Apple Expects to Ship 45 Million iPhone X Plus Units: Report

According to a slew of rumours, Apple is largely expected to launch three variants of the 2018 iPhone. The most premium variant, commonly known as the iPhone X Plus, will sport a 6.4-inch display made with OLED, have a vertical dual camera setup, and a notch display as well. While rumours suggest that this phone will be the most expensive of the lot, it will also be the most in demand. According to a fresh report, Apple is betting big on the iPhone X Plus, and expects it to do better than the other two at launch. This refutes a previous report that suggested that the LCD variant was expected to drive majority of the sales this year.

South Korean media publication The Bell reports that the Cupertino giant is expecting to ship 45 million 6.4-inch iPhone X Plus devices, 30 million 6-inch LCD iPhone devices, and 25 million 5.8-inch OLED iPhone X successor devices. Apple has placed an order of 70 million OLED panels with Samsung Displays, out of which 45 million are of the 6.4-inch model.

The LCD iPhone is expected to be the cheapest of the lot, but the report suggests that there may be a delay in shipment schedule due to low yield at Japan Display. The company is reportedly having issues with the notch design LCD display, and shipping is now expected to commence from November. However, over time, if Japan Display overcomes its issues, the LCD variant shipments will see an increase in forecast. In any case, these current numbers suggest that Apple is clearly focusing on large display variants, over the 5.8-inch successor.

As per a recent note by Apple-watching analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who now works with TF International Securities, the lower-end iPhone in the new range that will come with a 6.1-inch LCD panel will come somewhere between $600 (roughly Rs. 40,300) and $700 (roughly Rs.47,000) price, while the new 5.8-inch OLED iPhone will be priced between $800 (roughly Rs. 55,000) and $900 (roughly Rs. 61,600) and the 6.5-inch OLED iPhone will be priced between $900 and $1,000 (roughly Rs. 68,500). All these models are expected to carry an iPhone X-like design, though certain features will be specific to the OLED models - certainly, to project them as premium in the range.

Additionally, the 2018 models are expected to sport bigger batteries this time and perhaps the biggest news of all, support dual-SIM functionality. The top model in the range is also said to sport triple rear camera setup.