As nature abhors a vacuum, the time between iPhone releases needs to be filled with speculation about what new features will be included in Apple's next phone And analysts seem willing to provide that for the iPhone 12, which is expected to be released this fall

The latest feature rumor mill for the iPhone 12 comes from Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis, Thomas O'Malley, and Baylie Harri, whose research notes obtained by MacRumors show that Apple's Face ID unlock technology, and an increase in memory for the next iPhone

It is not immediately clear what Barclays analysts are basing their claims on, but reports of this nature often draw on information from Apple's supply chain The Barclays note specifically cites Apple supplier Lite-On Semiconductor as benefiting from the TrueDepth camera improvements, but does not offer specifics on what changes are expected

One rumor surrounding the iPhone 12 is that Apple may eliminate the notch that houses the camera and sensors needed for Face ID and selfies In this scenario, Apple could place these components in a much smaller bezel at the top of the iPhone 12 display, requiring a reworking of the TrueDepth system Whatever design Apple chooses for this fall's iPhones, Face ID is almost certain to return

Another major feature change touted in the Barclays report, more memory in the iPhone 12, is also cited by other analysts Earlier this week, a UBS report suggested that the larger version of the iPhone 12 will have 6GB of RAM, which is the same amount of memory Barclays is predicting; according to a teardown of the iPhone 11 Pro model, it currently has 4GB of RAM (Apple has not officially confirmed the amount of memory the phone will have)

Barclays' research notes predict two other potential features for the iPhone 12, but they won't be a surprise if you've been following the rumors about Apple's next phone closely The report predicts that the rear camera of the iPhone 12 model will include a 3D time-of-flight sensor Such a feature would improve the blur effect in portrait photos and better support augmented reality (AR); as of January 2019, there were reports suggesting that Apple would add 3D sensors to at least some camera arrays in the 2020 iPhone models

Barclays analysts have also stated that Apple may eliminate the Lightning connector from at least one iPhone model next year This is a change already predicted by Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst with connections to Apple, whose reports have driven many of the rumors about the next iPhone's features

Kuo predicts that the 2021 iPhone could eliminate Lightning on the top-of-the-line model and offer a zero-port iPhone model This speculation stems from European regulators' push for a common charging standard for mobile devices like smartphones