KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo issued a note to clients this morning, a copy of which was obtained by MacRumors, predicting record 150 million iPhone sales in the second half of 2017. A 4.7-inch iPhone 8 with an LCD screen and glass casing should feature wireless charging, he wrote.
“Unprecedented replacement demand” will, of course, be led by a rumored high-end iPhone 8 model with brand new industrial design, power-saving OLED display technology and other “notably superior specifications” from the “less exciting” 4.7 and 5.5-inch LCD iPhones.
An excerpt from Kuo’s note to clients:
Our rationale is as follows: (1) the OLED model may trigger replacement demand among high-end users given its completely all-new-design form factor and notably superior specs in comparison to the TFT-LCD models; and (2) the new 4.7-inch iPhone, featuring glass casing and wireless charging, looks well positioned to tap replacement demand at the entry level.
Pegatron will exclusively assemble the 4.7-inch device and build its wireless charger, reads the note which makes no mention of the 5.5-inch iPhone 8 model.
Kuo, along with other analysts, basically expects three new iPhones next year: the premium OLED-based iPhone with a wraparound display and 4.7 and 5.5-inch models that will switch from metal to glass and have the traditional TFT LCD panels.
Assuming his prediction of 120-150 million iPhone sales in second half of 2017 holds true, the Cupertino company may beat the previous launch record of 110-120 million units held by the iPhone 6, which remains Apple’s best-selling handset model ever.
Source: MacRumors