The latest rumors on the iPhone X Plus suggest that the smartphone could be the biggest ever from Apple. A noted technology industry expert indicates that the iPhone X Plus, as the device could be branded, will be an exciting proposition when it arrives later this year.
Kuo predictions
Infamous analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities asserts that Apple will deliver an iPhone X Plus with a 6.5-inch OLED screen. This device will be roughly as large as the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus, but will instead feature the wraparound-style display that Apple debuted in the iPhone X earlier this year.
Apple will also slim the bezels down in this new iPhone X Plus with the aim of delivering what it deems to be the ideal smartphone. The 6.5-inch screen linked with this iteration of the iconic mobile series will certainly put the new release on par with virtually everything in the existing industry in terms of size.
iPhone X Plus $1,000+ price tag
The price tag of the iPhone X Plus will also be a particular element of interest for Apple fans, as the comments of Kuo imply that the smartphone could be even more expensive than the $999 iPhone X. Although Apple can sell virtually any product, a four-figure price tag would certainly pique the interest of analysts.
In addition, Kuo also suggests that a cheaper OLED model will accompany the iPhone X Plus, as Apple looks to solidify its product range around the technology that it embraced for the first time last year. This model will also incorporate Face ID, although the display will feature an inferior resolution to the high-end model.
Kuo suggests that this version of the next iPhone generation will be more affordable, with consumers required to shell out between $650 and $750 in order to pick one up. This can be considered a competitive price tag in the contemporary smartphone marketplace.
iPhone X Plus Display rumors
Just as branding isn’t certain for the iPhone X Plus, another aspect of the smartphone which is still up in the air is the resolution of a display that will clearly be central to the device. With potentially three Apple devices appearing with OLED panels in 2018, it is possible that Apple could improve the pixel capabilities of the iPhone X Plus in order to make it stand out from the crowd. This could mean a move to 4K resolution, with Samsung also expected to deliver this with the Galaxy Note 9.
Although the iPhone X Plus is some weeks away, Apple is already seemingly making plans for the next generation smartphone. The Korea Herald has reported that LG Display will be centrally involved with the forthcoming release, with panels for the device having been sourced by the Cupertino-based company.
This will see LG Display involved with the shipment of OLED panels in the second half of 2018, with Apple gearing up for a massive release. It seems that just as the executive phalanx of Apple has indicated that Face ID is the future of Apple security, so OLED seems to be the future of Apple displays.
And the Korea Herald states that although Samsung will remain involved with the supply of OLED for the iPhone X Plus range, Apple will be shaking things up. Samsung will deliver the OLED panels for the smaller device, while LG will be involved with the premium versions. It seems that Apple doesn’t want to be too reliant on its great rival for OLED supplies from hereon in.
Reports earlier this year suggested that Apple is paying over $2.5 billion from OLED production lines exclusively dedicated to iPhone screens.
Home button gone
In other news, Kuo also expects Apple to completely abandon the Home button in the iPhone X plus generation. This has already occurred with Apple’s premium iPhone X, but is now set to migrate to all iPhone X Plus releases. Increasingly, the Home button technology that was considered central to older mobile devices is considered dated and obsolete, and Apple will move to eliminate the Home buttons of all iPhone X devices, in order to create more space for screen real estate.
Kuo has already outlined his beliefs on the iPhone X Plus in a note to investors, indicating that the main device will also be bereft of Touch ID. Apple execs have stated that the days of Touch ID are numbered, but many analysts and market observers believed that Apple’s 2017 smartphone would still benefit from the traditional security system.
Sales of the iPhone X have been pretty positive for Apple, with the number of units shifted exceeding the estimates and expectations of analysts. The latest data on the premium smartphone indicates that Apple sold 46.7 million iPhones in the fourth quarter ending September 30, which was marginally more than the 46.4 million predicted by market experts.
With Kuo also anticipating an iPhone SE with a glass back, suggesting that the smaller smartphone will deliver wireless charging this time out, the whole Apple range will evolve in 2018. This really needs to happen in what is an increasingly competitive industrial niche. While the Apple and iPhone brands retain their potency, challenges from multiple directions mean that Apple cannot afford to rest on its laurels.
iPhone X Plus Camera
Other iPhone X Plus rumors center on the camera to be included in the device, with Apple expected to particularly focus on improving the photographic capabilities of its smartphone snappers in 2018. How this will be achieved remains to be seen, but Samsung is also believed to be working on upgrades to the Galaxy Note range cameras as well.
Considering that the iPhone X Plus could retail at the eye-watering price tag of $1,099, Apple will have to pull out all the stops with its feature set, so there will probably be many innovations linked with the mobile before it is released, in what is expected to be September.
