Apple plans to launch an iPad Pro with new 3D sensing equipment and the iPhone SE 2 in the first half of 2020, longtime Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF Securities said in a report Wednesday.
Kuo said Apple will integrate a time-of-flight sensor into iPad Pro's rear-facing camera system, which is similar to the TrueDepth camera system and generates highly accurate depth maps by calculating light.
This is in line with a report from Bloomberg this week that said Apple is planning to release a next-generation iPad with 3D sensor and dual-camera array in 2020.
The Bloomberg report cited people familiar with the plans as saying a new iPad Pro for release as early as the first half of 2020 will feature a new module with two camera sensors, up from one on the current model, and a small hole for the 3-D system, letting people create three-dimensional reconstructions of rooms, objects and people.
Apple also plans to add the sensor to new high-end iPhones later in 2020, along with 5G networking capabilities, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing unannounced products.
(Photo: Apple)
As with the iPhone SE 2, Kuo reiterated previous forecasts that the launch sometime will be the first half of 2020.
cnTechPost reported in October that Kuo said the iPhone SE 2 will have an A13 CPU, 3GB of RAM and 64/128GB of storage — all of which is quite good for an entry-level phone, given that it's the same as on Apple's latest iPhone 11.
The iPhone SE 2 also won't have 3D touch, which is hardly surprising given that Apple's new iPhone 11 doesn't have it, either, according to Kuo.
The original iPhone SE was discontinued in September last year, leaving people who prefer such compact, 4-inch form factor and affordable price with no other choices.
The new iPhone SE 2 likely won't be that small — Kuo claimed it'll be similar to the iPhone 8, which has a 4.7-inch screen — but it should be a decent upgrade for people who still use, say, an iPhone 6 or 6S.
Kuo predicted the SE 2 will launch for $399.Considering the original iPhone SE launched in 2016 for $399, the starting price Kuo predicted would make sense.
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