The iPhone X was well received by many around the world and had its fair share of critics as well. It came out as a unique phone with some interesting features, the selling point being its “face unlock“. However, it seems as though Apple‘s not satisfied with the phone. There have been reports suggesting that Apple is likely to launch three new iPhone models in fall 2018 which makes one wonder what will happen to the iPhone X?
Fall 2017 saw the arrival of three new iPhones, the iPhone 8, the iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone X. The most popular amongst all the three iPhone was, of course, the iPhone X. It stood out from the rest of the iPhones not just in price but in features as well. No other iPhone has the face unlock feature, it was unique in design as well. However, the phone didn’t perform as well as the company hoped it would and KGI securities believes that come fall 2018, we’ll have seen the last of the iPhone X.
The iPhone X wasn’t much of a hit in the large and profitable Chinese market. The main issue with the phone being that the ‘notch’ holding the sensors reduces usable space on the screen for users.
According to the reports, if demand is not what Apple expected it to be then the iPhone X will be shelved soon. This is quite shocking considering how much the iPhone X costs and how popular it has been in other regions. This is the first time Apple has completely shelved a product instead of offering it with newer products to increase product diversity.
Although the iPhone X might be going away, that doesn’t mean Apple has nothing else to offer. There are rumors going around that around the same time the iPhone X gets shelved, we’ll see the arrival of three new iPhones. We saw three new iPhones arrive in fall 2017 as well, perhaps this is a new business model Apple has started to follow to give more options to its customers.
According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted in a note that was distributed to its clients:
“We predict Apple (US) will launch three new iPhone models in 2H18: 6.5-inch and 5.8-inch OLED models and a 6.1-inch TFT-LCD model, all equipped with a full-screen design and TrueDepth Camera (front 3D sensing), as with iPhone X,” Kuo wrote in Monday’s note.”
According to what Kuo, who’s known to accurately relay details of iPhones before, we’ll get 3 phones. The iPhones are set to be a diverse bunch as one or two of them will aim for the “high-end” market while the other iPhone will be a budget phone. Here’s a preview of what to expect for all the three sizes:
The cheaper version out of the three would likely have the same design as the iPhone X but perhaps not all the features, thus making it cheaper. However, it appears as if the phone will likely keep the Face ID feature. The device will reportedly have around 3 GB of ram, an aluminum frame, and no 3D touch. As you can already see from the phone, this phone will not have an OLED, but an LCD instead.
The other two phones, as mentioned, are intended for the high-end market. If you were a fan of the iPhone X then don’t worry, you’ll still be able to buy it. One of the newer phones, likely to be called the “iPhone X Plus” will be an updated version of Apple’s latest flagship without the design flaws customers believe it to have.
Both of the phones are likely to be newer versions of the iPhone X. The only difference will most likely be the screen size as Apple is looking to go even bigger as there is demand for said screen size by many customers for an even bigger screen (hence the ‘Plus’ in one of the phones).
Others report that the iPhone the iPhone SE 2 will be amongst the three iPhones to be released in fall 2018.
Design
The iPhone X design received a lot of popularity and praise. Expect newer iPhones to follow the same ‘notch‘ design to be followed along with some minor improvements. This means that the upcoming generation of iPhones will not have a home button, a design convention many other companies have also started following. The phones will also have a bezel-free design, they’ll come with the popular Face ID feature as well.
Other rumors
Apple might be using Micro LEDs in the future. Reports suggest that Apple is interested in these screens. Micro LEDs are considered much better than regular LED or OLED screens. This is because of their low power consumption, high brightness, ultra-high definition, higher efficiency and longer lifetimes etc. Phone lifetime is a critical aspect that becomes a selling point for many companies. Thus, having an improved lifetime definitely helps the iPhone’s standing in the highly competitive phone market.
OLEDs also offer most of the features of Micro LEDs, however, the latter has higher brightness and high color. The Apple Watch will most likely get these LEDs first before they are eventually implemented into the iPhone as well.
Apart from Face ID, the newest iPhones could have a new feature: the built-in touch ID. There are manufacturers who are now ready to prepare screens for phones that allow the built-in fingerprint sensor. It’s something that no major phone company has been done so far. Apple could lead the way if it implements such a feature on one of its iPhones.
The three iPhone model seems to be Apple’s latest approach now for releasing iPhones. Apple is looking to offer a more diverse range of products in order to make more sales. They’re also scrapping the September release date in order to release and ship the phones “on time”.
The newest iPhone X Plus will likely be priced similarly to the iPhone X at $999 or even more. The demand for the iPhone X was not as high as it was expected to be and a reliable source points towards newer versions of the phone. This makes it seems highly likely that Apple regrets releasing the iPhone X. That would explain why the new phones are being introduced.