Top Stories: Apple in 2020: New iPhone SE, Triple-Lens iPad Pro, and Maybe Even a Gaming Mac?

With 2019 coming to a close and the new year beginning, it's a great opportunity to step back for a minute to look back at the biggest news from last year (or even the last decade) and get a big picture of what we might see in 2020.

But taking in the big picture doesn't mean that the rumors stop, and recent days have seen a flurry of rumors about Apple's potential plans for new low-cost "iPhone SE 2" models, updated iPad Pro models, a (PRODUCT)RED Apple Watch, and even a high-end Mac targeted at the esports market.

What to Expect From Apple in 2020: New iPhones, Refreshed iPads, Apple Watch Series 6 and More

Happy New Year! 2020 is upon us, marking the start of a new decade. Rumors suggest Apple has a lot in the pipeline this year, including new low-cost iPhone models, iPad Pro models with triple-lens rear cameras, Apple Watch Series 6 models, and possibly even a gaming-focused Mac, and make sure you let us know what you'd like to see this year!


With 2019 in the rearview mirror, we decided to look back at everything Apple released during 2019 and put together a list of 10 of our favorite Mac, iPhone, and iPad apps of the year. We have also rounded up a list of the best Apple products released in the past decade as picked by MacRumors readers.

Apple Predicted to Launch Two 'iPhone SE 2' Models in 2020

Apple plans to release as many as six new iPhone models in 2020, including four with OLED displays and two with LCD displays, according to hit-or-miss supply chain publication DigiTimes.


The report said one of the iPhones may be an LCD-based 5.5-inch or 6.1-inch model.

This rumor lines up with a recent prediction from noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said that Apple plans to release a so-called "iPhone SE 2 Plus" with a nearly edge-to-edge design, a smaller notch, and a Touch ID power button on the side of the device in late 2020 or early 2021.

It's unclear if Apple will actually use "iPhone SE 2" branding or if that is simply a placeholder name for the unreleased devices. It has been speculated that the devices could also be branded "iPhone 9."

Sketchy Rumor Claims Apple Plans to Announce High-End Gaming MacBook or iMac at WWDC 2020

Apple plans to announce a high-end gaming computer at its annual WWDC developers conference later this year, according to a questionable and as-of-yet unsubstantiated report from Taiwan's Economic Daily News.


Details are slim, but the report claims that the computer may be a large-screen laptop or all-in-one desktop with a price tag of up to $5,000, suggesting that it could be either a MacBook Pro or an iMac Pro. The computer would supposedly be tailored towards esports, aka competitive video gaming.

WWDC 2020 will likely take place in June.

Renders Depict Alleged Design of 2020 iPad Pro Models With Triple-Lens Cameras

Apple is rumored to be readying updated 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models with triple-lens cameras, and based on new renders from OnLeaks, the design will be similar to the iPhone 11 Pro.


Apple did not refresh the iPad Pro lineup in 2019, but rumors have suggested that new models could be introduced as early as March 2020.

Apple Watch Series 5 in (RED) Could Launch in 2020

Apple may be planning to widen its Apple Watch Series 5 lineup with a new (PRODUCT)RED model at some point this year, a new rumor suggests.


The report claimed the unreleased Apple Watch briefly appeared in an unspecified Apple database, and added that it would likely be an aluminum model with a similar red finish as the iPod touch.

(PRODUCT)RED supports funding for HIV/AIDS programs.

Hands-On With Salt's Apple TV Remote Replacement

Apple unveiled its ‌Siri‌ Remote for the Apple TV in 2015, but it's never been a particularly popular accessory. With that in mind, Swiss company Salt created an alternative ‌Apple TV‌ remote, which we managed to get our hands on over on our YouTube channel.


We're also continuing to play with our new Mac Pro over on our YouTube channel, this week installing a speedy new SSD via PCIe. The design of the new Mac Pro makes it a super simple process to add expansion hardware like this, and we'll be looking at more options in the days and weeks to come.

Subscribe to MacRumors on YouTube for new Apple-related videos every week!

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!


This article, "Top Stories: Apple in 2020: New iPhone SE, Triple-Lens iPad Pro, and Maybe Even a Gaming Mac?" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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You can become a coding whiz with this beginner-friendly course bundle

You can get the type of introduction you need to learn programming, then dive into simple projects with The Ultimate Web Coding for Everyone Bundle. Right now, the newbie-friendly package is hundreds of dollars off the regular price, down to just $29 from TNW Deals.

