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!