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Expect pricey 5G iPhone 12 Pro preceded by Apple AR 'glasses' and an SE 2 release

Published: Oct 09, 2019, 6:19 AM

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Expect pricey 5G iPhone 12 Pro preceded by Apple AR glasses and an iPhone SE 2 release

Apple has lined up its first 5G iPhone for the second half of next year, but the first will see some pretty interesting developments, too, both in resurrecting old glory, and introducing a brand new device.

This is what famed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims in a note to clients, and, as usual, he probably will be spot on. First off, Apple will introduce a new iPad Pro in early 2020, most likely the one with a revolutionary miniLED display that has been bandied in the rumor mill recently.

Second, it will be accompanied by the iPhone SE 2, the next iteration of the small phone form factor that will be an iPhone 8 on A13 steroids for the nostalgic types and those who prefer smaller handsets.

Apple AR glasses headset release is slated for Q2 2020

That much we knew already but the news drop today is that the eventual Apple AR glasses will be introduced in the second quarter of the year, complete with "third-party" brand collabs. That's right, Apple's augmented reality gear will probably come in stylish design from some renowned frames brand or another. Or, maybe it will be a gaming helmet. Nothing's clear on this one just yet, as the report just says "headgear."

If the AR device comes in the form of glasses, it will most likely be used mainly as a head display of sorts, previous rumors indicated, offloading the computational tasks to the iPhone in your pocket, just like Apple did with the first iterations of its smartwatch accessory.

Given that the upcoming 2020 "Pro" iPhones and iPads are said to be kitted with a 3D-sensing ToF camera on the back, the company is apparently betting big on augmented reality. We just hope it won't consist of the clumsy push-bad-animation-around-a-table presentations we are used to from other AR efforts in the field.

Pricier 5G iPhone 12 Pro will have new metal frame and design

As for the iPhone 12, Apple will apparently introduce a new metal midframe shape coupled with a different back panel than what we have now. When you add the 5G modem and 5nm apple A14, Apple will be raising prices compared to this year's Pro models, says Kuo. Hey, did you expect 5G to arrive to the iPhone on the cheap?

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.