14 DAY TRIAL // We’ve already heard rumors that Apple could launch a bigger iPhone X next year, and a new forecast from Chuljoong Kim of Jefferies & Co. suggests a model with a screen as big as 6.5 inches is very likely.
The analyst says this is expected to happen by 2020 on a model that he refers to as the iPhone XI S, which is expected to substantially boost OLED tech production for companies like LG Electronics already working with Apple.
The OLED screen on the iPhone X is manufactured by Samsung, but there are reports that Apple is trying to reduce reliance on the South Korean firm and is planning major investments in a new LG facility that would exclusively build iPhone displays.
iPhone XI S coming in 2020
Kim claims the 6.5-inch iPhone could use only 180 panels per sheet, as compared to no less than 230 panels in the case of the iPhone X, generating new challenges among suppliers.
The iPhone X display, in particular, has been troublesome due to its complex nature and the notch at the top of the screen, with Apple said to start mass production later than it planned due to particular struggles with the fingerprint sensor (eventually removed completely).
Furthermore, the analyst says that investments in foldable OLED screens will also continue and 2019 should bring the first models to the market after the majority of manufacturers would start experimenting with various designs as soon as the next year.
If Apple sticks with its existing naming strategy for the iPhone X, 2018 should bring us the iPhone X S, while the next year the company could introduce the iPhone XI. If Kim’s prediction is accurate, the iPhone XI S should land in 2020, aligning with the rest of the forecast.
Apple is expected to launch three iPhone models next year, all of them featuring the Face ID facial recognition system, but at least one has been rumored to stick with LCD tech for a lower price.