Apple might call its next phones ‘iPhone 11’ and ‘iPhone 11 Pro’

Apple could be about to completely shake up the naming scheme for its upcoming iPhones. 

This is according to French outlet iPhoneSoft (via 9to5Mac), which cites a document from case maker ESR that contains the new names. 

If the document is accurate, the successor to the iPhone XR will be the iPhone 11. The new version of the iPhone XS will be called the iPhone 11 Pro, while the iPhone XS Max’s successor will be called the iPhone 11 Pro Max. 

The new names make sense and are arguably less confusing than the current lineup, even though the “iPhone 11 Pro Max” sounds a little clunky. And, as 9to5Mac points out, one leaker recently hinted that Apple might be going with the “Pro” moniker for upcoming iPhones. 

However, if true, they’d represent a very significant change in how Apple positions the phones in its lineup. Right now, the iPhone XS is “the iPhone” — the one that most people should be looking at — while the iPhone XR is positioned as a cheaper variant, something akin to an “iPhone Lite”. 

By calling the iPhone XR’s successor “iPhone 11” Apple would effectively position that phone at the center of its lineup, leaving the “Pro” variants to more demanding customers. Since the iPhone XR’s successor will likely have an LCD screen and only two cameras — as opposed to the other two phones which will have triple cameras and the more advanced OLED screens — it’s a bit un-Apple-like to place it at the forefront of the lineup.

It’s worth noting that case makers (and leakers) can get names of upcoming iPhones wrong — in fact, they often rely on unofficial documents and schematics obtained through Apple’s supply chain, especially this early on.

Apple is expected to launch the three new iPhones in the fall.