This is fully expected to be the year that Apple embraces 5G, as all four of the rumored upcoming iPhone 12 models are likely to support 5G if leaks are right. But we had also heard that there would be cheaper 4G versions of two of the models, and it now sounds like they might land later than the rest of the range.
That’s according to Wedbush Securities analysts speaking to Business Insider. They had originally expected the 4G models to land alongside the 5G ones, but now after their most recent check of the supply chain in Asia, they claim that a cheaper 4G model is instead likely to land in early 2021, possibly around February.
Interestingly they also only refer to one 4G iPhone 12 here, rather than the two models that we’d previously heard rumored, but whether one or two, it sounds like the wait might be lengthy.
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That said, it’s not all bad news, as one of the analysts predicts that even the 5G iPhone 12 models won’t be priced higher than the iPhone 11 range, so they might not be completely unaffordable.
Assembling the assembly lines
And at least some iPhone 12 models should almost be here, as Foxconn (the main iPhone manufacturer) has started a major hiring drive for its iPhone 12 assembly lines according to inews.qq.
This is something the company does every year, but this year it’s seemingly starting around a month later than normal. That’s no surprise, as there have been many reports that the Covid-19 pandemic has affected production of the iPhone 12, and Apple itself has now said that the phones will go on sale several weeks later than usual.
In general, we’d expect an announcement in September, but it’s not clear whether that will be pushed to October this year, or whether the announcement will happen at the same time but with a longer wait to then buy the phones.
Either way, it shouldn’t be too much longer before you can at least buy a 5G iPhone 12, but if you want to save money and get a 4G model it could be a longer wait based on this latest report. Of course, if you really want to save money there’s always the iPhone SE (2020).
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Via Apple Insider
