14 DAY TRIAL // The rivalry between Android and iPhone models continues, this time with a forecast from top Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who praises the TrueDepth camera system of the iPhone X.
In a note to investors sent this morning, Kuo estimates that Apple would sell a maximum of 35 million iPhone X units this year, down from his original estimate of 40 million units. The analyst says that it’s all because of production struggles with the TrueDepth camera, which would give Apple a major advantage ahead of Android smartphones.
While at first glance the production issues are a major drawback in Apple’s efforts of making the iPhone X a hit, it’s all working out quite well for Cupertino, as despite the short delay, the anniversary device would still sell very well thanks to the very same camera system.
Android phones can’t match the performance of the iPhone X
Kuo says in his note that the TrueDepth camera pushes the iPhone X 1.5 to 2.5 years ahead all of its Android rivals – and ahead of the other iPhone models, of course, which the analyst expects to be slightly impacted by this more powerful configuration.
Both the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus could suffer from dropping demand once iPhone X production reaches full speed, and the analyst estimates this to happen in early 2018.
So while the iPhone X is expected to benefit from growing sales once production reaches the desired level, the iPhone 8 and the 8 Plus could go down because more customers are likely to buy the top model despite the higher price.
Unveiled in September, the iPhone X will become available for pre-order on October 27, while sales will kick off on November 3. Initial supplies are expected to be limited, mostly due to the productivity issues mentioned above and impacting several components, including the OLED display that’s manufactured by Samsung.