Report claims a bigger iPhone is also prepared

Aug 4, 2017 10:08 GMT  ·  By

​It’s no longer a secret that Apple plans to launch an OLED iPhone this fall, but while all the reports so far claim the device would feature a 5.8-inch display with narrow bezels, it’s now being speculated that a bigger model is also prepared.

ETNews writes that Samsung Display’s A3 production facility, which is in charge of building the OLED panels for Apple’s upcoming device, is making not one, but two different iPhone displays. The first is the overly-discussed 5.8-inch screen to power the iPhone 8, and the second one is a bigger 6.0-inch unit that would presumably be offered on a possibly called iPhone 8 Plus.

“If Samsung Display operates production lines for Apple at an operation rate of 100% with 100% yield, it is able to produce about 124 million 6-inch panels and 130 million 5.8-inch panels respectively in [a] single year,” the report states, with the emphasis belonging to us.

This means that the anniversary iPhone lineup could include two different models, though the difference in size between the two displays is unsubstantial and doesn’t make much sense at first glance.

iPhone 7s and 7s Plus?

Up until this point, it was believed that Apple’s new iPhone lineup would include 3 different models, namely the anniversary iPhone 8, the iPhone 7s, and the iPhone 7s Plus. But if the aforementioned report is true, then a fourth model would be added, pushing the entire lineup that the company offers to five models, if we also include the iPhone SE.

Both the iPhone 7s and the 7s Plus are likely to feature more subtle improvements as compared to the iPhone 8, sticking with the design of the current models and still coming with Touch ID – rumor has it Apple would give up on the fingerprint sensor entirely in favor of facial recognition.

It goes without saying that today’s report should be taken with a healthy pinch of salt, but it won’t take too long before we find out the truth since the launch is expected to happen the next month.