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It’s reached that time of year when many people in the tech world start to wonder, ‘what will Apple announce as their next handsets?’

There are many different features and designs being rumoured for these handsets, but we haven’t had any official details from Apple themselves. So, we thought we’d look at the rumours and see what is possible and what is wishful thinking.

The most talked about rumour is the possibility of 3 handsets being released this year, all of which will have the edge-to-edge screen design of the iPhone X. Due to the popularity of the design when it was introduced last year, we can definitely see this happening!

You may be wondering ‘how are they going to release three phones with the same design?’

The answer is, we could possibly be getting a cheaper handset! Along with an update on the X and most likely a plus-sized version, we could be getting a cheaper handset with multiple colour options much like the 5C from 2013.

To make the phone cheaper, this phone would lack on some features like a newer processor or wireless charging, but that means a glass back wouldn’t be necessary, meaning more colours may be available as a substitute.

But how cheap is cheap in Apple’s eyes? The cost of the iPhone X last year wasn’t very popular with many and Apple should’ve seen this, as X sales dropped off dramatically at the start of 2018.

The iPhone X replacement is rumoured to be £899 for a 64Gb size, which is an improvement on last year. The plus-sized phone would be priced at £999 instead, with the cheaper model probably being around £699. We wouldn’t class that as a ‘cheaper alternative’ as many higher quality Samsung Galaxy phones are priced very similarly to this. But, an iPhone less than £800? We’ll take it!

Another important element that is being rumoured is the name. Some of the rumours have been the Xs, X Plus and the iPhone 9 for the cheaper model. Other less popular rumours include the XI, the Y or just the iPhone/ the iPhone Plus.

Those were some of the rumours that are believed to be true amongst the mobile industry. Now, let’s look at those that are up for debate.

We’ll start with something obvious, what happens to Touch ID with the edge-to-edge screens? One idea that has been making the rounds is a sensor under the screen!

While that sounds cool, it’s unlikely that they’ll keep Touch ID especially with Face ID performing well as it is. But, don’t rule it out for the future as it is possible. The phone manufacturer Vivo proved that it is possible – check it out!

Another possibility is that the larger handset could have a triple-lens camera on the back, allowing for an improved camera experience, especially with lighting which has been a rough spot in the past with iPhone cameras.

There is also a rumour that we could be seeing a change in the screens from OLED to Micro LED. This will allow for better black light and colour saturation, ultimately producing a better image. However, there are many challenges facing manufacturers as they develop this including trying to get as much light out of them as possible, so we probably won’t be seeing these screens this year at least.

One feature that could be a great idea is a possible eSIM, which means a SIM card will be virtually built into the phone itself. From this we can control who provides the service easily as it doesn’t involve a physical SIM replacement.

Another benefit of this idea is that we could loose the SIM holder from the phone, possibly making the phone more water resistant and allowing for more room in the back of the phone. Can we get a larger battery? Please?

This technology is already in use in the Apple Watch Series 3 and in the Google Pixel 2. The one problem is that this idea isn’t popular with all providers. The technology is ready to be used, it’s whether all service providers are willing to co-operate with Apple.

The new iPhone may also be built to be Gigabit LTE compatible, which is a bridge between 4G and 5G. Gigabit LTE is currently only available in certain test areas of London and Cardiff through EE, but it could be rolled out nationally before the end of the year.

However, if these phones are Gigabit LTE compatible, it doesn’t mean that they will be 5G compatible. That will be painful for owners of these phones if 5G is to be released in 2020 as it’s predicted.

Our final talking point relates to a fourth handset that could be both possible and very popular. The iPhone SE could be getting a revamp! It’s rumoured that the 4-inch phone design from the iPhone 5 could be returning with features of the X included in the phone, like Face ID, the current iPhone X processor and maybe even an edge-to-edge display!

To wrap things up, it is possible that we could be spoiled with four different handsets this year! But, if the most talked about rumours are to be believed and these latter ones are just wishful thinking, then we should only expect a small upgrade to what we have now, nothing revolutionary.