WSJ on 2019 iPhones: Triple-Lens Rear Camera on Next iPhone XS Max and Dual Rear on Next iPhone XR

Apple plans to release three new iPhone models later this year, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal today:

  • iPhone XR successor with a LCD display and dual-lens rear camera

  • iPhone XS successor with an OLED display and dual-lens rear camera

  • iPhone XS Max successor with an OLED display and triple-lens rear camera

  • All three models may lack 3D Touch

Well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the same thing back in October, but there's a few new details here. Let's recap.

2018 iphone trio
First, we've been hearing rumors that at least one new iPhone in 2019 will feature a triple-lens rear camera for quite some time, and it makes sense that it might be a feature exclusive to the highest-end, highest-priced successor to the iPhone XS Max.

The third lens could allow for advanced 3D sensing, improved optical zoom, and other functions. Earlier this week, we saw a render of what the triple-lens camera array may look like, and the design is quite polarizing:

2019 iphone triple camera rendering

Image Credit: OnLeaks/Digit

A triple-lens rear camera on the next iPhone XS Max, whatever it is named, would increase its differentiation with the iPhone XS. The two smartphones are very similar as they exist now, with the iPhone XS Max's sole differences being a larger 6.5-inch display versus the 5.8-inch iPhone XS and longer battery life.

Meanwhile, this is the first we've heard that the iPhone XR successor may feature dual rear cameras, up from a single lens currently.

Apple has been aggressively marketing the iPhone XR, a lower-priced alternative with most-but-not-all features of the flagship iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max models. A dual rear camera could increase the $749 starting price of the iPhone XR, or eat into Apple's profit margins slightly if pricing remains unchanged.

Apple may remove 3D Touch from its entire 2019 iPhone lineup, according to the report. This is a rumor we've heard before and likely means that Haptic Touch would extend from the iPhone XR to the next versions of the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max.

Last, the report claims Apple is considering dropping the LCD model and making a complete shift to OLED displays in 2020. We've heard this rumor before, but some initially believed the transition to all-OLED would happen in 2019. This means the iPhone XR could be discontinued or upgraded to OLED next year.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iphone air thickness

Apple Said to Cut iPhone Air Production Amid Underwhelming Sales

Friday October 17, 2025 8:29 am PDT by
Apple plans to cut production of the iPhone Air amid underwhelming sales performance, Japan's Mizuho Securities believes (via The Elec). The Japanese investment banking and securities firm claims that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are seeing higher sales than their predecessors during the same period last year, while the standard iPhone 17 is a major success, performing...
iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday October 18, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across the Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, Clock, and Safari apps. More features and changes will follow in future ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.2 Update for iPhones Coming Soon

Friday October 17, 2025 7:35 am PDT by
Apple's software engineers continue to internally test iOS 26.0.2, according to MacRumors logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. iOS 26.0.2 will be a minor update that addresses bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, but we do not know any specific details yet. The update will likely be released by the end of next week. Last month, Apple released iOS 26.0.1,...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...
iPhone Siri Glow

Some Apple Employees Have 'Concerns' About iOS 26.4's Revamped Siri

Sunday October 19, 2025 7:39 am PDT by
iOS 26.4 is expected to introduce a revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, but not everyone is satisfied with how well it works. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said some of Apple's software engineers have "concerns" about the overhauled Siri's performance. However, he did not provide any specific details about the shortcomings. iOS 26.4 will...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

New iPad Pro Has Six Key Upgrades Beyond M5 Chip

Saturday October 18, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
While the new iPad Pro's headline feature is the M5 chip, the device has some other changes, including N1 and C1X chips, faster storage speeds, and more. With the M5 chip, the new iPad Pro has up to a 20% faster CPU and up to a 40% faster GPU compared to the previous model with the M4 chip, according to Geekbench 6 results. Keep in mind that 256GB and 512GB configurations have a 9-core CPU,...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

New 14-Inch MacBook Pro Has Two Key Upgrades Beyond the M5 Chip

Thursday October 16, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with an M5 chip, and there are two key storage-related upgrades beyond that chip bump. First, Apple says the new 14-inch MacBook Pro offers up to 2× faster SSD performance than the equivalent previous-generation model, so read and write speeds should get a significant boost. Apple says it is using "the latest storage technology," ...
m4 macbook air blue

M5 MacBook Air Coming Spring 2026 With M5 Mac Studio and Mac Mini in Development

Thursday October 16, 2025 3:57 pm PDT by
Apple plans to launch MacBook Air models equipped with the new M5 chip in spring 2026, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple is also working on M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models that will come early in the year. Neither the MacBook Pro models nor the MacBook Air models are expected to get design changes, with Apple focusing on simple chip upgrades. In the case of the MacBook Pro, a m...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

M5 Chip Achieves Impressive Feat in 14-Inch MacBook Pro Speed Test

Friday October 17, 2025 7:10 am PDT by
The first alleged benchmark result for the M5 chip in the new 14-inch MacBook Pro has surfaced, allowing for some performance comparisons. Based on a single unconfirmed result uploaded to the Geekbench 6 database today, the M5 chip has pulled off an impressive feat. Specifically, the chip achieved a score of 4,263 for single-core CPU performance, which is the highest single-core score that...

Top Rated Comments

Stygma Avatar
88 months ago
I was so happy that there was finally no difference between the XS and XS max, if they do this ,it will be a step backwards.
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Snownoob Avatar
88 months ago
3D Touch is an incredibly useful feature and I would be very disappointed if they remove it! I'm also ambivalent about the design of the triple cameras shown in the article. I hope Apple ends up choosing something more attractive.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
scrapesleon Avatar
88 months ago
No 3D Touch no buy
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vaxes Avatar
88 months ago
Here we go again with the split between with the XS & Max.
Gotta raise those profits...
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Adam Warlock Avatar
88 months ago
Meanwhile, back on Earth, most people are still looking for a truly affordable iPhone with significantly better battery life. *sigh*
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
swm Avatar
88 months ago
i hope we reach a state where there'll be 32 or 64 cameras on the back, so that ugly protruding bump finally disappears...
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)