TF International Securities’ uber-analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has shared a new investor note today detailing the ongoing development of Apple’s 2020 iPhone 12 models and the fate of the still-mythical “iPhone SE Plus.”
Kuo explains that Apple started the online qualification process for this year’s iPhone 12 models remotely and has delegated more tasks “to local employees.” These changes have led to a one-month delay in engineering verification testing for the new models.
The iPhone 12 lineup is expected to include four new models, and Kuo is predicting a staggered schedule for mass production this fall… The iPhone 12 models are all expected to support 5G connectivity, supporting both mmWave and sub-6GHz bands.
Finally, Kuo says a larger-screened [5.5-inch] version of the iPhone SE, which we discovered evidence of in iOS 14 code, has likely been delayed until the second half of 2021.
MacDailyNews Take: COVID-19. The gift that keeps on giving. That said, it’s certainly within the realm of possibility that Apple could have a staggered iPhone launch this year, à la 2017 when iPhone 8 and 8 Plus launched on September 22, 2017 followed weeks later by the iPhone X on November 3, 2017.