2018 iPhone Lineup Trial Production to Start in Q2: Report

While Apple is busy in selling the iPhone X to the masses before this latest iPhone model reaches the end of life, the company is reportedly is set to trial the production of 2018 iPhone models in the second quarter. This new development is said to help the Tim Cook-led company avoid a supply mishap similar to what happened last year due to the slower manufacturing of the iPhone X compared to its predecessors. There are already rumours that this year's iPhone lineup will include an update to the original 5.8-inch iPhone X as well as a larger, 6.5-inch iPhone X Plus and a cheaper 6.1-inch LCD iPhone. All these models are expected to include facial recognising Face ID and near-bezel-less display panels.

The early trial production of the 2018 iPhone lineup will help Apple push ahead its delivery schedule, as reported by Digitimes - citing people working at some Taiwan-based IC design houses. The component orders of the new iPhone series are still reportedly at their original pace, but upstream and downstream supply chain makers are said to be quite positive about order prospects for this year.

Contrary to the reported plans for this year, Apple was reportedly unable to fulfil the supply of the iPhone X initially. The main issue that was spotted was due to a shortage of components powering the TrueDepth camera system that enables Face ID. Notably, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus that don't feature Face ID were launched in September - as per the normal schedule, whereas the iPhone X didn't go on sale until November. Some media reports even suggest that trial production of the iPhone flagship didn't start on time.

Apple is rumoured to retain Face ID on its 2018 iPhone models and completely abandon the Touch ID-backed home button. Nevertheless, the company isn't likely to face any supply issues as it has already been dealing with similar constraints for the iPhone X. The minor problems with the components powering the TrueDepth camera system could also be resolved before April to ultimately let the company launch the new iPhone series in the typical September timeframe.

If we see some recent rumours, two of the 2018 iPhone models will come with OLED display panels, while one is expected to come with an LCD panel. The 6.1-inch iPhone model is unlikely to come with features such as 3D Touch but will cost $799 (approximately Rs. 51,900). Moreover, all three new iPhone models are expected to come with a build similar to the iPhone X and include the notch design.