The iPhone 8 may be Apple’s most significant handset update since 2014, but if you’re a lover of large smartphones you may be better off waiting on next year’s iPhone.
That’s according to a new report, claiming that Apple has started development of an additional sized OLED iPhone for 2017, which will be the largest screen iPhone yet.
Sources claim that Apple will launch two OLED iPhones next year — a 5.85-inch and 6.46-inch models. The 5.58-inch model is the same size as the iPhone 8 Apple is scheduled to unveil next month.
To make the new plus-sized handset a reality, Apple is said to be working with its sole OLED supplier, Samsung Display. It is starting work earlier than usual due to the (literal) scale of the project.
“The development schedule has been advanced considering diverse factors such as funding, facility investment and production plans,” an anonymous source told ET News.
The report adds that Apple was considering launching both 5.28-inch and 6.46-inch OLED iPhones next year, but has ditched plans for a smaller model due to growing demand for larger handsets.
If this is accurate it means that Apple’s OLED demand will jump from 70 million handsets this year to 170 million next year.
Interestingly, this would be a big change from Apple’s previous years — when changes in form factor happened every other year, while the intermediary “s” launches focused more on minor internal upgrades.
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
2 responses to “Apple reportedly planning its biggest ever iPhone for 2018”
OMG the iPhone 8 isn’t even here yet and already we’re getting rumors about the next one…
There were rumors about 2018 phones from the past too. I believe one was about Apple not giving up on getting Touch ID underneath an OLED panel in future devices. Will not surprise me one bit if Apple goes with a bigger 2018 model, especially something that may offer a slimmer Apple Pen slot because the Note 8’s stylus is a huge productivity feature.