Next year's iPhones could have a similar design to the iPhone 4, according to a new report

Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that Apple's 2020 iPhones could have a metal frame similar to that used for the iPhone 4 in 2010. MacRumeurs was the first to report on Kuo's latest research note, that "the surface of the metal frame of the phone will be changed to adopt a design similar to that of the iPhone 4, thus replacing the surface design current".

Kuo, who has a good reputation for predicting Apple's ads well before the company formalizes them, said earlier that next year's iPhones will have a brand new design. However, he did not give much details about what this new design would be like. The current form factor of Apple phones has remained broadly the same since the release of the iPhone X in 2017.

Compared to previous iPhones, the iPhone 4 had a more square design. Apple recently picked up this design on at least one of its products, the iPad Pro 2018, which avoided the curved edges of most other Apple tablets. Kuo's note, however, indicates that the phone will still use slightly curved glass on the front and back of the phone, which is missing from the iPad Pro.

However, the form factor of the iPhone 4 was the cause of the controversy surrounding the antenna, which saw people lose cell reception if they held the device incorrectly, forcing Apple to submit free enclosures to solve the problem. MacRumeurs does not explicitly mention whether Kuo's note responds to the old controversy, but he says that the metal frame will be designed to minimize the impact of the metal on the phone's high-frequency transmission. Apple has also successfully integrated antennas on the sides of many of its newer phones, suggesting that its antenna days are very advanced.

Kuo also recalled that next year's iPhones should support 5G. Earlier this year, Kuo predicted that the three models of iPhone 2020 will support 5G. Previously, he had predicted that both OLED models would feature screens of 5.4 inches and 6.7 inches, compared to current sizes of 5.8 inches and 6.5 inches. According to reports, Apple could release phones with built-in fingerprint sensors, although Kuo predicted that the technology will not be ready until 2021.