Things might change in a big way next year. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst with a solid track record on super-early Apple rumors, the 2020 iPhone will revert to a design more akin to the iPhone 4 (via MacRumors). The phone will supposedly be shaped like a glass sandwich with flat sides instead of the rounded design that’s been the norm since the iPhone 6. This would also lead to a more consistent aesthetic with Apple’s 2018 iPad Pro. Considering I still see people holding onto their pre-iPhone-6 iPhones, I expect it will be a welcome change, especially if the company tries to introduce a smaller model. Kuo also says the phones may come with sapphire glass around the edges of the phone to protect the new glass-and-metal sandwich process. It would be nice to see a phone with a full sapphire glass enclosure, considering its super-scratch resistant properties, but for now, it seems only the old HTC U Ultra gets that honor. Still, I’m glad a new look may be on the way – despite next year’s phone presumably being an ‘s’ model – and Kuo notes the new glass and frame manufacturing process could cost 40-60 percent more than the new design. Now about that notch….
