Kuo: high-end 2022 iPhones and maybe the entire lineup, if production permits, will lose the notch in favor of a hole-punch design; iPhone SE 5G coming in 2022
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Context & Ripple Effects
Kuo's earlier iPhone 12 outlook described a narrower notch on the 5.4-inch model, making this report a more consequential step: Apple was being linked to removing the display cutout on higher-end 2022 phones rather than merely shrinking it.
Later related coverage narrowed the forecast into a first-half 2022 5G iPhone SE and second-half premium models, while adding a lower-priced 6.7-inch iPhone and a 48MP wide camera to the projected lineup. Together, the reports describe Apple using distinct display and connectivity upgrades to separate price tiers.
First-order effects
- Apple's projected 2022 range would give high-end iPhones a hole-punch display while moving the iPhone SE to 5G, creating visibly different upgrade propositions for premium and entry-level buyers.
- Production capacity becomes a direct constraint on whether the hole-punch design reaches only high-end iPhones or the broader lineup.
Second-order effects
- A lower-priced 6.7-inch iPhone, cited in later coverage, would make screen size less exclusive to premium models, leaving display design and camera specifications as clearer high-end differentiators.
- The reported move from a narrower notch to a hole-punch design raises the importance of Apple’s ability to deploy the new display approach at scale across its product tiers.
Third-order effects
- If Apple continues pairing mainstream connectivity upgrades with premium display and camera changes, iPhone segmentation will rely less on a single flagship design and more on staged feature allocation across price bands.
- The pattern points to the front-facing display area becoming an enduring premium-design battleground, with rollout breadth determined as much by production readiness as by product intent.
The trend: Apple’s reported iPhone roadmap reflects increasingly granular tiering, in which 5G, screen size, camera hardware, and display design are introduced at different points across the lineup.