Upgraded 3D sensing and AR features need more power

Dec 22, 2017 08:20 GMT  ·  By

Apple is expected to launch three different iPhone models next year, and a new investor note from reputable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reveals that all could come with significantly bigger batteries.

While at first glance this could be an indication that Apple is aiming for bigger battery life, that’s not necessarily the case, as the company needs more juice to power what Ming-Chi Kuo calls “upgraded 3D sensing and AR-related functions.”

No specifics were provided, but the analyst says these features will “consumer more power, further increasing demand for large-capacity batteries.”

Apple has already embraced a new battery design this year for the iPhone X, with two different units connected to each other in an L-shaped layout, and more changes are projected to happen next year. Rigid-flex PCB instead of flex PCB for iPhone batteries are likely to be used, with other parts to be substantially smaller, including the processor.

Three iPhone models launching next year

This should help achieve a battery upgrade of approximately 10 percent for the 5.8-inch iPhone X, while the bigger iPhone models launching next year could go beyond this point.

The same analyst expects Apple to launch not only a direct successor to the iPhone X in 2018, but also a bigger Plus-sized model with a 6.5-inch OLED display. Furthermore, a 6.1-inch iPhone with an LCD screen and presumably coming at a smaller price tag could also be unveiled.

All models, however, will feature the Face ID facial recognition system and come with a notch at the top of the screen, with Apple said to be planning giving up on Touch ID entirely. This means these three new iPhones will embrace an edge-to-edge display design as well.

These are all rumors for the time being, but they to seem to align with the direction that Apple is aiming for with the iPhone X. The new models should see daylight in the fall as well.