Kuo: iPhone 12 To Feature Simpler Battery Design, AirPods 3 To Launch In 1H21

Reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo on Friday released his latest Apple research report, which offers details on the upcoming iPhone 12 lineup as ...

Reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo on Friday released his latest Apple research report, which offers details on the upcoming iPhone 12 lineup as well as AirPods 3.

According to Kuo, the iPhone 12's battery board design will be moving to a simpler and smaller design with fewer layers, and because the battery specifications are downgraded, it is expected that the average price of the iPhone 12 battery will be 40-50% lower than that of the iPhone 11. He analyzed that Apple will not significantly increase the price of the iPhone 12.

The new AirPods 3 that will be released in the first half of 2021, however, with the existing AirPods 2 soft/hardboard average price will be 25-35% lower in the second half of 2020 than in the first half, thus, Apple has been placing pricing influence on its circuit board suppliers.

Kuo suggests that to lessen the negative impact of adopting high-cost 5G components on their hardware, Apple will exert greater bargaining pressure on component manufacturers and reduce/change component specifications to save costs.

The iPhone 12 packaging box will not include the charger and EarPods. The allegedly leaked iPhone 12 packaging pictures show that only the iPhone 12 will be provided, and there may be room for a charging cable. There is also news that in order to improve its durability and prevent long-term wear and tear, this charging cable will use a braided cable material.