UPDATED 01:56 EST / NOVEMBER 14 2017

EMERGING TECH

KGI report claims Apple will launch two OLED iPhones and lower-price LCD model next year

Apple Inc.’s premium iPhone X only went on sale less than two weeks ago and already the rumors have started of what to expect from its 2018 models.

According to the latest report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is set to unveil three new iPhones next year. These will include the next generation of the 5.8-inch iPhone X and a 6.5-inch iPhone with an organic light-emitting diode or OLED display, as well as a more budget-friendly 6.1-inch liquid-crystal display model.

Both the 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch “iPhone X Plus” will feature the same edge-to-edge OLED display as the recently released model. Kuo expects the 5.8-inch to retain the current 458 pixels per inch of the current iPhone X (main image), while the larger 6.5-inch model will have between 480 and 500 PPI.

The 6.1-inch LCD model will be aimed at the low-end and mid-range smartphone markets, according to Kuo, and will cost between $650 and $750. The LCD model will have a lower-resolution display, estimated to be between 320 and 330 PPI, but like the OLED models will feature facial recognition and advanced camera sensors to replace Touch ID.

Kuo had reported in September that all 2018 iPhone models would feature Face ID, rather than Touch ID, and that it will also be included in the next-generation iPad. Apple launched Face ID and its TrueDepth camera with the premium iPhone X, but it hasn’t proven foolproof if a recent hacking claim is to be believed.

Kuo did not provide pricing details for the next-generation iPhone X, which currently starts at $999, or the 6.5-inch OLED model.

He does predict that the three 2018 models will drive a “real super-cycle in terms of iPhone replacement demand,” thanks to there being more price options with Face ID, a continued demand for the iPhone X and the fact that the new devices will be released on time. Kuo predicts between 100 million and 120 million iPhones to be assembled in the second half of 2018.

For this quarter, Kuo expects Apple to ship between 25 million and 27 million iPhone X units, with numbers increasing between 35 and 45 percent in the first quarter of 2018.

Image: Apple

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