'iPhone 13' will impress with new features, 5G iPhone SE coming in early 2022 says Kuo

Posted:
in General Discussion edited June 2021
Beyond an impressive "iPhone 13" in late 2021, Apple will release a new 5G iPhone SE in the first half of 2022, followed by a slate of flagship "iPhone 14" models with under-display Touch ID and lower prices, predicts analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Credit: Andrew O'Hara, AppleInsider
Credit: Andrew O'Hara, AppleInsider


In a note to investors seen by AppleInsider, Kuo writes that he has a favorable view of Apple's iPhone strategy in 2021 and 2022.

The analyst says that new iPhone models in 2021, the so-called "iPhone 13," could be bolstered by specification upgrades, as well as market share gain because of the U.S. ban on Huawei. He didn't mention specific new features for the lineup, however.

In 2022, however, Kuo forecasts that Apple will release a new addition to the iPhone SE lineup in the first half of the year. The device will sport the same form factor as the current iPhone SE, but will add 5G support and an upgraded A-series chip. He also expects the device to be the "cheapest 5G iPhone model ever."

Additionally, the analyst forecast that Apple will release two high-end and two lower-end iPhone models in the latter half of 2022. Both standard sized models will pack 6.1-inch displays, while both "Max" devices will have 6.7-inch displays. Kuo didn't mention any smaller-sized iPhones, which could suggest an end to Apple's 5.4-inch iPhone mini series.

Those devices could benefit from growth drivers like under-display fingerprint readers using proprietary Apple technology and a wide camera upgrade to 48 megapixels. Kuo also believes that Apple could drop the price for at least one larger iPhone model to somewhere in the sub-$900 range.

From 2021 to 2023, the analyst believes that the iPhone will have the best growth visibility among smartphone brands, largely because of Apple's ecosystem advantage and upcoming product strategies that could drive replacement demand.

On the supplier front, Kuo also says that Luxshare ICT will begin to assemble and ship iPhone units starting in 2021. He expects the supplier's iPhone-related business to grow significantly between 2021 and 2023.

Kuo expects iPhone shipments to reach 230 million to 240 million units in 2021 and 250 million to 260 million units in 2022.

Most of the timeline predictions are reiterations of his previous remarks. Not included in Wednesday's research note, the analyst also forecast that Apple would release an 8-inch foldable iPhone with a flexible OLED display sometime in 2023.

Keep up with everything Apple in the weekly AppleInsider Podcast -- and get a fast news update from AppleInsider Daily. Just say, "Hey, Siri," to your HomePod mini and ask for these podcasts, and our latest HomeKit Insider episode too.If you want an ad-free main AppleInsider Podcast experience, you can support the AppleInsider podcast by subscribing for $5 per month through Apple's Podcasts app, or via Patreon if you prefer any other podcast player.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 18
    indieshackindieshack Posts: 328member
    someone wake me up when Apple puts out a foldable screen version - until then it's going to be the micro-incremental changes that's dominated the past several years.
    williamlondondk49
  • Reply 2 of 18
    rcfarcfa Posts: 1,124member
    someone wake me up when Apple puts out a foldable screen version - until then it's going to be the micro-incremental changes that's dominated the past several years.
    Foldable displays are going to have childhood diseases… 
    …until things are scratch proof enough, tough enough to bend in opposite directions ten thousands of times without visible creasing, or withstand being stretched flat without material fatigue, it’s going to take a while.

