Apple may release three new iPhone models this year including a slightly cheaper $700 (£500) 6.1-inch phone without 3D touch, according to a research analyst.
As part of the trio, Apple may also release an updated iPhone X with a 5.8-inch OLED screen and a larger 6.5-inch OLED model, potentially called the iPhone X Plus.
The 6.1-inch phone will feature an aluminium frame similar to the iPhone 8 and the display will be an LCD panel instead of OLED, an expert has predicted.
Apple may release three new iPhone models this year; a 6.1-inch phone without 3D touch (third from the left); an updated iPhone X with a 5.8-inch OLED screen (second from the left) and a larger 6.5-inch OLED model (potentially called the iPhone X Plus) (left). Pictured on the right is the iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 8
Ming-Chi Kuo, who works for KGI Securities says one of this year’s sequels – the 5.8-inch phone dubbed the ‘iPhone X2’ – will have the same design as the current model but with a more powerful chip.
The 6.5-inch iPhone X Plus will have similar specifications as the current iPhone X but an OLED display and 4GB of RAM, he predicts.
However, it is believed the 6.1-inch design will drop several of the more advanced features of the iPhone X.
For example it will have just one rear camera and 3GB of RAM instead of the 4GB that Mr Kuo claims the updated X and X Plus models have.
He also believes there will be no 3D touch, which senses how deeply users press the display, but it will retain the notch for Face ID.
WHAT ARE THE 2018 iPHONE RUMOURS SO FAR?
Apple has yet to unveil the iPhone 8, but the latest rumours of its 2018 smartphone have already hit the web.
In August rumours from the supply chain said the iPhone 9 will be available in two sizes, including one with a massive screen that would be Apple’s biggest yet.
The ‘Plus’ size will reportedly have a 6.46-inch screen and will be sold alongside a smaller 5.85-inch model in a bid to compete with Samsung’s Galaxy Note.
The leak came from a source within Samsung Display, the sole OLED supplier for the upcoming iPhones.
The source also said the smaller version was originally going to be a 5.28-inch model but that the firm upped it to 5.85 inches because of growing consumer demand for bigger-screen phones.
In August rumours from the supply chain said the iPhone 9 will be available in two sizes, including one with a massive screen that would be Apple’s biggest yet (stock image, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus)
A recent Apple leak suggested the firm could cancel the iPhone X.
An analyst says the new model’s disappointing sales could lead to the phone being cancelled – with production stopping as soon as this summer.
This could be the first time Apple has cancelled a phone model since the iPhone 5C in 2014.
Experts believe the lack of interest in the phone is largely due to the notch, which many potential Chinese customers believe removes too much space on the screen.
Now, Ming-Chi Kuo from KGI Securities says Apple will release three new iPhone models including a slightly cheaper 6.1-inch phone without 3D touch.
It could also release an updated iPhone X with a 5.8-inch OLED screen and a larger 6.5-inch OLED model, potentially called the iPhone X Plus.
The 6.1-inch phone will feature an aluminium frame similar to the iPhone 8 and the display will be an LCD panel instead of OLED, he predicted.
The 6.5-inch iPhone X Plus will have similar specifications as the current design but an OLED display and 4GB of RAM, he predicts.
‘We predict the 6.1″ LCD iPhone will differ from the 6.5″ and 5.8″ OLED models in terms of certain specs, for reasons of cost/price and product segmentation’, read the research note, obtained by MacRumours.
‘We revise up our price projection for the 6.1″ model from $650-$750 to $700-$800 [£460-£530 to £500-£570], and remain positive on shipments momentum’, it read.
Mr Kuo estimates Apple will ship 80 million to 90 million iPhones during the second half of 2018 and believes the 6.1-inch LCD phone will account for 50 per cent of those shipments.
Earlier this week an Apple leak suggested the firm could cancel the iPhone X.
An analyst says the new model’s disappointing sales could lead to the phone being cancelled – with production stopping as soon as this summer.
This could be the first time Apple has cancelled a phone model since the iPhone 5C in 2014.
The 6.1-inch phone will feature an aluminium frame similar to the iPhone 8 and the display will be an LCD panel instead of OLED, an expert has predicted. Pictured is the iPhone X
Experts believe the lack of interest in the phone is largely due to the notch, which many potential Chinese customers believe removes too much space on the screen.
During a trip to China last month Apple CEO Tim Cook said he ‘couldn’t be happier’ with the demand for the iPhone X in the country.
Apple plans to ship around 18 million of the iPhone X in the first quarter of 2018, according to Apple KGI security analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
He predicts the iPhone X could be ‘end of life’ as soon as this summer, rather than being kept on as a cheaper option for the following year.
According to the report seen by Apple Insider, Chinese interest in the phone has been lower as consumers believe there is less usable space than on the iPhone 8 Plus.
The notch contains the 3D scanning sensors and cameras that power Face ID, but cuts into the top of the display.
Mr Kuo believes an ‘iPhone X Plus’ model will debut instead of the current model that will mitigate concerns about unusable screen area.
The iPhone 6 and 7 have been more popular than expected meaning the firm remains ‘positive on Apple [and] the iPhone supply chain’, the report said.
Mr Kuo also believes there will be a modest 5 per cent growth in overall sales during the first half of 2018.