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It sure looks like Samsung just leaked the official Galaxy S11 launch date

The Samsung Galaxy S11 — A.K.A. the Galaxy S20 — is set to launch on February 11. How do we know this? Unfortunately for Samsung, an official promotional video went live a little early which outs the date of its marquee Unpacked 2020 event.

The video was spotted by Max Weinbach (XDA Developers) and Twitter user @water8192. It shows two boxy shapes emerging from beneath a cover. At the end of the video, the boxes settle into the Galaxy logo and February 11, 2020 is stated as the date for the Unpacked event.

The two shapes suggest that Samsung might launch both the Galaxy S11 and the Galaxy Fold 2. The shape on the left looks a lot like the leaked camera enclosure of the Galaxy S11 Plus. Meanwhile, the one on the right could belong to the rumored foldable phone.

Obviously, the video has since been removed, but thanks to some eager netizens there are plenty of copies on YouTube. You can watch it below.

Samsung is expected to announce three phones in the new flagship lineup: the Galaxy S11e, S11, and S11 Plus, though there’s some confusion over whether it’ll be rebranded as the S20 series. You can read more about all the leaks and rumors around the phones here.

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Samsung in 2020: Will Samsung turn its Galaxy up to 11?

Samsung's 2019 likely didn't unfold in the way the company planned or expected. While its Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10 launches went off without a hitch, the Galaxy Fold demonstrated that the Korean firm …

As for the second instalment of Samsung’s foldable phone, the company is expected to unveil a Moto Razr-like clamshell design.

Guess we’ll find out what Samsung has in store on February 11. Until then, tell us your predictions for the Galaxy S11 and Fold 2 in the comments.

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Price drop! Save 94% on AWS certification training

The AAPicks deal bell is clanging, with AWS certification training on offer from Tech Deals this weekend.

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From OnePlus to Huawei and back again: What I learned from switching brands

Opinion post by

Mitja Rutnik

I switched from the OnePlus 3T to the Huawei P20 Pro last year, and the experience was bittersweet.

Although there’s plenty to like about the P20 Pro, I quickly started to miss my old OnePlus phone and all the awesome features it offered.

After a year with Huawei’s flagship, I had enough, so I switched back to a OnePlus device — the OnePlus 7T.

Here’s what I learned in the process and what you should keep in mind before switching from one phone brand to another.

Software is king

The most important thing I learned is that software matters. A lot! It can make or break the smartphone experience in my opinion and is something you have to keep in mind when switching brands.

Software is the biggest reason why I switched from Huawei back to OnePlus. Huawei’s EMUI skin that sits on top of Android is frustrating in more ways than one. The overall design is dated in my opinion and there were way too many pre-installed apps on my P20 Pro that I never used and couldn’t delete. The Settings menu seemed a bit of a mess to me and was hard to navigate, certain apps — especially Google News — crashed often, and those knuckle gestures for taking screenshots and launching split-screen mode only worked half the time for me — on a good day.

But the biggest problem was Huawei’s aggressive battery management that resulted in important notifications coming through hours after they should or, even worse, not coming through at all. I tried all sorts of things, including whitelisting certain apps, but nothing fixed the problem. At least not in the long term.

OxygenOS is the best Android skin out there.

On the other hand, I find OnePlus’ OxygenOS to be a joy to use. It’s by far my favorite Android skin out there. It looks clean, simple, and modern. It also doesn’t have any bloatware onboard. What it does have is a bunch of features that improve the overall user experience, which I missed dearly when using the P20 Pro.

These include off-screen gestures that allow you to open an app of choice just by drawing an O, V, S, M, or W on the display when it’s turned off. You can also swipe two fingers down the display to pause/play the song you’re listening to or draw the < or > characters to move to the previous or next track. I simply love these gestures. They come in handy since I listen to music every day and can quickly open my most frequently used apps, as well as tools like the flashlight, in the blink of an eye.

Other great software features that improve the overall experience with the phone include Shelf, a secondary, customizable homescreen panel that doubles up as a feed and a place to quickly access recent contacts, the weather, and much more.

Then there are little things like the ability to swipe down anywhere on the screen to pull down the notification shade or swipe up to open the app drawer (you don’t get that with Huawei phones), a more logical settings menu, and the ability to play around with the look of the OS by changing the accent color and so on. More importantly, OxygenOS just works — I never experienced problems with frequent app crashes like with my P20 Pro.

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Software updates are also an important thing to keep in mind when switching brands. OnePlus phones don’t get upgraded to the latest version of Android as fast as Pixel phones, but the company ships out updates a lot quicker than Huawei and most other manufacturers.

