2018 iPhone Models to Ship Starting September, Price Starts at $600: Ming-Chi Kuo

Apple is expected to release three iPhone models this year in September, and noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (now with TF International Securities) has already been giving us details on what to expect this year. The 2018 models are expected to sport bigger batteries this time, come with USB-C fast charging accessories, and perhaps the biggest news of all, support dual-SIM functionality. Now, a fresh note from Kuo sheds more light on the launch timeline of the 2018 models, and their new aggressive pricing policy as well.

It is already reported earlier that Apple is set to unveil two new models with OLED displays, and a cheaper one with an LCD panel at its iPhone event later this year. The lower-end LCD iPhone will sport a stronger iPhone X style display glass with the CGS (Cover Glass Sensor) technology. Now, Kuo claims that Apple is looking to adopt an 'aggressive pricing policy' for its new iPhones.

9To5Mac got hold of the report, and Kuo states that the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone model will be priced between $600 (roughly Rs. 40,300) to $700 (roughly Rs.47,000), the 5.8-inch OLED iPhone will cost between $800 (roughly Rs. 53,700) and $900 (roughly Rs. 60,400), and the 6.5-inch OLED iPhone X Plus wil be priced between $900 (roughly Rs. 60,400) to $1000 (roughly Rs. 67,100).

This shows a significant decrease in prices from last year, and the reason why Apple can adopt such an aggressive policy is because of improvements in production yield and reduced prices of components. Also, Kuo claims that Apple is concerned over 'the negative impact of a higher price' in the already nearing saturation smartphone market.

All of these smartphones are expected to launch, and arrive in September itself. "We expect the shipping times of components/EMS assembly for the 5.8-inch OLED, 6.5-inch OLED, and 6.1-inch LCD start from early June/early August, late June/lateAugust, and July/September, respectively. We believe Apple will announce 3 new models at the same time in September and 3 new models will be available in September. We therefore expect that iPhone shipments will grow significantly starting in 3Q18 and that the momentum will last until 2Q19," Kuo writes in his note.

Alongside these smartphones, an iPhone SE 2 is also expected to arrive later this year as well. It could feature a screen size between 4 and 4.2 inches and come in 32GB and 128GB storage capacities as well as Apple A10 SoC and a 1700mAh battery. The smartphone won't support wireless charging or 3D sensing abilities. The iPhone SE 2 is expected to be made in India, at the Wistron plant.

Will iOS 12 boost sales of affordable iPhones in India? We discussed that on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.