Apple could launch two new full-screen iPhones next year

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.

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.