14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is working on a trio of iPhones for the 2018 generation, but it looks that at least one of these models could be held back for approximately one more month than the other two.
Specifically, while the 2018 iPhone X and the Plus-sized version could see daylight in September (and hit the shelves later the same month), the more affordable and super-anticipated LCD sibling supposed to be part of this year’s lineup could only make it to the market in October.
This is what a recent report from Nikkei indicates, as sources close to the supply chain pointed out that production of the cheaper iPhone could only begin in August, one month later than in the case of the OLED configurations.
“The scheduled time frame for components for the OLED models to go into iPhone assemblers like Foxconn and Pegatron for final assembly falls in July, while the schedule for components for the LCD model would be in August. Two OLED models are likely to be ready roughly one month earlier than the cost-effective LCD model, according to the current plan,” the report reads.
The 3D Touch challenge
Last year, Apple had to hold back the iPhone X due to production struggles with the Face ID face recognition module, as the complex nature of the system raised particular challenges to manufacturers.
This time, however, it appears that the reason for the possible delay is the 3D Touch system. Apple is expected to remove the 3D Touch feature from the more affordable iPhone in order to keep the price down, and instead, the company could use a software-based solution that would only mimic such capabilities.
This is expected to work similarly to Android devices where simply pressing an icon or option longer brings up further activities that can be performed without launching the app itself.
Besides 3D Touch, Apple could also launch the LCD iPhone without a dual-camera system and glass body, which means that it’ll likely not feature wireless charging either.