New iPhone: 2019 model will be able to charge other devices through its back, rumour suggests

Phone expected to keep its traditional charger – for now

This Oct. 22, 2018, file photo shows the iPhone XR, left, that has a single lens, and the iPhone XS Max that has two lenses, in New York (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Apple's 2019 iPhone could have the ability to give its battery power to other phones, according to a new leak.

The new handsets – perhaps called the iPhone 11 – might be able to turn themselves into wireless chargers, allowing them to give spare battery to other phones that can charge that way, according to rumours from respected Apple analyst Ming-chi Kuo.

A new report on the future of the Apple line-up suggests that phone will benefit from "bilateral wireless charging for charging other devices".

Otherwise, the chargers will be left the same, he writes. The phones will keep the Lightning cables they have been powered up with for years, allowing owners to keep their existing accessories despite continuing rumours Apple could one day move to using USB-C.

The feature would not be entirely new: the Huawei Mate 20 Pro is already able to pass its battery to other phones, with a feature that the company calls "reverse wireless charging".

And Samsung has been rumoured to be working on a similar feature in its upcoming S10 smartphone, meaning that Apple's rival could beat it to market when the phone is released later this month.

As well as the charging rumour, the new report reveals a whole host of suggestions about what the new iPhone could look like.

The phones will come in the same line-up as they do now: a premium phone, a bigger version of that same premium phone, and a cheaper model that sits in the middle in terms of size but is lacking some of the high-end features.

And they will bring a whole host of other features. The main upgrades will include tools that allow the phones to use precise indoor positioning and navigation, a "frosted glass" casing, better Face ID facial recognition, and bigger batteries.

The biggest new feature however is said to be a triple-lens camera, which is endorsed by the new report and has been widely rumoured. That will allow the phone to include a wide, telephoto and ultra-wide lens system, the new report claims.