Ming-Chi Kuo’s Top 7 iPhone Predictions for 2017
A trove of reports from insiders, analysts, and surprise-spoilers with deep connections in the Far East suggest that this will be the biggest year for iPhone since the iPhone.
Not only does 2017 mark the 10th consecutive year in which Apple has released at least one new iPhone model, but according to those in the know, customers will have some powerful and feature-rich options to choose from this fall. Although the rumors have been a little chaotic, with conflicting reports surfacing almost daily for the last several months now, there’s one well-connected analyst we believe has provided the most consistently thorough and historically accurate Apple product predictions in recent years — and that would be Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, whose most recent predictions came true when Apple unveiled its new HomePod speaker and an all-new 10.5-inch iPad Pro model at last month’s WWDC event. Kuo has likewise been a major voice of reason when predicting recent iPhone specifications, including being first to note the iPhone 7 Plus’ dual-lens camera module.
While certainly not a prophet, Kuo has an unmistakeable, nearly iron-clad record of calling it how it is. And so, here we will examine the top seven iPhone predictions that have been spearheaded by the famed analyst.
7. Three New iPhones
Earlier this year, Kuo predicted that Apple will release 3 new iPhone models in the 2nd-half of 2017, including refreshed, LCD-equipped iPhone 7s and 7s Plus variants boasting similar 4.7 and 5.5-inch displays, as well as an all-new, 10th anniversary iPhone 8 (Or iPhone X, iPhone Edition, etc.) boasting premium features, technologies, and a 5.8-inch OLED display. Within this massive touchscreen playground, however, just 5.15- to 5.2-inches will be responsive to multitouch, while the bottom-most portion of the display will be an area for touch controls known as the 'Function Area'.
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6. No Touch ID for the iPhone 8
Kuo has suggested that Apple will axe the hidden under-display Touch ID sensor on the high-end iPhone 8, instead opting for a revolutionary new 3D-based facial recognition system - and the display will be the most impressive, thin-bezeled OLED display currently available. As such, the $1,099 device will feature the largest screen-to-body ratio of any other smartphone, with side bezels expected to be as thin as 4 millimeters all the way around. “We predict the OLED model won’t support fingerprint recognition,” Kuo said, with the reasons being that “The full-screen design doesn’t work with existing capacitive fingerprint recognition, and the scan-through ability of the under-display fingerprint solution still has technical challenges.”
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5. Virtual Home Button
Kuo believes the iPhone 8 will feature a virtual Home button, which will be somewhat akin to the Taptic Engine Home button on the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus — although it supposedly won’t feature a Touch ID component.
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4. Onboard DRAM and Storage
To meet the demands of a dual-lens camera system, Kuo suggests that both the OLED-equipped iPhone 8 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 7s Plus will retain the same 3 GB of DRAM as the iPhone 7 Plus; while the 4.7-inch iPhone 7s will retain the same 2 GB of DRAM as the iPhone 7 before it. In terms of onboard storage, Kuo has updated his earlier prediction to reflect that all three iPhone models will come with either 64 GB or 256 GB of onboard SSD storage.
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3. Faster Charging
While wireless charging is still believed to be in store for at least the iPhone 8 and iPhone 7s Plus, Kuo believes that all three iPhone models will inherently boast a USB Type-C power delivery system - which ultimately means the devices will be able to charge much faster than previous iPhones.
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2. Fewer Color Options
Kuo believes the iPhone 8, unlike the iPhone 7s and 7s Plus, will be offered in fewer color options to help Apple differentiate the device. Based on his earlier research notes, among them will likely be Jet Black and (possibly but not guaranteed) a new Jet White offering.
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1. iPhone 8 Will Be a Little Late
While all three iPhone models will be unveiled at the same time this September, only the iPhone 7s and 7s Plus will be available within the September timeframe. Meanwhile, as we’ve heard plenty of times before, Kuo corroborated reports that expectant iPhone 8 buyers won’t be able to get their hands on the top-tier device until October or November.