Apple’s iPhone is undoubtedly one of the most-anticipated gadgets every year. Rumors and speculations surrounding the new iPhone design and features are always in full swing until Apple officially unveils the new phone. This year it’s no different; in fact, the anticipation is running even higher than ever before, as Apple is expected to unveil three new iPhones this year.
The latest news on the new iPhone design comes from none other than Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who is among the most-respected Apple insiders. According to Gurman, Apple is definitely coming up with a low-cost version of the iPhone X, but unlike current expectations, this iPhone will be fitted with an LCD instead of an OLED display. The use of an LCD is primarily to lower the cost of the phone.
I’m told this “N84” device is actually the low-cost LCD iPhone that looks like an iPhone X. https://t.co/KU0xhfkkHe https://t.co/YqiGMLHacb
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) May 26, 2018
The low-cost iPhone X — code-named the “N84’”– will sport an aluminum chassis and have a glass back to support wireless charging, claims Gurman. The original iPhone X has a steel frame. Further, there are reports that this iPhone will have a single-lens rear camera, but it will reportedly include Face ID, a bezel-less display, and, of course, the characteristic notch found on the iPhone X.
A report from South Korea’s Electronic Times, however, contradicts Gurman’s claim about the new iPhone design. ET News claims that all the new iPhones coming this year will have OLED screens. Apple used an OLED display in the iPhone X. Use of an OLED screen would be good news for potential buyers, as it is much better than an LCD, although it’s expensive as well. Using an OLED display in all three models would give the iPhone lineup a more unified look. However, potential buyers who were looking forward to buying the supposedly low-cost iPhone model would be disappointed because an OLED screen would increase the cost of the phone.
Another claim about the new iPhone design comes from Deutsche Securities analyst Jialin Lu. The analyst told Taiwan’s Economic Daily News that at least one of the iPhones coming this year will be fitted with a triple-lens rear camera. The iPhone X and the iPhone 8 Plus came with a dual-lens camera module. Adding a third lens would not only help with the phone’s portrait mode and other advanced features, but also with new depth-sensing tech and enhanced zoom.
Even if this claim of a triple-lens rear camera is true, Apple would not be the first smartphone maker to offer it. Huawei’s P20 Pro already has a triple-lens rear camera. Lu’s claims, however, are in line with a Bloomberg report from last year which claimed that Apple would eventually add 3D sensors to both sides of the iPhone.
The next rumor about the new iPhone design comes from a relatively lesser-known source: TechnoCodex. The site reportedly spotted a couple of vibrant looking iPhones in new colors. According to TechnoCodex, the “violet” and “Peel green” iPhones could indicate color options for this year’s iPhone. Apart from vibrant glass backs, these iPhones are shown to have gold-colored metal sides instead of the stainless steel band on the current iPhone X. The site claims that the leaked images come from Apple’s India plant.
Exclusive: The New #iPhone Prototype Leaked from #Apple Plant in India #tech #news #smartphones #technology #leakshttps://t.co/3NDvW6yiYu
— TechnoCodex (@techno_codex) May 29, 2018
There is also a new video from EverythingApplePro showing three different iPhone models. What’s interesting is that the models shown in the video fit the rumors we have heard so far.
Apart from the speculations surrounding the iPhone X’s successors, rumors about the iPhone SE2 are also circulating. The original SE was launched in 2016. Users were hoping for a successor in 2017, but Apple gave users only a new 128GB model. This year, almost every tipster is certain that the SE2 is coming with an exciting new design.
There are speculations that the SE2 will have an iPhone X-like notched display and glass back to support wireless charging. Many believe that this new iPhone will be announced at WWDC next week. If not at WWDC, the SE2 is expected to arrive at the usual September event where Apple unveils its new phones running on the latest version of iOS.
If the iPhone SE2 comes in September, it could have one very enticing feature. For iOS 12, Apple is reportedly working on a feature that would allow users to unlock their front door and car door with their iPhone. The new feature uses a near-field communication (NFC) chip to unlock the doors.
All these rumors must be taken with a grain of salt, as nothing is confirmed until Apple officially announces the new phones. However, one thing that is almost certain is that Apple’s 2018 lineup will probably trigger a massive upgrade cycle, which the iPhone X failed to do. Although the iPhone X was a hot item, its $999 retail price discouraged many potential buyers.
However, this could change this year, as Apple’s 2018 lineup is expected to cater to almost all types of buyers. Some analysts expect 2018 iPhone sales to easily beat the sales record set in 2015 on the back of robust iPhone 6 sales.
