14 DAY TRIAL // Apple’s 2018 iPhone lineup is expected to include three different models, one of which is likely to come with an LCD panel that would eventually help the parent company reduce the final price.
And according to a new report based on an investor note from investment firm Rosenblatt Securities, the LCD iPhone could be $200 cheaper than its OLED siblings launching this year.
Previously, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the more affordable iPhone could be priced as low as $550 with a single SIM, while a dual-SIM version was projected to hit the market at $700.
Today’s report, however, notes that the LCD model “is being positioned to be priced more aggressively” with a price tag in the $799 range. This means the device could indeed be some $200 cheaper than the OLED iPhone X landing in 2018, but might not be as affordable as Kuo predicted.
Cost-saving measures
Rosenblatt says Apple’s plan with the new LCD iPhone is to upgrade iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s customers to new-generation hardware. It’s expected that this model would come with Face ID and a notch, but the report also mentions a small bezel at the bottom of the screen whose role is yet to be determined.
As far as the cost-cutting process goes, Apple would obviously remove more premium features like wireless charging and a dual-camera system, and the investor note also points to a different material that might be used for the frame, currently made of steel. Force touch could also get the ax.
Apple wants to manufacture as many as 60 million LCD iPhone units this year, while the OLED output would count 50 million units, out of which 28 million would be the iPhone X successor with a 5.8-inch display. A larger iPhone X with a screen measuring around 6.5 inches is also expected.
The debut of the new iPhones is expected to take place in September, as per Apple’s typical fall release schedule.