    I rather have progress in other directions…
    patchythepirateh4y3sllamaargonaut
  • Reply 3 of 18
    k2kwk2kw Posts: 2,075member
    I’m still waiting for TouchID underGlass
    Hank2.0chemengin1pulseimagesjasonfj
  • Reply 4 of 18
    multimediamultimedia Posts: 1,034member
    1TB storage capacity please.
  • Reply 5 of 18
    dbvapordbvapor Posts: 33member
    Of course.. I just bought a 12.  What I think is funny about the timing of this analysis is that just yesterday I saw an article about how 75% of iPhone owners aren’t interested in iPhone 13.  Hmm.. 
  • Reply 6 of 18
    k2kw said:
    I’m still waiting for TouchID underGlass
    Right?! Why can’t the iPhone 13 get the Touch-ID under glass? 
  • Reply 7 of 18
    dbvapor said:
    Of course.. I just bought a 12.  What I think is funny about the timing of this analysis is that just yesterday I saw an article about how 75% of iPhone owners aren’t interested in iPhone 13.  Hmm.. 
    I think they mean they don’t want the number 13 in the name because it’s a superstitious number. Kind of like how hotels don’t have a 13th floor. 12s has a better ring to it. 
    williamlondonDibiasellama
  • Reply 8 of 18
    JapheyJaphey Posts: 1,767member
    dbvapor said:
    Of course.. I just bought a 12.  What I think is funny about the timing of this analysis is that just yesterday I saw an article about how 75% of iPhone owners aren’t interested in iPhone 13.  Hmm.. 
    Did you actually read the article? Because that may have been in the title, but it was misleading clickbait. What iPhone owners are actually not interested in is NAMING the next iPhone “13”.  The forum was filled with people giving their opinions on what it should be called instead. 
    And there’s nothing wrong with having just purchased the new 12 model. They’re outstanding devices. If having the latest and greatest new iPhone is important to you, then you should have known by now that new ones were only 2.5 months away. 
    williamlondonllamaargonaut
  • Reply 9 of 18
    harrykatsarosharrykatsaros Posts: 75unconfirmed, member
    What’s wrong with iPhone (2021) instead of iPhone 12S. They should just do this with their entire lineup. Operating Systems especially. They have 10 different OSs all with different version numbers. Product + year. Simple. 
    h4y3s
  • Reply 10 of 18
    What’s wrong with iPhone (2021) instead of iPhone 12S. They should just do this with their entire lineup. Operating Systems especially. They have 10 different OSs all with different version numbers. Product + year. Simple. 
    With a September release "iPhone 2021" will seem out of date to the average person when its year 2022 90 days later.
    llamachemengin1
  • Reply 11 of 18
    tokyojimutokyojimu Posts: 528member
    I can’t understand why an SE user would need 5G.
    williamlondon
  • Reply 12 of 18
    BombdoeBombdoe Posts: 56member
    tokyojimu said:
    I can’t understand why an SE user would need 5G.
    Maybe they don't want to get vaccinated....

    williamlondon
  • Reply 13 of 18
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,822member
    So, I have an Xs Max on which a $378 final lease payment is due early next month. Poor timing but my question is, should I pay it and wait for the 13?
  • Reply 14 of 18
    AlgerAlger Posts: 29member
    What’s wrong with iPhone (2021) instead of iPhone 12S. They should just do this with their entire lineup. Operating Systems especially. They have 10 different OSs all with different version numbers. Product + year. Simple. 
    With a September release "iPhone 2021" will seem out of date to the average person when its year 2022 90 days later.
    Duh, do what the car-makers do, name the product coming out in September after the following year.  Still, not great marketing in case they want to sell the same model for more than 15 months.
  • Reply 15 of 18
    tomasulutomasulu Posts: 54member
    No Touch ID no upgrade. 
    williamlondon
  • Reply 16 of 18
    AppleZuluAppleZulu Posts: 1,989member
    "Most of the timeline predictions are reiterations of his previous remarks. Not included in Wednesday's research note, the analyst also forecast that Apple would release an 8-inch foldable iPhone with a flexible OLED display sometime in 2023."

    It's this sort of squishiness that makes the oft-claimed better-than-average-ness for Kuo such an amusing claim. How do you keep score when Kuo's strategy appears to be ticking every spot on the scorecard so that later selective memory can claim he was "right."
  • Reply 17 of 18
    charlesncharlesn Posts: 820member
    What does Apple call its newest releases of Macbooks, iMacs and iPads? They call them "New." That's it. It has been that way for years. Do buyers seem confused by this? No. So just call it the New iPhone and be done with it. 
    williamlondon
  • Reply 18 of 18
    dk49dk49 Posts: 267member
    I don't see anything in iPhone 13 that will "impress" me. Phones technology has pretty much saturated and every year we just see incremental changes.
Sign In or Register to comment.