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Apple could launch two new full-screen iPhones next year

Apple could launch two new full-screen iPhones next year

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Photo by James Bareham / The Verge

Now that the iPhone X has been out for a week, it’s time to get started on rumors for next year’s iPhones. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, whose iPhone predictions have been fairly reliable over the last several years, says that he expects to see two new full-screen iPhones next year: one will have a 6.5-inch OLED display, essentially making it a Plus version of the iPhone X; and the other will have a 6.1-inch LCD display, likely making it more like a full-screen version of the current Plus-sized iPhone. And yes, both will have the notch.

The LCD version will be cheaper, but with a worse screen

In his research note, which was reported by MacRumors, Kuo writes that Apple is hoping to “satisfy various needs of the high-end market” by expanding its full-screen product line. At the high end will be the 6.5-inch OLED iPhone; beneath that will be an updated version of the 5.8-inch OLED iPhone X; and finally, the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone will sit below both of them. Kuo predicts that the 6.1-inch phone will be priced somewhere between $649 to $749 and be set apart by having a less dense screen resolution, offering a (slightly) worse picture.

If Apple does introduce a 6.1-inch LCD iPhone, $749 seems too cheap for it to sell at — the iPhone 8 starts at $699 as it is, and the 8 Plus starts at $799. The 6.1-inch phone sounds like a step up from the existing Plus model, so it would make more sense to sell it for, say, $899, right between a refreshed version of the Plus and a refreshed version of the X. Of course, it’s possible that Apple will be more aggressive in its pricing and in bringing new technology down through its product line, but I wouldn’t be optimistic. The company likes to take its time and work those profit margins.