Rumor: Apple will release metal frame next year’s iPhones as iPhone 4

Apple is rumored to give next year’s iPhones a flattened metal frame like the 2010 iPhone 4 and 2011 iPhone 4s. Last year’s iPad Pro already had a design that’s in line with the phone from nine years ago.

Apple continues to work with glass on the front and back, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims in a report MacRumors could see. Kuo, who often circulates information about unannounced Apple products, claims the new design would cost more to manufacture, but also that it would be a big selling point for next year’s iPhones. This year’s new iPhones, the 11 series, have a design in line with the iPhone X from 2017 and XS from 2018, with glass on both sides and a convex metal edge.

Apple did give last year’s iPad Pro a new design with a flattened metal edge, reminiscent of the iPhone 4. That phone was released in 2010 and had problems with reception if users hold it in a certain way. Apple solved that with the 4s in 2011, where connecting the antennas with the hands was no longer possible. The metal edge served as an antenna on the iPhone 4.

There have been rumors for months about the iPhones of 2020. They would appear in the new screen sizes 5.4 “and 6.7” and they would have 5G. Apple released the latest generations of iPhones last Friday. The release has been taking place in September for years.

iPhone 4 (above) and 4s, from 2010 and 2011