Apple is expected to launch 3 new iPhones this year — here’s everything we know so far

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Apple is expected to release three iPhones again this fall.
One of the most notable changes expected is a new three-lens camera system.
Other potential updates could include the ability to use the iPhone as a charging pad for other products and a frosted glass design.

Apple typically introduces new iPhones each September, and it looks like 2019 is shaping up to be no different.

Keeping with the pattern it followed 2017 and 2018, Apple is widely expected to debut three new iPhones in 2019. And it sounds like one of the biggest changes will be in the phones’ camera, which is expected to get an upgrade to a triple lens system this year.

Apple’s iPhone launches always draw massive attention from the press, consumers, and Wall Street, and that’s bound to be the case more than ever in 2019 as the company grapples with falling iPhone sales. In its January earnings report, Apple revealed that iPhone revenue for the holiday quarter had fallen by 15% compared to the same quarter a year ago. Although other product areas are growing, such as its services business which recently reached an all-time high of $10.9 billion in revenue, the iPhone is still Apple’s biggest money-maker.

Companies like Samsung and Huawei recently generated excitement with their new foldable phones, and many eyes will be on Apple come September to see if it can make a similar impression with its 2019 iPhone lineup.

Here’s a look at what we’re expecting to see in this year’s iPhones, based on the reports and rumors that have surfaced so far.

Three new iPhone models

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Apple is once again expected to announce three new iPhones this fall to succeed the current lineup, as indicated by reports from The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg. That would follow the pattern Apple implemented in 2017 when it debuted the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X and again in 2018 when it launched the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max.

A triple-camera system

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Apple’s next iPhone could have three cameras on its back, echoing moves recently made by firms such as Samsung and Huawei.

The new high-end iPhone, likely the successor to the iPhone XS Max, would be the only one in Apple’s new lineup to feature this triple-camera system, according to The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg. Apple’s other less expensive iPhones might eventually get this triple camera, however, Bloomberg reports. Last year, Taiwanese outlet Economic News Daily also reported that Apple is working on a new iPhone with three cameras.

The addition of a third camera could enable the iPhone to capture a larger field of view and better zoom shots, Bloomberg notes.

Same screen sizes; possibly OLED displays for all three models

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Apple’s 2019 iPhones will be the same size as its current iPhones, according to a note from TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo as reported by 9to5Mac. Kuo is generally considered to be a reliable source for Apple product news considering some of his predictions have proven correct in the past.

It’s also possible that Apple will use organic light emitting diode (OLED) screens for all three of its 2019 iPhones, including the least expensive model. That would be a departure from the company’s current lineup, as the entry level iPhone XR is the only device in the newest iPhone family to use a liquid crystal display (LCD). OLED screens typically offer deeper blacks and bolder colors, resulting in better contrast than LCD displays.

South Korean news source Electronic Times reported that Apple may use OLED screens for all three of its 2019 new iPhones in May, but Kuo predicts that one model will still have an LCD display.

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