Credit: EverythingApplePro

That’s because Apple may be running into a unique moniker problem, thanks to the iPhone X a few years back. Now, iPhone casemaker ESR is placing bets on what it thinks the next iPhones will be called.

The Casemaker Report

An ESR internal quotation list, first spotted by French site iPhonesoft, suggests that the casemaker believes the next iPhones will be called “iPhone 11.” That lines up with the general consensus among the Apple blogosphere.

But ESR also appears to think that the next generation of Apple handsets will bear the “Pro” moniker. That’s also something that we’ve seen in recent reports — and, in particular, from one especially accurate source.

The result? Here’s what ESR apparently believes Apple will dub the iPhone lineup.

1. iPhone 11
2. iPhone 11 Pro
3. iPhone 11 Pro Max

It isn’t clear where ESR is sourcing its information from, but it’s not likely that the casemaker has any inside intel. The supply chain typically has no idea what Apple will call an upcoming generation of iPhone until the company announces it.

In other words, this is likely just ESR’s best guess at what the upcoming 6.5-inch handset will be called.

Why Apple Won’t Take This Route

We’ve previously written how Apple’s numbered iPhone naming scheme has become confusing — particularly when the company keeps using Roman numerals in place of numbers.

As a possible alternative, we suggested that Apple could dub the next iPhones just “iPhone” and “iPhone Pro,” depending on their tier. But “iPhone 11 Pro Max” is not what we meant.

For one, it’s incredibly clunky. If Apple does indeed adopt the Pro moniker, it’s much more likely to do so in a way that simplifies the lineup. Not “iPhone 11 Pro,” just “iPhone Pro.”

The “Pro Max” naming scheme is unlikely for a number of reasons. We find it much more probable that Apple will simply differentiate the iPhones by size, similar to how the iPad Pro lineup is named.

In other words, don’t worry. The next iPhone won’t be called the iPhone 11 Pro Max.