Apple reportedly may release a 6.1-inch iPhone without 3D Touch

 

It’s officially 2018, which means the time has come to stop looking back at last year’s iPhone X and iPhone 8 models, and to start looking forward as the rumor mill starts to spin up for the next iPhones.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo already started this year’s rumor cycle off with predictions of three new iPhone models, and now he’s added some details as to what exactly to expect, via MacRumors. According to Kuo, Apple will release an updated version of the iPhone X with a 5.8-inch OLED screen, a larger 6.5-inch OLED model (call it an iPhone X Plus), and a new mid-range model that will feature a 6.1-inch display and borrow elements of both the iPhone X and the cheaper iPhone 8 models.

A new mid-range 6.1-inch model

The 6.1-inch iPhone will feature an aluminum frame similar to the iPhone 8 (instead of stainless steel), as well as the standard non-stacked logic board and rectangular battery instead of the more compact setup found in the iPhone X, according to Kuo’s research note. And while the display is said to feature the same bezel-reducing design, complete with a notch for Face ID, Kuo claims the display itself will be an LCD panel instead of OLED. In exchange, Kuo estimates that the 6.1-inch model could cost between $700-$800, which would be a healthy savings compared to the $999-plus iPhone X price tag.

The 6.1-inch device is also rumored to drop several of the iPhone X’s more advanced features, with just a single rear camera instead of a dual camera system, 3GB of RAM instead of the rumored 4GB that Kuo claims the updated X and X Plus models will have, and no 3D Touch (which has been included on every new iPhone model since the release of the iPhone 6s, barring the throwback iPhone SE.)

It’s still early days when it comes to iPhone rumors, but Kuo does have a decent track record when it comes to predicting Apple’s plans, so there’s a chance we’ll all look back come September and marvel how accurate this all was.