The key takeaway is this: Before switching to a phone from a different brand, make sure to actually try it out at your local electronics store. Play around with the software to see how you like the look and feel of it. Check out what features it has to offer by digging through the settings menu. Also make sure to check out the review of the phone and its software online as well as read dedicated posts on the topics of OxygenOS, Samsung’s One UI, and other Android skins. Research is key to a good purchase.

It’s not all about raw power

Software is king, but hardware matters as well. But don’t make the same mistake I did and just focus on raw power. Yes, the Snapdragon 855 Plus in the OnePlus 7T is a faster chipset overall than the P20 Pro’s aging Kirin 970, but honestly, I don’t see a big difference in my day-to-day use.

What does make a difference to me are little things like the Alert Slider on the OnePlus 7T, which lets me quickly toggle between three notification modes — ring, vibrate, and silent — without the need to turn on the screen. I love it and I really missed it during my time with Huawei’s flagship. Then there’s the super fast Warp Charge tech that gets the 7T’s battery from zero to 100% in a little more than an hour. Granted, the OnePlus 7T is not the fastest charging phone out there, but it’s faster than my old Huawei P20 Pro as well as more recent flagships like the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Pixel 4 XL.

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OnePlus in 2020: Going to be some growing pains

This past year has been quite eventful for Chinese smartphone manufacturer OnePlus. In the company's short lifetime (it's only six years old), it's achieved a remarkable number of major milestones, but 2019 was literally big …

These are the features that matter to me because I use them every day and make my experience with the phone a lot better. On the other hand, features like wireless charging, an IP rating, and even reverse wireless charging — all things Huawei phones offer and OnePlus’ latest lacks — they are insignificant to me personally. The actually same goes for the OnePlus 7T’s fancy 90Hz display, as I don’t see a lot of difference when comparing it to 60Hz displays on phones like the P20 Pro and many others. I’m not alone in that, apparently.

The point I’m trying to make is that when comparing the specs of two phones from different brands you’re interested in picking up, you have to focus on the things you’ll actually use. That’s why instead of just reading spec sheets, it’s a lot smarter to check out phone reviews and Vs-style comparisons, as you can learn more about the experience a device offer and how it compares to the competition instead of a bunch of numbers and buzzwords.

Compromise, compromise, compromise

If you’re switching from one brand to another, you’ll usually have to make a compromise or two, especially if you’re not upgrading from a super old phone. For example, although I do prefer the OnePlus 7T over the P20 Pro overall, there are still things I miss about Huawei’s flagship.

The P20 Pro has a superior camera setup in my opinion. The phone takes fantastic images, especially in low-light conditions, which is the main reason why I got it. Pictures captured with my OnePlus 7T aren’t bad either, they just aren’t as good as the P20’s. The phone also has a bigger battery, sports a faster and more accurate fingerprint scanner, and while it’s not a dealbreaker for me when buying a phone, the IP67 rating gave me a little peace of mind that it’d survive a plunge in the water.

Read more: Huawei P30 Pro camera review: Next level optics, low-light champion

There’s no such thing as the perfect phone, as the competition always offers at least something your handset doesn’t. That’s just how it is — don’t fall prey to envy.

It comes down to what you value most

If you’re eying a brand switch in the near future, I hope this article has given you a bit of an idea of some of the things to consider and look out for.

It’s all too easy to get caught up in all the marketing mumbo-jumbo out there, or the opinions of the people around you, and even the tech media squabbles about which phone is the best overall. Don’t get a phone just because it’s considered the most powerful or feature-packed out there. Don’t get a phone just because it scored two points higher than its main competitors on a benchmark test. Get it because it suits your needs, whether that may be great cameras, a clean software experience, a full-screen display with a pop-up selfie snapper, a small footprint, or an eye-catching design.

You have to base your purchase decision on the features you value most.

For example, I know the Galaxy S10 Plus is a better phone than the OnePlus 7T, objectively speaking. It has loads of features and upgrades you won’t find on the OnePlus 7T including wireless charging, reverse wireless charging, an IP68 rating, a QHD+ display, expandable storage, and a headphone jack, among many other things. However, it’s not better than the OnePlus 7T for me. I prefer OxygenOS to Samsung’s One UI, and features like Warp Charge and the Alert Slider mean more to me than wireless charging and all the extra bells and whistles Samsung’s flagship has to offer. For you, it may be the other way around.

So, when you’re thinking about switching brands and deciding between two or even more phones, you have to base your purchase decision on the features you value most. It’s as simple as that.

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