iPhone 8 to hit mass production late in the third quarter of 2017

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In another note issued to clients this morning, a copy of which was obtained by AppleInsider, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says he expects a next-generation iPhone to hit mass production late in the third quarter of next year. The widely rumored premium OLED iPhone model should account for a little more than half of new model shipments, or about fifty to 55 percent.

A 4.7-inch variant of next year’s iPhone is projected to account for 30 to 35 percent of orders while its 5.5-inch brethren is expected to account for ten to fifteen percent of iPhone shipments next year.

The analyst estimated total shipments of new iPhones in 2017 between 90 million and 110 million units, up from 75 million in fiscal 2016. The same analyst wrote last week that the OLED iPhone will have an all-new industrial design and a curved OLED display with an active display area measuring either 5.1 or 5.2 inches diagonally.

Both the OLED iPhone and the 5.5-inch refresh of the LCD-based iPhone should have a dual-lens camera, with the possibility of optical image stabilization for their telephoto lens, which on the iPhone 7 Plus model lacks the image stabilization feature.

In another report to clients this morning, Kuo explained that 2017 iPhones will switch from metal to glass for their casing in order to support fast wireless charging capability while minimizing potential frequency interference.

The report alleges Apple might bundle a wireless charger with pricier, higher-capacity 2017 iPhones, meaning buyers of entry-level iPhones would need to purchase an additional wireless charger from a third party to charge their handset wirelessly.

Source: AppleInsider