Choosing an iPhone Is About to Get Way Too Complicated

The current iPhone generation consists of three different models, so choosing the right iPhone really shouldn’t be a difficult thing to do.

And the differences between these three models makes the whole job even easier, as iPhone 11 comes with LCD and a dual-camera configuration, while the more premium iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max feature OLED and a triple-camera setup among other things.

But buying an iPhone could become a lot more complicated beginning as soon as 2020, as Apple is planning to make a series of changes to its device lineup that aren’t necessarily impossible to understand, but which at first glance only fuel the confusion regarding the direction the company is heading towards.

Well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from TF International Securities says the Cupertino-based tech giant will launch not one, not two, not three, but five different iPhone models next year. And it all starts with the second-generation iPhone SE in the spring.

The new “small” iPhone will actually get bigger, so with this second version, it’ll feature a 4.7-inch LCD display. iPhone SE 2 will be based on iPhone 8, so it’ll boast a similar look and feature lineup, including Touch ID and a single-lens camera.

On the other hand, the current “bigger” iPhone will be smaller, as Apple plans to also launch a 5.4-inch iPhone with OLED, dual-lens camera and 5G support. At first, this might seem like a smaller version of iPhone 11 Pro, but it is, in fact, a smaller successor to iPhone 11. This is because next year, Apple will give up on LCD and use OLED on all its iPhones.

In addition to the 5.4-inch OLED iPhone, Apple will also launch a second successor to iPhone 11 that would come with a 6.1-inch display. Also OLED, that is. A dual-lens camera will be offered alongside 5G.

And then, there’s another 6.1-inch iPhone planned, which will actually be the upgraded iPhone 11 Pro. An OLED screen will be used too, but this time the camera will be upgraded to a triple-lens setup.

And last but not least, there’s the iPhone 12 Pro Max, which will be a replacement for the current Max model, but using a 6.7-inch OLED display with triple-lens camera.

As a summary, here’s the expected 2020 iPhone lineup:

 
iPhone SE 2: 4.7-inch OLED, single camera
iPhone 12: 5.4-inch OLED, dual-camera
iPhone 12: 6.1-inch OLED, dual-camera
iPhone 12 Pro: 6.1-inch OLED, triple-camera
iPhone 12 Pro Max: 6.7-inch OLED, triple-camera


In other words, here’s what we’re going to get:

 
A larger smallest iPhone
A smaller new-generation iPhone
Two iPhone 12 models
Two 6.1-inch iPhones
Two dual-camera iPhones
Two triple-camera iPhones
Four 5G iPhones


It’s pretty clear that what Apple plans to do is have an iPhone for everyone, and launching multiple configurations in several sizes appears to be the right way to go.

But expanding the device lineup is a double-edge sword and could eventually make choosing an iPhone much more complicated than it should be in the first place.

As you…