As the debut of 5G devices supercharges demand, Apple Inc. expects iPhone sales to return to growth next year. The company reportedly aims to ship over 200 million handsets next year after putting forward more than four new iPhone models with the possible inclusion of 4G models, 5G models and a successor to the budget iPhone SE device, Bloomberg reported, citing an unnamed source.
But the lineup is not set in stone, and the tech company’s plans might shift per the unnamed source. And GF Securities Analyst Jeff Pu said that a broader handset lineup would help iPhone shipments grow next year. “The new entry level iPhone SE2 will help iPhone shipments see double-digit year-to-year growth in the first half,” Pu said. “The combination of a lower-cost 4G phone and premium 5G handsets in the second half will help Apple appeal to both cost-sensitive users and high-spending customers.”
As it stands, smartphone makers ranging from Huawei Technologies Co. to Samsung Electronics Co. have put devices that are 5G-capable on the market.
They are betting that the emergence of the latest generation of wireless technology will power innovation from smart homes to automated factories. However, Apple decided to bring the technology to the iPhone next fall, in part, to make sure that global networks can foster a true 5G user experience. The Nikkei recently reported that the firm is telling suppliers it foresees shipping 80 million iPhones at a minimum with 5G wireless modems next year.
As previously reported, an analyst said the company will release a less expensive and smaller iPhone next year in Q1. Ming-Chi Kuo, a TF International Securities analyst, said the iPhone SE2 will roll out with an A13 chip, which is used in the latest iteration of the phone, but that it will have a design that is closer to the iPhone 8, with a 4.7-inch screen.
The “iPhone SE2, which will be the best upgrade choice for existing 100mn iPhone 6 series users, will be a key growth driver for Apple in 2020,” Kuo said per earlier reports.
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