14 DAY TRIAL // The 2018 iPhone generation could bring not only hardware upgrades and a new, more affordable model, but also a significant change in terms of product naming.
Apple is believed to once again be exploring an older idea to simplify the iPhone branding, and one way to do this could be giving up on iPhone numbering starting this fall.
Guggenheim analyst Robert Cihra says that instead of iPhone 8s or iPhone 9, the upcoming generation could embrace simplified names like just “iPhone,” though for the time being, it looks like this change is planned for the LCD model only.
On the other hand, the OLED iPhones will continue to be called X and possibly X Plus, if a bigger model is indeed launched.
iPhone, iPhone X, iPhone X Plus
Rumor has it that Apple wants to unveil three different iPhone this year, as it follows: a direct successor to the iPhone X that would come with a 5.8-inch OLED panel, a 6.1-inch LCD model to hit the market at a lower price, and a 6.5-inch OLED iPhone X Plus with the same features as the 5.8-inch version, but with a bigger screen.
If this naming approach comes into effect, then the 2018 generation could be called iPhone, iPhone X, and iPhone X Plus.
While this makes sense at first, the naming could cause confusion among Apple customers when it comes to differentiating one generation from another, especially when two similar models are involved.
This wouldn’t be the first time Apple embraces a simplified product naming strategy though. A similar approach has been used for the iPad, which evolved from iPad to iPad 2, The New iPad, iPad Air, and eventually returning to iPad. As AI notes, this isn’t entirely a new plan for the iPhone, though it appears that Apple is very keen on implementing it this year.
The new-generation iPhone is due to hit the market in September as per Apple’s typical release schedule, so more information on what the new models could be called is expected to surface in the coming months.