Oliver Haslam on April 13, 2020, 10:30 pm

Bloomberg: iPhone 12 Pro / Max To Get iPad Pro-Like Design, Feature Smaller Notch, Not Launching In September; Cheaper HomePod Coming, More

If you’re planning on picking up a new iPhone later this year, you might have to wait a little longer than usual. That’s according to Bloomberg, which reports some iPhone 12 models won’t be released in September.

According to the report some of the iPhones will be “multiple weeks” late, suggesting we could see them arrive in October or November. It isn’t clear which models the report refers to, but it’s most likely that the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max are the ones that will miss their September target.

As for what the iPhones offer, those two will reportedly have a chassis similar to that of the iPad Pro, with flat edges and a tighter display curvature. As for the notch, its reportedly reduced in size. The iPad Pro’s LiDAR Scanner will also reportedly make its iPhone debut, too.

This year’s successors to the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max will be joined by two lower-end models to replace the iPhone 11. At least the two high-end devices will have flat stainless steel edges instead of the current curved design as well as more sharply rounded corners like the iPad Pro introduced in 2018. Reminiscent of the iPhone 5 design, the new handsets will have flat screens rather than the sloping edges on current models, said the people asking not to be identified because the plans aren’t public.

There’s some good news, though. Bloomberg also reports that the HomePod will get a smaller cousin this year, while AirTags are thought to be on course for a 2020 launch after more than a year of expectation.

(Image: iPhone 12 concept with no notch)

The Apple Tags wireless accessory will offer functionality much like gadgets already on the market like Tile trackers, people familiar with the product said. It will be bundled with an Apple-designed leather sleeve and a keychain to attach it to objects, they said. The thin, small, puck-shaped tags have been in development for over a year and are planned for release as early as this year.

The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro will be the year’s biggest launches, however. The delay in getting them ready is squarely at the feet of the coronavirus pandemic – travel bans, Foxconn factory closures, and just general chaos appear to have put paid to Apple’s usual plans of getting all iPhones out of the door together.

(Source: Bloomberg, Top image: iPhone 12 in Navy Blue finish)