Before the arrival of Apple’s Spring Festival Gala in September, there were overwhelming rumors about the next generation iPhone. Of course, there were some reliable and some unreliable. These rumors came from various gossips, leaked pictures and analysts. I’m afraid even Apple itself feels dazzled. Moreover, as the official launch period approaches, Bloomberg is not far behind, using some of its resources to break out some new information about the next generation iPhone.
took this opportunity and Lei Feng.com also carefully sorted out the existing rumors.
Three new products with wider price coverage
Bloomberg quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that Apple plans to release three new mobile phone products in September this year, and they will all adopt a design similar to the existing iPhone X. The insider said that the new models will have a wider range in terms of price, features and size, aiming to enhance their appeal.
However, although 2018 should be defined as the S year in Apple’s custom (usually the appearance design remains unchanged but the internal functions are enhanced), none of these three new products will use the exact same design as iPhone X .
Not only that, Apple may bring a more significant design update next year.
According to the above-mentioned person, among the three new products, there is a high-end iPhone, with the internal code name D33; it will have a large screen of approximately 6.5 inches - considering that the existing iPhone X has a screen size of 5.8 inches, this means It will become the product with the largest screen since the birth of the iPhone. This high-end iPhone will still have a glass back cover, a stainless steel metal frame and dual rear cameras; the difference in software is that it can operate in split-screen mode.
Of course, this high-end iPhone screen is made of OLED.
Among the three new products, one is an upgrade of the existing iPhone X, which means it will be equipped with a 5.8-inch OLED screen. This upgraded product is internally codenamed D32, and its main product updates are processing speed and camera.
In addition to the two new OLED products, there is another new LCD screen product with a cheaper price. Its main purpose is to replace the iPhone 8 series, and its internal code is N84. People familiar with the matter said that the new product is similar in appearance to the iPhone (Subject to change with appearance color adjustment). Of course, the cheaper LCD screen also caters to its price positioning.
The person familiar with the matter said that the two new OLED products will be manufactured by Hon Hai Precision (the parent company of Foxconn), while the LCD foundry business will be jointly undertaken by Hon Hai and Pegatron. Hon Hai started the assembly of new OLED products as early as late July, while the assembly of new LCD products only started this month - some say it is because LCD panels are less difficult.
TSMC will continue to be the only A-series chip manufacturer for the new iPhone, and the cameras of the new products will mainly come from Largan, Apple’s old partner in the field of mobile phone lenses.
Based on the above-mentioned hardware rumors, the three new products will all use gesture control and Face ID functions, which also means that Apple has completely abandoned the iconic design element set by Steve Jobs for the iPhone-the circular Home button.
If the above rumors are true, Apple will also face a thorny product naming issue. Because these three new products all adopt similar appearance designs, however, the new LCD product with the lowest price has a screen size that exceeds the 5.8-inch OLED new product, which will confuse consumers. According to people familiar with the matter, Apple has considered naming the new OLED product iPhone Xs and does not plan to use the Plus suffix - but it has not been decided yet.
More other product details
The above article from Bloomberg comes from the famous whistleblower Mark Gurman and another author. Considering Mark Gurman’s status in the Apple whistleblowing community, Bloomberg’s description of the new product is still very credible. degree. However, regarding the Apple Spring Festival Gala, there are other product details worthy of attention.
3D Touch
3D Touch is a product launched by Apple on the iPhone 6s in 2015. Since then, the iPhone 7 series, iPhone 8 and iPhone X have all been equipped with this feature. However, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, a well-known Apple whistleblower in the industry, said that among the above three new products, the 6.1-inch LCD new product will not be equipped with 3D Touch, mainly due to cost constraints.
In addition, the new 6.1-inch LCD product will use the CGS (Cover Glass Sensor) process, which is characterized by having less impact on the display effect, being more impact-resistant and thinner. Moreover, Apple also plans to use CGS technology on all new iPhone products in 2019, which means that Apple may completely abandon the 3D Touch function in the future.
Ming-Chi Kuo's statement was also confirmed by Barclays analyst Blayne Curtis. After visiting Apple's supply chain companies, he said that Apple will remove 3D Touch from its new OLED products in 2019 - but still not must.
Support for Apple Pencil
Among the rumors in the past six months, one thing that has attracted attention is whether the iPhone will support Apple Pencil in the future. In the 2015 iPad Pro release, Apple Pencil debuted as an accessory for creation; by March 2018, Apple Pencil also supported the entry-level iPad.
But as the iPhone’s screen will reach the legendary 6.5 inches, TrendForce said that the new iPhone will add support for Apple Pencil. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also previously said that it is possible for the iPhone to support Apple Pencil, but it will not be until 2019 at the earliest.
But regarding this matter, Ming-Chi Kuo’s latest statement is that all new iPhone products in 2018 will not support Apple Pencil because the interactive experience is too poor - so friends who are looking forward to Apple Pencil supporting iPhone should just go to sleep. Bar.
Support for dual Sim cards
Regarding the new iPhone, it may be relatively reliable to support dual Sim cards.
Bloomberg quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that among the above three new products, two of the large-sized devices (6.1-inch LCD screen and 6.5-inch OLED screen) will support dual SIM cards in some areas - considering the dual SIM card The outside world has always been very vocal, which is good news for many dual-SIM users. Although it is not yet certain whether it will necessarily include the Chinese market, the possibility is still very high.
In addition, Ming-Chi Kuo also said that although the new 5.8-inch OLED screen product does not support dual SIM cards, it may support an e-Sim card in addition to a single SIM card - but Kuo himself has not confirmed it. Whether the e-Sim function will be activated.
The most solid evidence that the iPhone supports dual-SIM dual standby comes from the iOS 12 Beta 5 pushed by Apple at the end of July. Developers found the descriptions of secondSIMstatus and secondSIMtraystatus (second SIM card) in this firmware—— This also increases the credibility of the new iPhone’s support for dual-SIM dual standby.
More specific information
More information about the three new products was leaked in a configuration comparison chart marked "Tianfeng International Securities", including processor, resolution, memory, storage space, Sim card , cameras, antennas and other configuration information, and even price ranges have been marked. Regarding this picture, Lei Feng.com’s view is that it has a certain degree of reference, but it should not be overly believed.
Finally, as for the specific date of Apple’s press conference, there is a lot of discussion outside the case without official confirmation; for example, the news from Radio France is that it will be Wednesday, September 12th, and the location will be at the Steve Jobs Theater - it still sounds very reliable. spectrum. However, no matter what day it is, Lei Feng.com will pay attention and bring you the Apple Spring Festival Gala as soon as possible, so stay tuned.
