At least one of Apple’s iPhones in 2018 could come with a big design change, according to a new report.
Apple may release one model next year would come with a 6.1-inch liquid-crystal display and a metal back panel, Nikkei reports, citing people who have knowledge of the company’s plans. Apple may also sell iPhones featuring 5.8- and 6.3-inch screens that use organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology, which is available in the iPhone X and offers better resolution and more vibrant colors than LCD.
The metal version of the iPhone would come with the cheapest of the three, according to the report.
Apple has been rumored to be planning three new iPhones next year including one with minor updates to this year’s iPhone X and with a similar design. A second phone with the 6.3-inch screen would be Apple’s biggest smartphone ever and would also likely resemble the iPhone X, with a screen that nearly covers its face and a glass back panel. The third version would ostensibly replace this year’s iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus smartphones, which also come with metal backs and a design that includes larger bezels around the screen and a physical home button—two features Apple’s iPhone X doesn’t have.
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According to the Nikkei source, keeping an LCD model will help Apple keep the price down for one of its models by couple hundred dollars next year compared with the higher-priced OLED and glass models to appeal to a broader customer base. Apple’s iPhone X, for instance, costs $1,000 to start, while a metal-bodied iPhone 8 starts at $699.
For its part, Apple hasn’t commented on its plans and likely won’t until it actually announces new iPhones, as it does every year. And that likely won’t happen until September, if the company’s past release schedule is any indication.
