Apple will kill-off the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone XR to make way for the iPhone 12, with the standard iPhone 11 being reduced by $150.
That’s according to tech leaker iAppleTimes, who noted that while the iPhone 11 will survive the Apple smartphone cull it will be reduced to $549. The leaker didn’t mention where they were getting this information from, but it does tend to track with what Apple has done to its iPhone range after the launch of its latest batch of smartphones.
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While we’re expecting the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max to come with the A14 Bionic chip, a new design with flatter edges, potentially a high refresh-rate display, and a triple rear-camera array with a LiDAR sensor added in, it’s still more of an upgrade over the iPhone 11 Pro rather than a significantly different brace of phones.
As such cutting the iPhone 11 Pro from the iPhone line up would make sense. And while there will be four iPhone 12 models to choose from - a 5.4-inch iPhone 12, 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Max, 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro, and 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max - dropping the price of the iPhone 11 by $150 gives Apple a mid-range option for Apple fans. This will be handy for people who don't want a load of high-end features but also want a phone that offers a little more than the $399 iPhone SE 2020.
Apple to discontinue iPhone XR and iPhone 11 Pro models after iPhone 12 launch.iPhone 11 at $549August 20, 2020
And cutting the iPhone XR also makes sense, as that phone is now a little long-in-the-tooth, having been released in 2018. Though with its capable A12 Bionic chip and a design that’s pretty similar to the iPhone 11, it’s by no means a bad smartphone. But keeping it as part of the iPhone range would give Apple a phone that'll be made a little redundant by a cheaper iPhone 11.
The standard iPhone 12, on the other hand, is set to get the new design and A14 chip but will only have a pair of rear cameras, and looks set to have a basic 60Hz refresh-rate display. But the new design and 5G connectivity could give it a good does of appeal over the previous generation of iPhones.
The iPhone 12 range its set to be revealed in September, though the actual release of some models may be delayed for a month or so thanks to the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic. So we'll soon get an insight into what smartphones the iPhone range will be made up of as we head into 2021. We're also expecting to see an Apple Watch 6 join the phones in the September showcase.
