Rumor mill: We're moving ever closer to September and the announcement of the next iPhones, which means a deluge of rumors and speculation. One of the latest comes from analysts at British bank Barclays: the iPhone 12 won't come with Apple's EarPods headphones, and it might not even have a power brick.

As reported by MacRumors, the bank's predictions are based on discussions with multiple Apple suppliers. The analysts' research note claims that none of the iPhone 12 models will ship with EarPods in the box. That does sound entirely possible; renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo made the same prediction last month. He believes the decision will help boost demand for Apple's AirPods.

If Apple does drop the earbuds, the next handsets would be the first iPhones not to include them in the box. But with wireless options now most people's preferred choice, Apple might believe the decision won't annoy too many fans.

What would annoy people, however, is the prospect of Apple not including a power brick with any of the iPhone 12 models, leaving buyers with just a USB-C to Lightning cable. While this could save Apple money, which would hopefully be reflected in the iPhones' selling price, and be good for the environment, those without a USB-C charger at home won't be happy about having to pay extra.

Not including a power brick does sound very unlikely, and we recently saw photos allegedly showing a 20W adaptor that will be included with the iPhone 12.

Elsewhere, Barclays believes mass production of the iPhone 12 is four to six weeks behind schedule. It writes that while the handsets will be announced in September, some models won't be launched until October or November. It also expects the two high-end devices to feature a triple-lens camera system and LiDAR scanner.

With looming recessions and the smartphone market in decline, Apple could be looking to price its iPhones more reasonably this year. If rumors are true, one 4G model will cost just $549.

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