Why Apple’s Upcoming 5.8-inch iPhone 8 Will Be the Lineup’s ‘Crown Jewel’

In his most recent note to investors, famed KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi Kuo suggested that Apple is preparing to defect from its current, two-variant iPhone sales strategy next year — opting, in addition to the standard, LCD-equipped 4.7- and 5.5-inch iPhone variants, to construct and offer a radically redesigned, super-premium new 5.2-inch model, boasting a curved OLED display, among other technological advances.

In his report, Kuo suggested that this mysterious new 5.2-inch iPhone variant will contain the most “new stuff,” according to 9to5Mac. Therefore, out of all three 2017 iPhone models, Apple’s inherent top-tier, 5.5-inch Plus variant will no longer be the company’s most ‘premium’ offering. But rather, the all-new, 5.2-inch device (dubbed, according to Kuo, the ‘iPhone 8’) will take center stage as Apple’s premium iPhone offering next fall.

Interestingly, Kuo’s report also noted that the new 5.2-inch iPhone’s display would actually, in effect, be a bit larger than 5.2-inches — a number which apparently represents only the display’s physically user-interactive area. In addition, it appears that due in part to supply chain constraints, only Apple’s 5.2-inch iPhone will feature an OLED display.

Other recent rumors have suggested that Apple’s iPhone 8 could potentially be a 5.8-inch model boasting a curved display — similar to Samsung’s Galaxy S7 Edge flagship, for instance. And therefore, rumors of a supposed 5.2-inch iPhone, featuring a curved, premium-quality OLED display, could easily mean that users are getting a 5.8-inch display, although only 5.2 inches of that display would be responsive to touch.

Kuo’s report also alleges that while Apple will continue manufacturing the current 4.7- and 5.5-inch iPhone models, both of which will boast the same LED/LCD display found on current-generation iPhones, it is Apple’s new 5.2-inch model that many are expecting to be the new “crown jewel” of the iPhone family. The 5.2-inch device will allegedly boast next-generation internals, feature a beefed-up dual-lens camera module around back, and will also boast a Samsung-manufactured curved OLED display — offering deeper blacks, sharper, more vivid colors, and impressive battery-conservation performance.

Some may wonder why Apple would even bother manufacturing three different, though fundamentally similar, iPhones — especially when only a few tenths-of-an-inch of display will distinguish them from one another. However, Kuo notes that while it may seem impractical to create so many iPhone variants, the prestige of Apple’s forthcoming 5.2-inch, OLED-equipped unit will create a clear disparity between Apple’s new ‘lower-tier’ 4.7- and 5.5-inch offerings, and itself.

Would you pay more for a premium-quality 5.2-inch iPhone 8? Let us know in the comments!

Featured Photo: iDrop News

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]