Apple bucked the trend last year by announcing three iPhones instead of the usual two, and this is looking to be the new normal. Apple has historically stu
Apple bucked the trend last year by announcing three iPhones instead of the usual two, and this is looking to be the new normal.
Apple has historically stuck to a two-year cycle for the annual September launch event. Year “one” is when Apple introduces a “new” design, like the iPhone 4, and then the following year they release an iteration of that device – typically with an ‘S’ model number (e.g. 4S).
Apple was expected to release the iPhone 7S last year but instead skipped the S entirely and delivered the iPhone 8/8 Plus alongside the iPhone X.
That makes predicting this year’s lineup more tricky, although a host of leaks and rumours point to three new iPhones this year.
All phones are expected to feature Face ID and the same design as the iPhone X.
The first two models are said to be more “premium” and will inherit many of the features from the iPhone X including the OLED screen, dual rear-facing cameras and wireless charging with 5.8 and 6.5-inch displays respectively.
The third iPhone is rumoured to be the “budget” model and will have an LCD screen, one rear-facing camera, an aluminium frame and a screen size of 6.1 inches.
If the rumours are correct, these will be the largest devices by screen size Apple has ever released (for reference, the iPhone X has a 5.8-inch screen in a smaller body than the 5.5-inch iPhone 8 Plus).
The premium models will likely retail for $1500 plus, and the 6.5-inch model could exceed $1800 – the most expensive iPhone yet. That means the budget version could be priced somewhere around the $1000 mark to stay competitive with the likes of Samsung and Google.
All models will include iOS 12 which was previewed at WWDC and will likely feature updated processors, cameras and faster data and download speeds.
The iPhone launch event is usually held in early September, but there is no official date at the moment.
As always, take all rumours with a grain of salt and subscribe to Techly’s newsletter to get all the latest iPhone news as it breaks.
