Leaked iPhone 11 Logic Board Photos Suggest A Major Design Change

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The 2019 iPhones are still a couple of months away, so we can expect a steady flow of leaks and rumors until Apple officially announces the new iPhones, popularly referred to as the iPhone 11 line-up. Based on leaks and rumors so far, it appears the iPhone 11 will be the same as last year’s iPhones on the outside. However, leaked images of the iPhone 11 logic board suggest Apple may shake up the internal design.

These latest images, which were leaked via Slashleaks, show the iPhone 11 logic board in a rectangular design. This would be a big departure from last year because the iPhone X, XS and XR used L-shaped logic boards. Apple switched to an L-shaped logic board with the iPhone X in 2017.  If the latest leak is accurate, it would mean Apple is switching to the traditional rectangular logic board design.

Apple might have opted for a redesigned iPhone 11 logic board to make space for a bigger battery and to fit the new triple-lens camera bump. Leaked renderings of the iPhone have revealed a massive rear camera hump, which is expected to to house three camera sensors, including a new ultra-wide angle lens. The company is also expected to use a single glass panel on the back of the new iPhones.

Trusted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously reported that Apple will increase the battery capacity of the iPhone 11 by 20% and the iPhone 11 Max by 10%. An increase in the battery would support the new bilateral wireless charging feature for the AirPods.

Although the iPhone 11 logic board design is just a leak, it makes complete sense, considering the changes that the new iPhones are expected to feature. However, we never will be able to learn the internal design changes with any certainty until Apple releases the new iPhones and a teardown specialist like iFixit performs a thorough analysis.

Despite the alleged internal changes, the iPhone 11 is expected to come with the same external design as the iPhone X and XS. The only major change could be the massive camera hump on the rear.

As far as other design-related leaks, recent CAD renderings of the iPhone XS, XR and XS Max via Slashleaks reinforce what previous leaks have been describing. The CAD renderings show the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max with a triple-lens camera square on the back, while the iPhone XR successor is seen with only two lenses.

The renderings also reveal a traditional Lightning port on the bottom. This seems to suggest that Apple won’t jump to USB-C on the iPhones, or at least not this year. The 2019 iPhones are also expected to be thicker than current-gen iPhones to make way for the camera module.

Other changes that Apple is rumored to be making is ditching Face ID in favor of an in-display fingerprint sensor. However, this change is expected to be made for China-specific iPhones only. It is no secret that Apple is losing ground in China, and there are many reasons for this: the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China, Huawei and other local companies making better devices, and the high price of the iPhone.

Thus, to boost sales in the region, the U.S. company is reportedly  planning to replace the costly Face ID with a cheaper in-display fingerprint sensor. This would help Apple reduce iPhone prices in China. The global version of the 2019 iPhones will include both in-screen Touch ID and Face ID, according to MacRumors.

In other Apple news, the company’s stock was down in premarket trading following a pessimistic note from Rosenblatt Securities. Rosenblatt Securities downgraded Apple from Neutral to Sell and expects the stock to drop to $150 in about 6-12 months.

Rosenblatt Securities expects that the new iPhone sales won’t be impressive and services revenue growth will decelerate. The analysts said iPad sales growth will also slow in the second half of the year due to lack of information about a new Pro model this year.

Apple will report its fiscal third quarter results on July 31, while the new iPhones are expected to arrive in September.

Apple has launched a new iPhone in September in each of the past seven years and is expected to continue the trend this year. However, if tipster Evan Blass is to be believed, then the company may deviate slightly from this trend. Instead of launching the new iPhones in mid-September, the 2019 iPhones could arrive in late September.

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