KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo made predictions about iPhone 8

Apr 24, 2017 12:38 GMT  ·  By

Apple’s anniversary iPhone 8 is the subject of many rumors and leaks, while details about the highly anticipated smartphone will continue to surface until its official announcement later this year. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has recently predicted that Apple will push back mass production of iPhone 8 to November, according to 9to5Mac.

The reason for the delay from the regular timeline of August/September is said to be supply shortages of custom-ordered components for Apple. The analyst said that the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus would launch on the normal schedule, but the iPhone 8 could be delayed.

The delay could hurt Apple’s calendar 2017 sales, as many customers will have to wait for the device to become available, thus forcing Apple to face stiff competition from manufacturers of Android-running devices.

Apple could feature Touch ID underneath the display

The location of the Touch ID on the next iPhone has been the subject of recent talks, as some analysts have said that Apple is facing issues with integrating the sensor underneath the display and that it could be relocated to the back of the phone.

Samsung faced the same issue and decided to place the fingerprint sensor on the rear panel of the Galaxy S8. Perhaps Apple will perfect the technology and release an iPhone 8 with a Touch ID sensor under the screen.

Moreover, Apple’s adoption of an OLED display on the iPhone could encourage other smartphone makers to utilize edge-to-edge OLED screens on their devices, as large displays will be preferred to smaller ones on smartphones. Moreover, the analyst believes that the two iPhone 7s phones could become less appealing if the full-screen designs are predictable.

Kuo also predicted that new iPhone shipments could reach as high as 110 million in the second half of this year, and revealed that the “worst case scenario” could reduce his estimates by 15 to 25%, which means between 80 million and 90 million units. However, Morgan Stanley doubled its forecast for OLED iPhones production to 50-100 million units.