Latest iPhone 11 rumor details new ‘waterproof’ tech and next-gen haptics

By  Yoni Heisler March 4th, 2019

Image Source: Hasan Kaymak

Over the past few months, we haven’t seen a whole lot of rumors surrounding Apple’s iPhone 11 lineup. Sure, we know that Apple’s iPhone 11 lineup will include successors to the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max, and sure, we know that Face ID will see some performance improvements, but that’s not exactly jaw-dropping information.

With that said, we’re fast approaching that time of the year when the iPhone rumor mill kicks into high gear. For as much as Apple tries to keep product leaks to a minimum, there’s really only so much the company can keep under wraps once a final design and feature-set is chosen. In light of that, developer Max Weinbach recently divulged a number of interesting tidbits about Apple’s upcoming iPhone 11 to EverythingApplePro.

Weinbach doesn’t have a long track record with respect to Apple rumors, so as a general rule, you’ll probably want to take these rumors with a requisite grain of salt. With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s dive in.

Right off the bat, the iPhone 11 may feature a new “waterproof” display technology that will allow the device to recognize gestures and taps even when under water. Nifty? Sure. But the reality is that this feature, if true, isn’t of much practical value to the vast majority of iPhone users. At the very least, if the iPhone 11 makes it easier to detect gestures on those rare occasions when you’re trying to use your iPhone while walking in the rain, we’re not going to complain.

Another interesting rumor from Weinbach relays that Apple has been working on iPhone models with a next-gen Taptic Engine with “directional precision.” The details are murky, but Weinbach claims that it will enable users to feel vibrations from various parts of the screen. Imagine, for example, tapping a button on the upper right-hand quadrant of the phone and feeling an accompanying vibration from that exact area as well. Admittedly, this isn’t a game-changer but this particular rumor is somewhat intriguing.

As for other iPhone 11 features we’ve come across over the past few weeks and months, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo anticipates that the iPhone 11 will include a larger battery (and hopefully longer battery life), bilateral wireless charging, and last but not least, a triple-lens camera on the iPhone 11 Max and, hopefully, the iPhone 11 itself. There are also reports that the successor to the iPhone XR will include a dual-lens camera.

Apple’s iPhone 11 models will of course ship with iOS 13, a software update that should be a lot more exciting than last year’s iOS 12 release. Notably, one long-desired iOS feature that will finally arrive with iOS 13 is Dark Mode. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Dark Mode, according to Weinbach, may not ship until Apple drops iOS 13.1.

EverythingApplePro’s full video can be seen below.