With the summer in the northern hemisphere, it means that we are less than three months away from the release of Apple’s iPhone 13 series of smartphones. At the same time, various revelations on the Internet began to become denser. By convention, the tech giant will release the iPhone 13 product line in September (although last year it was postponed to October due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Recently, the market intelligence company TrendForce shared many interesting details.
On Monday, TrendForce predicted in a report that total iPhone production in 2021 will increase by 12.3% year-on-year to 223 million units.
However, it should be pointed out that this market intelligence company has repeatedly referred to it as iPhone 12S instead of iPhone 13.
If the news is reliable, then Apple may take this action again for avoiding the number “13” after a long absence from the “S” suffix model.
Other leaks and reports indicate that thanks to the reduction in sensor size, the notch on the screen of the iPhone 12S will also become smaller, which is one of the most gratifying changes since the release of the iPhone X.
As for other upgrades, it is mainly related to the optimization of existing functions and features, and the degree of innovation in appearance does not seem particularly obvious, which means that the ‘iPhone 12S’ is more like an extension of the ‘iPhone 12’ series.
In terms of price, TrendForce believes that Apple will continue to use an aggressive pricing strategy to maintain its share of the high-end smartphone market.
On the other hand, dragged down by the global supply chain, the prices of many key components used in smartphone manufacturing have also risen, so the final pricing of the “iPhone 12S” is likely to be the same as the iPhone 12 series.
The following are the starting prices of the four iPhone 12 models released last fall:
● iPhone 12 mini: US$699
● iPhone 12 Standard Edition: US$799
● iPhone 12 Pro: US$999
● iPhone 12 Pro Max: US$1,099
TrendForce shared more details related to the “iPhone 12S” hardware upgrade. It is expected that it will use the A15 processor based on TSMC’s 5nm+ process and the AMOLED flexible screen with On-Cell touch screen technology (the Pro version supports a high refresh rate of 120Hz).
In terms of storage capacity, it expects that the quotations of the “iPhone 12S” will be the same as that of the iPhone 12, but the 1TB capacity option is unlikely. In terms of taking pictures, all main cameras are expected to be upgraded with Sensor-Shift anti-shake, and the Pro version will introduce a 6P ultra-wide-angle lens + autofocus function.
Finally, the “iPhone 12S” is expected to account for nearly 39% of Apple’s 2021 total production. And even if there is an “iPhone 12S mini”, the company should pay more attention to the sales of the other three models.
James Chow 
T4TeCH 
