New 2018 iPhone XS, iPhone X Plus, iPhone 9, iPhone XS Max: All of the rumors on price, specs, release date – CNET

9to5Mac says these are not renders of the new phones, but actual leaked images.

9to5Mac

9to5Mac released a photo last Thursday that allegedly shows two of the new 2018 iPhones. The picture, if authentic, shows the new iPhone and a larger-screen variant both in gold. 9to5Mac believes that Apple will launch a 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch model named the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. The “S” name would be a return to form for Apple, which has a history of adding the letter “S” to iPhone models with updated components, new features and no major changes to the exterior design.

(Apple did not respond to CNET’s request to comment on the 9to5Mac stories.)

BGR and 9to5Mac both reported that Apple won’t call the larger model “Plus,” as it has done in previous years. Instead it will opt for the nomenclature “Max”, as in iPhone XS Max. We’ll know how accurate 9to5Mac’s reporting is in less than a week.

A week ago, Apple sent out invites for an event on Sept. 12 at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California. The invitation has a picture of the circular roof of the company’s Apple Park campus rendered in gold — another hint at a new color for the next iPhone X. While the invite didn’t specify that the event is to announce the next iPhone, September has been when Apple announces new phones in the past. 

Both the leaked photo and Apple’s invite align with rumors that indicate three new iPhone models: the aforementioned larger screen version, a cheaper version and a version with three rear cameras.

Editors’ note, Sept. 6: This post was originally published on March 13, 2018, and will continue to be updated with news and rumors on the 2018 iPhone lineup.

iPhone XS might come in three models

Apple is expected to release a larger version of the iPhone XS — the iPhone XS Plus, perhaps — as well as a less expensive version. It’s worth noting that price hasn’t been a major obstacle for the premium flagship so far. Though it’s the priciest iPhone ever at $999, the iPhone X was the best-selling phone every quarter since it’s been released. Of course, a less-expensive version would almost certainly broaden its addressable market. And now that it’s been out for months, it’s a perfect time to inject some new excitement into the line.

In addition to refining the designs and adding in some new features, Apple is likely to deliver the annual enhancements we’ve come to expect — new build materials and colors, a bump in processing speeds, higher screen resolution and tweaks to extend battery life.

An alleged render of the iPhone XS Plus shows three cameras on the back.

Ghostek/Gordon Kelly (Forbes)

Rumor: Three rear cameras

One of the new 2018 iPhone models could have a rear-facing camera with a triple-lens array, according to the Chinese language Economic Daily News (as reported by MacRumors). The article suggests that such a camera would enhance the iPhone’s rear zoom capacity and improve picture quality in dim light environments. Note that Huawei’s new P20 Pro comes equipped with a triple-lens rear-facing camera that does just that.

Forbes reported back in June that the highest-end iPhone XS Plus model for 2018 could be the phone to get the three vertically stacked lenses, but a conflicting report suggested we wouldn’t see the three camera lenses until 2019, and that the combination could create a depth map that’d be used for AR, an area that Apple is pursuing aggressively.

Rumor: That budget-friendly LCD iPhone might not ship until October

Apple’s rumored plan is to launch three new iPhones this year. Two with OLED screens and one using an LCD screen. While it’s assumed the two OLED models will ship in September, according to Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty, we might not see the LCD iPhone until October.

“We currently see no delay in the ramp of Apple’s upcoming flagship 5.8-inch or 6.5-inch OLED iPhones. However suspected issues with LED backlight leakage have caused a one-month delay in mass production of the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone, although this is down from a six-week delay baked into the original production forecast, according to suppliers.”

Those of us who want to save a few bucks on a 2018 iPhone may have to wait a bit longer before we take delivery.

Apple’s invites are for an event on Wed. Sept. 12 at the Steve Jobs Theater on the Apple Park campus.

Apple

Sept. 12 is the date of the announcement

Apple sent out invites Thursday for an event on Sept. 12 at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California. The invitation had a gold circle that looks similar to its Apple Park campus and serves as another hint that there will be a gold version of the iPhone XS and XS Plus.

