“Apple has been developing four next-generation iPhone projects: a 5.7- to 5.8-inch LCD device; a 6.0- to 6.1-inch LCD device; a 6.0- to 6.1-inch OLED device; and a 6.4- to 6.5-inch OLED device, according to Digitimes Research senior analyst Luke Lin,” Joseph Tsai reports for Digitimes. “But the vendor is likely to eventually launch the two LCD phones and the 6.4- to 6.5-inch OLED one.”
“The next-generation iPhone line-up is similar to the portfolio it launched last year: two LCD panel-based devices – the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus; and the OLED-based iPhone X,” Tsai reports. “Apple originally intended to push the two OLED iPhones and the 6.0- to 6.1-inch LCD iPhone, but has recently started leaning toward the combination of the two LCD models plus the 6.4- to 6.5-inch OLED iPhone, abandoning the 6.0- to 6.1-inch OLED model.”
“For the entry-level sector, Apple is preparing a new inexpensive smartphone similar to the iPhone SE for 2018, featuring the wireless charging functionality, but not 3D sensing,” Tsai reports. “The smartphone will begin mass production in the second quarter with the official launch in May or June, Lin noted.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple’s decision likely hinges heavily on OLED capacity projections. The fact that there are four devices being prototyped, when three are expected to ship, shows that Apple could still decide to go with two OLED iPhones (X and X Plus/Pro) and one LCD. Also, Apple may be looking to use Full Active LCD which allows for edge-to-edge bezel-less iPhones. Surely Ming-Chi Kuo will weigh in throughout the year to apprise us of Apple’s supplier moves, so we’ll very likely know what’s coming by this August at the latest.
SEE ALSO:
Ming-Chi Kuo: Apple’s next-gen Apple 6.1-inch iPhone will not offer 3D Touch – January 23, 2018
Ming-Chi Kuo: Apple will launch 5.8-, 6.1-, and 6.5-inch iPhones with larger batteries in 2018 – December 8, 2017
Liquidmetal? Apple supplier experimenting with metal case for 6.1-inch LCD iPhone for 2018 – December 7, 2017
Apple may use Full Active LCD over OLED to create next-gen bezel-less iPhones – September 28, 2017
I sometimes tire of the perpetual speculation of Apple may do in the future.. I would rather see “real” verifiable news for a while, until there is actually something concrete to report, instead of news from a source thats always been ridiculously speculative in the first place.
In that case there wouldn’t be much news outside of Apple’s intermittent official announcements, and during WWDC and the 2-3 events they hold each year. If Apple ran MDN we’d be lucky to have one story a week.
Hmm, according to my web page it looks like MDN turned off the voting system except for a “liked” star.