionic paired with 4GB of RAM and probably 64GB of internal storage.

The rear panel will probably remain largely unchanged but an extra camera is to be expected. Specifically, Apple may add either a 2x telephoto zoom lens or the advanced 3D sensor that’s rumored for the iPhone 12 Pro series.

iPhone 12 Pro concept render

Speaking of the Pro-branded models, reports indicate the Pro and Pro Max will adopt 5.4-inch and 6.7-inch displays respectively. The change in size should make the iPhone 12 Pro much more compact than its predecessor but probably won’t affect the size of the iPhone 12 Pro Max because of the likely slimmer bezels.

A revised notch on these phones is largely rumored, although the specifics haven’t yet been revealed. It will be joined by a quadruple-camera setup on the rear that includes the advanced 3D system mentioned above.

As for the internal setup, Apple’s yet-to-be-announced A14 Bionic will lead the way alongside 6GB of RAM, according to reports. Hopefully, the company will also upgrade the base internal storage to 128GB but Apple’s love of profit means this is far from guaranteed.

Both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro smartphones should make their international debut at Apple’s annual September event. History suggests this will take place on Tuesday, September 8, and precede a release on Friday, September 19.