All we know about new Apple phones, including two-way wireless charging.

In March, Apple announced a host of new products, including its news subscription service, Apple News +, a virtual gaming room, a built-in phone credit card, and a pay-per-view service. As Will Oremus pointed out in Slate, announcements announced that the company was reinventing itself as the "ultimate middleman". But Apple should always return to its material roots in September, unveiling a new range of devices.

Apple is expected to launch three new phones in the fall, in addition to updating existing models. We have already heard that some models could have three rear-facing cameras, 3D depth sensors and perhaps an Apple Pencil feature. Now that we are about six months away from this year's unveiling, here is a summary of the latest leaks and rumors.

Bidirectional wireless charging

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, one of the main sources of preliminary information on new iPhones, suggests that the 2019 versions will have a bidirectional charge. This means that phones could wirelessly charge other devices, such as AirPods or another iPhone.

Samsung Galaxy 2019 smartphones have a similar feature called Wireless Powershare, which allows them to charge phones and other accessories. It is possible that the new iPhone XS, XS Max and XR also have this feature.

Larger batteries

Speaking of battery life: the latest versions of the iPhone could get a good boost. According to Mr. Kuo, the successor of the iPhone XS could benefit from a 25% increase in battery life, while the successor of the XS Max could benefit from an increase of 15%. According to Tom's Guide, the battery of the XS is about 9 ½ hours, while that of the XS Max is already about 10 hours and a half. The battery life of the XR is about 11 1/2 hours, which should remain the same at the new iteration.

Face ID updated

Bloomberg says the new iPhones will enhance their face recognition capability and the 3D camera that makes it work.

The camera, which can perform three-dimensional scans of its environment, currently has a range of 25 to 50 centimeters. Sources close to Apple's projects say that the new camera will work with a range of 15 feet. The ID sensors themselves would also be better able to adapt to invisible light interference with a more powerful laser.

USB-C?

Previous reports had indicated that some versions of the iPhone would finally follow suit and include a USB-C port. The move would make the devices compatible with more accessories and chargers. However, the Japanese publication Mac Otakara recently disputed these rumors, claiming that the devices would still retain the functionality of the Lightning port, which is far from ubiquitous.

As Christina Bonnington wrote for Slate last August, while pleading for Apple to make the change:

The transition to USB-C would offer advantages both to unify and simplify Apple's product lines and to unify the space of smartphones as a whole. Although initially this may be a problem for those who have accumulated a multitude of Lightning accessories over the years, the switch would be good in the long run by simplifying the mass of cords and accessories that we use with our tablets, computers laptops, accelerate adoption by other hardware manufacturers. It is high time that USB-C realizes its destiny. It needs to be adopted en masse before quarreling about the next major connectivity standard.

It remains to be seen what the charging options of the final product will be, but it is likely that you will have to buy a Lightning to USB converter.

Better wireless connectivity

The new phones will likely have faster LTE speeds and Wi-Fi 6 and UWB connectivity. This will improve the navigation and operability of augmented reality features. The features of Wi-Fi 6, if true, should be particularly impressive, as they will allow the iPhone to access an Internet speed 30% faster than the one currently available.

Only time will tell if these new mechanisms are enough to encourage consumers to abandon their current iPhone and pay about $ 1,000 for next-generation devices. However, since Apple's iPhone sales have been stabilizing for some time, the company is likely to be covering up as it becomes more and more interested in service-oriented products, such as bundles. news subscription and credit card. The iPhone has long been the backbone of Apple, but it has become clear that the company must diversify.