KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is out with a new report to clients Tuesday, a copy of which was obtained by MacRumors, that lays out his predictions for Apple’s 2017 iPhone refresh. The analyst is calling for a trio of new iPhones next fall, two of which should be upgraded versions of the current models with classic TFT-LCD screens.
As for a third model, it will boast all-new industrial design and utilize power-sipping organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display technology, according to the analyst’s note.
The 4.7-inch iPhone 8 should have a single-lens camera like its iPhone 7 counterpart while its 5.5-inch brethren is expected to rock dual cameras, according to the analyst.
The premium (and also very likely pricier) model should have dual cameras on the back and an OLED display on the front measuring 5.5 or 5.8 inches diagonally.
Previous reports from Kuo and other sources alleged that Apple might opt for a curved “3D” cover glass and a flexible OLED panel like that seen on Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones, helping create skinnier side bezels.
This is what the iPhone 8 lineup should be like, as per Kuo:
- 4.7″ iPhone 8—single-lens camera and TFT-LCD display
- 5.5″ iPhone 8—dual-lens camera and TFT-LCD display
- 5.5″ iPhone 8—dual-lens camera, OLED display, all-new glass enclosure
From the report:
We look for new 2017 iPhones to come in three models: one OLED model and two TFT-LCD models with 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch display. We believe the OLED and 5.5-inch TFT-LCD iPhones will feature dual-camera. Based on this prediction, our forecast of dual camera adoption rate in new 2017 iPhone models is revised up from 30-40 percent to 65-75 percent.
Other innovations like an in-screen Home/Touch ID button and putting the front camera and sensors behind the display itself are expected to result in drastically reduced top/bottom chins. Making those areas smaller than they are on current iPhones could permit Apple engineers to outfit the device with a 5.8-inch display without needing to enlarge the phone.
Indeed, if you ask Barclays analysts the premium iPhone 8 model’s screen 5.8-inch will be extended “vertically as well as horizontally” without making the entire device bigger.
As mentioned, the device should debut all-new industrial design with a glass on glass enclosure augmented by accentuated stainless steel edges. More than two-thirds of 2017 iPhones (between 65 and 75 percent) will have dual cameras, which will benefit a company called Largan that supplies lenses for the dual-camera iPhone 7 Plus.
“We view this increase as favoring Largan’s sales and profit momentum as it is the exclusive supplier of wide-angle and telephoto lens. It also bodes well for Apple’s dual camera software ecosystem,” reads Kuo’s analysis.
Mockup via 3D artist Martin Hajek.
Source: MacRumors