Apple's 2019 iPhones to wirelessly charge other devices, sport bigger batteries and froste...
Apple's 2019 iPhone lineup allegedly won't look much different from the company's current offerings outside of some frosted glass, new technologies like "bilateral" wireless charging, ultra-wide band for enhanced indoor positioning, and a triple-lens camera, according to TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

One mockup of a possible triple-lens design.
Kuo made the claims in a research note to clients issued late Sunday, seen by AppleInsider. The analyst maintains that all 2019 iPhone models will retain a Lightning connector rather than adopt USB-C, as the iPad Pro range has. iPhones are also expected to keep Apple's TrueDepth camera and an associated display notch.
TrueDepth may see an update with a higher-power flood illuminator for better Face ID recognition, Kuo said, while a new 6.1-inch LCD model might be upgraded to incorporate 4GB of RAM, up from the current 3GB in the iPhone XR.
As rumored, Kuo believes the top-end iPhone will net a triple-lens camera system with wide, telephoto, and ultra-wide options. Whether the shooter will make its way to both 5.8- and 6.5-inch OLED models is unknown. AppleInsider has reported on the rumored camera technology previously.
All or part of the lineup is slated to get UWB (ultra-wide band) for indoor positioning and navigation, a frosted glass casing, and larger batteries. One interesting addition is so-called "bilateral" wireless charging, which would allow the phone to charge other devices wirelessly, acting as a charging pad of sorts.
Unmentioned by Kuo is a rumor that iPhones will be getting a laser for rear-facing depth mapping. That could aid not just in photography but in augmented reality, though its effective range may be just 15 feet.
Multiple rumors from as early as the summer of 2018 suggested that the iPhone would shift to USB-C in 2019. USB-C on the iPhone in 2019 would shift all of Apple's mainline devices to the technology, allowing for one cable to be used across the entire lineup for data and charging, but would spark complaints about accessory incompatibility, like it did when Apple shifted from the 30-pin connector to Lightning in 2012.
Apple will most likely announce 2019 iPhones at a September press event, and ship them shortly after.

One mockup of a possible triple-lens design.
Kuo made the claims in a research note to clients issued late Sunday, seen by AppleInsider. The analyst maintains that all 2019 iPhone models will retain a Lightning connector rather than adopt USB-C, as the iPad Pro range has. iPhones are also expected to keep Apple's TrueDepth camera and an associated display notch.
TrueDepth may see an update with a higher-power flood illuminator for better Face ID recognition, Kuo said, while a new 6.1-inch LCD model might be upgraded to incorporate 4GB of RAM, up from the current 3GB in the iPhone XR.
As rumored, Kuo believes the top-end iPhone will net a triple-lens camera system with wide, telephoto, and ultra-wide options. Whether the shooter will make its way to both 5.8- and 6.5-inch OLED models is unknown. AppleInsider has reported on the rumored camera technology previously.
All or part of the lineup is slated to get UWB (ultra-wide band) for indoor positioning and navigation, a frosted glass casing, and larger batteries. One interesting addition is so-called "bilateral" wireless charging, which would allow the phone to charge other devices wirelessly, acting as a charging pad of sorts.
Unmentioned by Kuo is a rumor that iPhones will be getting a laser for rear-facing depth mapping. That could aid not just in photography but in augmented reality, though its effective range may be just 15 feet.
Multiple rumors from as early as the summer of 2018 suggested that the iPhone would shift to USB-C in 2019. USB-C on the iPhone in 2019 would shift all of Apple's mainline devices to the technology, allowing for one cable to be used across the entire lineup for data and charging, but would spark complaints about accessory incompatibility, like it did when Apple shifted from the 30-pin connector to Lightning in 2012.
Apple will most likely announce 2019 iPhones at a September press event, and ship them shortly after.
Comments
That title still rests with the iPhone 7/7+ which was the last to have QC.
That said, if ever there was a year all the rumours could be true, it would be this one. The need the proverbial rabbit in Mr Cook’s top hat.
It seems unlikeky that we’d go from “I need more battery life” to “I have so much battery I can charge my watch.”
Plus, what else is there to charge from your phone? Another phone? Seems a little gimmicky and unapple like.
Not seeing all that much urgency on Apple's part. It's likely timed to available technology, and has been on Apple's roadmap. I'm curious if we will see one or more of the new Sony 48 MP binning imagers. That would add to both the resolution and the IQ of images and add even more flexibility for computational imaging.
https://www.engadget.com/2018/07/23/sony-48-megapixel-smartphone-sensor/
The only other thing missing from the rumour is wired reverse charging.
It would have been nice to plan quad cameras for the top phone and tri cameras for the XR successor.
Unless Apple has some battery tech improvements ready to go for this year (including fast charging out of the box) we might see higher capacity and physically larger batteries on iPhones (after all, reverse charging means you have power to spare).
Lithium-silicon batteries might come to Android phones sooner rather than later and its use has already been confirmed for use in the mobile space.
Either way, these rumoured features are necessary IMO.
You only have to read some comments here from peolpe who have said they are holding off on upgrading until things like tri cameras are available on iPhones. By the time that happens (if the rumours are true), Apple will be a full 18 months behind. In that time, tri cameras will be stock elements on mid range Android offerings.
Apple has been lacking in modem technology for a while now. The same with batteries and exterior finish. The frosted glass rumour is nice because the competition has been putting out stunning finishes for a few years now. Etc, etc.
By definition, as you move down the price bands the 'good enough' line of thinking becomes an acceptable trade-off as long as the 'new' phone is a marked upgrade from the user's old phone.
Both situations (high end feature rich, and mid range good enough) are compelling in their own rights to some people.
Apple's recent phones are seen as overpriced and lacking available features by some people. That is one of the reasons for the current sales problem (flat).
Mmm. Frosting.
Huawei pays employees to steal Apple tech.
You have to be stupid to think Apple saw a knockoff iPhone and tyhought "Derrr, we gotta copy that!"
Apple builds technology from the ground up from their software to hardware inventions.
The meme is dead and you iKnockoff Knights keep repeating them.
Apple never plays catch up as they're playing their own game.