Following the introduction of the iPhone X in 2017, many are undoubtedly curious to see what this year’s iPhones are going to bring to the table. Will Apple continue pushing out iPhones that feature the old design, or can we expect to see all of Apple’s 2018 iPhones feature the edge-to-edge display? Below are all the rumors and leaks that we’ve heard and seen to date, along with what can be reasonably expected based on Apple’s previous practices.
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Design
Image credit – wylsa.com
Last year Apple introduced the iPhone X which featured a very different design compared to previous releases in the past 2-3 years. It was a welcome change and we doubt that this year’s iPhones will be too different. Apple typically at a minimum waits 2 years before introducing a new design, so if you didn’t like last year’s design then chances are this year won’t be better.
As for the older design that was used in the iPhone 6, 6s, 7, and 8, there is a chance that they could finally be retired. This is based on alleged renders which shows that 2018’s iPhones will all follow the 2017 iPhone X’s design. This means edge-to-edge displays and a glass back that will facilitate wireless charging.
Display
Image credit – Benjamin Geskin
Here’s where it gets interesting. Apple is rumored to continue sticking to three iPhones this year. There will be one model that will feature a 5.8-inch OLED display similar to last year’s iPhone X, and there will be a larger 6.5-inch iPhone that will also pack an OLED screen, but the rumors are suggesting a third 6.1-inch model that might use LCD instead of OLED.
2018 iPhone X Plus (6.5-inch) and iPhone (6.1-inch) Dummy Models. pic.twitter.com/QrgkT6u0vS
— Ben Geskin (@BenGeskin) July 29, 2018
This model is said to be a more affordable model and could result in the omission of several features to keep its price down, such as not featuring 3D Touch. If you’ve never bothered with 3D Touch on previous iPhone models then this probably won’t be that big of a loss.
As for screen resolution, we expect Apple will continue pushing its Super Retina resolution which means that it will need to feature a pixel density of at least 458 ppi. We expect the 5.8-inch model to maintain its resolution, while the 6.5-inch model could come in at 1242 x 2688. It is unclear if the 6.1-inch iPhone will also pack a Super Retina display or if it will just feature Retina which could also keep costs down.
Processor & RAM
Based on Apple’s development of its A-series of chipsets, this year we expect the new iPhones to pack the A12 which is said to be manufactured by TSMC using the 7nm process. This is said to make the chipset more powerful and more efficient, or according to TSMC’s own admission, its 7nm process will result in chipsets that are 20% faster and 40% more energy efficient.
Whether or not we’ll see those numbers in the A12 remains to be seen, but it’s not that straightforward as there are other factors, such as how much RAM, speed of storage, software optimization, that contribute to speed and efficiency. As for RAM, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that this year Apple could increase the amount of RAM from 3GB to 4GB.
Apple’s iPhones have typically featured less RAM compared to Android devices, but because Apple controls the hardware and software of its devices, they’re typically optimized for each other.
Camera
Apple introduced the dual-lens design to its iPhones back in 2016 with the iPhone 7 Plus and it is expected that this will continue being the case for the 2018 models, save for the 6.1-inch iPhone which is said to feature just a single rear-facing camera. There are rumors suggesting that Apple is exploring the idea of a triple lens iPhone but it seems that it will most likely debut in 2019’s model at the earliest and if at all.
Apple is also expected to bump the megapixel count in this year’s iPhone models. As it stands the 2017 iPhones are of the 12MP variety and this year could see an increase. However megapixels only tell part of the story when it comes to camera quality so unless you plan on printing out images for use as huge posters or for billboards, chances are on social media no one will be able to tell the difference. We expect that if anything, the emphasis will be placed on features like improved low-light photography, color, and also maybe more augmented reality features.
Security
Apple made an interesting decision to ditch Touch ID with the iPhone X last year and if the leaked renders are to be believed, this year’s iPhones will not feature Touch ID across all models. This means that the only biometric security feature on the iPhones will be Face ID. With iOS 12 Apple introduced some changes and improvements to Face ID, such as allowing multiple faces to be registered, and earlier rumors have indicated that this could be further improved upon with this year’s iPhones.
Exactly what kind of improvements is unclear, but we wouldn’t be surprised if faster and more accurate recognition could be amongst them. There have been reports in the past suggesting that Face ID isn’t working as well for some users compared to others, so hopefully these improvements will address that.
Battery
Battery life on Apple’s iPhones has always been a contentious topic. While many iPhone users are satisfied with their devices, many name battery as one of the areas they’d like Apple to improve upon. The good news is that this year could see Apple introduce larger batteries, but exactly how much bigger is anyone’s guess.
Launch Date, Availability, Pricing
Apple has typically kept its iPhone launches to September over the past few years and it doesn’t seem that this could change anytime soon. In fact a recent report from CNET has suggested that based on Apple’s past iPhone launches over the years, there is a good chance that we might be seeing 2018’s iPhones announced either on the 11th or 12th of September.
As for pricing, if you were hoping that this year’s iPhones will be cheaper, you might be disappointed. The LCD model is expected to be cheaper compared to the OLED models, but even then “cheaper” for Apple probably doesn’t mean the same for a lot of people. Chances are if you wanted to get your hands on the phone without spending too much money upfront, you’d have to go through a carrier.
Last year’s base iPhone X was priced at $999 and we expect that this will remain the case. Some analysts have suggested that it could slightly cheaper, but it won’t go below the $899 mark which means that customers would only save as much as $100.
Filed in . Read more about Editorspick, iPhone and iPhone X.