iPhone rumors now claim two OLED models with triple-camera arrays for 2019

This year’s successor to the 5.8-inch iPhone XS could have a 6.1-inch screen and three cameras on its rear, a new report from Macotakara claims (via 9to5Mac). The increase would bring the size of the phone’s OLED screen in line with this year’s cheaper iPhone XR, which has an LCD display. The report also claims that the phones will continue to use a Lightning connector, but they will include a USB-C to Lightning cable and 18W fast charger in the box for the first time.

Although multiple rumors and leaked photos claim that this year’s iPhones will include Apple’s first triple rear cameras, they’ve differed on which phones in the lineup will have them. The Wall Street Journal and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo have both suggested that the new camera would be exclusive to the successor of the iPhone XS Max once again sporting a 6.5-inch OLED. However, while Macotakara previously suggested that some models of the new iPhone XS could come with three cameras, it claimed this would be exclusive to higher storage capacity models.

Reports also differ on what this third rear camera could be used for. Initially, the suggestion was that it would be a 3D camera meant for depth-sensing, but a further report from Bloomberg claims that Apple has since pushed back its plans for this camera, which is now due to debut on an iPad Pro model that will be released in 2020. Instead, Bloomberg claims that in 2019, this third camera will be used to offer a wider range of zoom and a larger field of view.

Along with changes in screen size, Macotakara’s new report also claims that the 6.1-inch and 6.5-inch OLED phones will be thicker than last year’s iPhone XS and XS Max, although only by fractions of a millimeter. This rumor isn’t especially notable, but it appears to corroborate a separate report from Ming-Chi Kuo that claimed that all of Apple’s 2019 handsets will feature bigger batteries along with support for bidirectional wireless charging.

Although Apple is expected to exclusively use OLED screens on its phones in 2020, this year’s lineup will continue to include an LCD model, according to The Wall Street Journal. This presumed successor to the iPhone XR is also expected to support bidirectional wireless charging along with the two OLED models.

Support for bidirectional charging would make sense given that Apple recently announced a new model of the AirPods, which come with a case that can be charged wirelessly using Qi, the same wireless charging standard as recent iPhones. Samsung’s Galaxy S10 and the Huawei Mate 20 can both wirelessly charge the true wireless earbuds that were announced alongside each phone.

Rumors of the inclusion of a Lightning to USB-C cable along with an 18W charger in the box with this year’s iPhones, if true, are long overdue. Despite having supported fast charging since the iPhone 8, Apple has continued to include an old-fashioned USB Type-A cable and 5W charger with each of its phones. Bloomberg previously reported that Apple is testing USB-C equipped iPhone models for possible release this year, but Macotakara’s report suggests this year’s phones will stick with Lightning.

At the moment, all of these rumors should be treated with skepticism. That said, Macotakara has a good track record with Apple predictions. It was one of the first publications to predict that the iPhone 7 would drop the headphone jack, and more recently, it successfully predicted many of the features of Apple’s 2019 iPads. If Apple follows its previous announcement schedule, we should see its latest iPhones announced in September.