2018 6.1-Inch iPhone Said to Sport Colourful Metal Back, LG Reportedly Hints at iPhone X OLED Deal

Weeks after a report claiming three new iPhone models for 2018 emerged on the Web, Apple is now said to use a colourful metal back on the 6.1-inch iPhone model among the three. The 6.1-inch iPhone is rumoured to have an LCD panel, while the other two next-generation iPhone models are reported to have OLED displays in 6.3-inch and 5.8-inch sizes. In another news, LG has reportedly suggested that it would soon start supplying the OLED panels for the iPhone X.

For the 6.1-inch iPhone, Nikkei Asia Review has reported that Apple is planning to deploy a metal back - just like the older iPhone models including the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The report, citing a source familiar to the development, claimed that the metal back on the new iPhone will come in "several colours". This could be meant that the 6.1-inch iPhone would appear as an upgrade of the last year's iPhone models.

The metal back on the 2018 iPhone is expected to help Apple bring an affordable offering to the family that already has the premium iPhone X as well as the glass-back featuring iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. Also, the metal adoption is likely to reduce the repairability cost of the new iPhone, though it would omit wireless charging that was only just introduced this year.

Last month, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to broaden its iPhone lineup with the launch of a 6.5-inch OLED iPhone and the LCD model in addition to an upgrade to the existing 5.8-inch iPhone X. Kuo had stated that all the new models next year would feature the iPhone X-style form factor and would include Apple's Face ID technology.

Alongside the rumoured metal back featuring iPhone for 2018, LG is in the news for hinting at a forthcoming deal with Apple for supplying OLED panels for the iPhone X. In a statement to the Korea Herald, LG Display said that no deal has been signed so far. However, the statement indicates an ongoing development by mentioning that the company "will announce" the deal if it will be confirmed or "otherwise an announcement will be made in a month".

LG has already been a partner for Apple for providing its LCD panels. However, the Cupertino giant recently signed a deal with Samsung for opting OLED screens for the iPhone X.

A report in October claimed that Apple is working with LG Display to build a foldable iPhone for 2020. LG Innotek, a subsidiary of the South Korean company, also reportedly developing a flexible printed circuit board for the foldable iPhone models.

Similar to the rumoured ongoing plans with Apple, LG reportedly received an investment offer from Google to boost its OLED screens for smartphones. The investment worth KRW 1 000,000,000,000 (approximately Rs. 5,900 crores), as reported back in April, was appeared to give the search giant a way to get a secure and stable supply of flexible OLED panels for the latest Pixel models.