“We expect Apple will likely adopt 5G baseband chips made by Qualcomm (focus on mmWave markets) and Samsung (focus on Sub-6GHz markets) for lowering supply risk, reducing costs and having better bargaining power,” the report quoted the TF International Securities analyst Kuo as saying. According to him, the introduction of a 5G-enabled iPhone could create a wave of upgrades and purchases, especially for high-end models. So far, 2015 has been Apple’s best year in terms of iPhone shipments when the company sold around 231 million smartphones. After facing a drop in sales, the company, in 2018, said it sold over 217 million iPhones. “We are positive on the high-end iPhone models’ replacement demand in the second half of 2020 thanks to the 5G iPhone. We expect the total iPhone shipment will respectively reach 188-192 million and 195-200 million units in 2019 and 2020,” Kuo said. Apple is also working on redesigning the printed circuit boards to be included in 2019 iPhone models using a new kind of material to clear out space for a bigger battery, he added. In addition to Kuo’s predictions, the iPhone maker is also working on improving the cameras on its 2019 phone line-up. While the front camera would be upgraded from 7MP to 12MP, the triple-camera set-up would be implemented in the upcoming 6.5-inch and 5.8-inch OLED iPhones, along with a new super-wide 12MP lens.
