A shopper walks past an advertisement for the Apple iPhone 12 outside a store in Hong Kong on May 24, 2021.
Budrul Chukrut | SOPA Pictures | LightRocket | Getty Images
Apple could release a new iPhone with an under-screen fingerprint scanner in 2023, and an iPhone with a foldable screen in 2024, TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in a note on Monday.
As Apple’s latest iPhones hit stores on Friday, investors and analysts are already looking to the future to see what years could bring big iPhone upgrades that will drive growth and sales. Kuo is known to accurately predict Apple hardware releases before they are official, as he closely monitors the company’s supply chain.
Next year, in 2022, Apple’s high-end “pro” models could include a new design with a “punch-hole” display for the front camera, instead of the notch on current devices. These phones could also be equipped with a 48-megapixel wide-lens camera, Kuo wrote. It would mean much sharper images.
Apple may also launch new, cheaper iPhones next year, Kuo wrote, including a cheaper iPhone SE with 5G connectivity. The current SE model sells for $ 399. Apple is also working on a “more affordable” iPhone with a 6.7-inch screen, Kuo said. Apple’s current phone with this screen of this size, the iPhone 13 Pro Max, costs $ 1,099 or more.
All of these predictions depend on the development process of Apple and its suppliers, Kuo warned, and he had already predicted that some of these devices would be released sooner.
“We expect the new iPhone 2H23 to support sub-display fingerprints,” Kuo wrote, using a term for the second half of 2023. “However, the foldable design may be the most critical selling point. for high-end smartphones by then, so we still need to monitor the contribution of the sub-screen fingerprint to the shipment of the new iPhone 2H23. “
Apple investors are curious whether this year’s iPhones can continue to increase sales despite new models with marginal improvements like better battery life. The iPhone 12 has been a hot seller. IPhone revenue grew 50% year-over-year in the last quarter.
Ultimately, Kuo expects 16% year-over-year growth in the number of iPhones shipped in 2022, which would be primarily iPhone 13 sales, and growth of 5 to 7% in 2023.
This year, pre-orders for the iPhone 13 reflect higher demand than last year’s pre-orders for the iPhone 12 models, Kuo said. Apple’s new iPhones hit stores on Friday and pre-orders opened last week for customers who want to receive their devices on day one. The delivery estimates on Apple’s website for pre-ordered iPhones are a useful tool in gauging consumer demand for new devices, Kuo wrote.
Pre-order demand is higher for the new, more expensive models, the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, which start at $ 999 instead of $ 699 for mainstream models, Kuo said.
Although Apple has warned of issues getting the parts it needs to build its devices during the current quarter, Kuo believes Apple has increased production of its high-end devices and that the offer is better than last year because the company solved a shortage of telephoto lenses. camera parts.
