Questions abound over what Apple might name its next flagship iPhone. And now, a new name has been thrown in the mix.
Apple is planning to name its next high-end iPhone the iPhone Edition, Japan-based Apple-tracking site Macotakara is reporting, citing sources who claim to have knowledge of the plans. Previous reports have suggested Apple could name the handset the iPhone 8 or the iPhone X. The iPhone 8 refers to the next generation after last year’s iPhone 7. The iPhone X was believed to have been a nod to this year’s 10th anniversary of the iPhone.
Apple (AAPL) has not confirmed it’s even planning another iPhone, so every report about its upcoming handsets should be taken with the proverbial grain of salt. But Apple’s reported plans for upcoming iPhones have been the subject of countless rumors of late, and many of them have focused on the iPhone Edition.
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In addition to talk of the iPhone’s name, Macotakara said in its report on Wednesday, which was earlier reported on by Business Insider, that Apple is currently working on several prototypes for its iPhone Edition. Those prototypes feature different screen technologies, including LCD and OLED, and come with designs based on glass, aluminum, and even white ceramic, according to the report.
Separately, CNBC on Wednesday pointed to an Apple patent filing on “enhanced face detection using depth information.” A few recent analysts reports have said that Apple could be thinking up new ways to use biometric technology in the upcoming iPhone, and having a feature that digitally scans a person’s face might be it.
The reports are the latest in a string of rumors surrounding Apple’s iPhone plans.
According to most reports, Apple will release three new iPhones this year. Two of them, the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus, will offer minor updates over last year’s iPhone 7 models, according to reports. The third model, which according to Macotakara, will be known as the iPhone Edition, could have a curved screen and eliminate the physical home button. To use Apple’s fingerprint-sensing technology Touch ID, users would press their fingers against a “function area” on the device’s display, according to the reports. Additionally, Apple is said to be planning an all-glass design.
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Apple’s speculated decision to call the third handset the iPhone Edition could hint at some plans for the device. Apple has used the Edition branding in its Apple Watch, and currently sells the high-end Apple Watch Edition in a white ceramic model.
It’s looking increasingly likely that Apple might not release its iPhone Edition at the same time as the aforementioned iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus. According to Macotakara’s sources, Apple’s Edition testing “may be very much behind” where it would need to be to release the device alongside the other iPhones. The claim follows a research note from Ming-Chi Kuo last week that hinted the iPhone Edition might reach store shelves weeks—if not months—after the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus.