Thanks to 9to5Mac, this might be the first look at the Apple Watch Series 4.

9to5Mac

In fact, the company might announce more than just a new iPhone. A new Apple Watch may also be on tap for the Sept. 12 event, as 9to5Mac claims to have a first look at the Apple Watch Series 4.

Read: Everything Apple is expected to announce in September

What comes after the iPhone X?

CNET

Rumor: It could be called the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Plus, iPhone 11 or the iPhone X2 — but probably not the iPhone 9

Backing the claim from 9to5Mac that the next iPhone will be the iPhone XS, some analysts think Apple will use its “S” series nomenclature, giving us an iPhone XS and XS Plus — perhaps a fitting homophone to “excess” or “tennis” depending on how you say it. Though Apple could drop the “S” and call it the iPhone X2.

That noted, there are some rich design opportunities with the two ones of an iPhone 11. And then there’s the possibility of Apple doing away with numbers entirely — at least for the lower-end, non-X model — similar to the company’s approach with its entry-level tablet, which is now just the “new iPad” every year.

Regardless, we do believe that Apple effectively killed the iPhone 9 when it brought out the iPhone X alongside the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus in September.

Read: iPhone XS: Ten S, Excess or Xtra Small? Welcome to iPhone’s 2018 naming problem

What’s the deal with OLED or LCD for the iPhone XS?

Multiple sources believe that Apple will include at least one lower-cost LCD screen iPhone in the 2018 lineup, but rumors disagree on which phones will have OLED screens and which will use LCD.

The tech blog echo chamber (Patently Apple to BusinessKorea to Patently Apple) is pointing to an LCD 2018 iPhone. They’ve suggested that Apple will revert the next iPhone X to have an LCD screen, slashing the price tag and improving the availability of the current OLED model. More specifically, the BusinessKorea report predicts that a forthcoming 6.1-inch iPhone will have an MLCD+ display, similar to the new LG G7 ThinQ.

The Wall Street Journal similarly reports that the less-expensive LCD iPhone — maybe the iPhone X$ — is expected to sell faster than a pricey OLED one. It suggests that Apple will come out with two OLED iPhones and one iPhone with an LCD screen in the fall, but there will probably be a higher volume of LCD iPhones produced in anticipation of higher sales.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo backed up this claim in early July when he predicted the following specs for the 2018 iPhones: a 5.8-inch OLED iPhone, a 6.5-inch OLED iPhone Plus and a 6.1-inch affordable LCD iPhone.

Kuo speculates that the company’s 2018 iPhones will be based on the design of the today’s full-screen flagship. According to Jusy Hong, an analyst at IHS Markit, all three new models (including the LCD one) could be expected to look similar to the iPhone X.

Rumor: The iPhone SE X (LOL)

There’s been a recent proliferation of rumors about a 2018 release for the long-awaited followup to the iPhone SE. New reports suggest Apple may be developing a hybrid of sorts, merging the iPhone SE’s 4-inch-screen form-factor with the iPhone X’s TrueDepth camera system.

As reported by 9to5Mac.com, case maker Olixar has produced a prototype screen protector for a smaller iPhone with the slim bezels and notch found on the iPhone X. And this comes in the wake of purportedly leaked CAD drawings of a device called the iPhone SE2 published by TigerMobiles.com and Onleaks.

However, another report citing Apple’s XCode developer software could suggest that the next iPhone SE would be more like an upgraded iPhone 7. Specs seen in this possible model would include the same A10 model in the current iPhone 7, a P3-gamut display and no support for Face ID or a notch.

A less expensive iPhone X seems like a no-brainer — but is there room for a bigger version in Apple’s 2018 lineup?

CNET

Rumor: A bigger iPhone

Bloomberg reports that Apple has developed two new supersize iPhones: a 6.5-inch OLED model — a “Plus” version of the iPhone X, which would be the biggest iPhone ever — and the aforementioned 6.1-inch LCD version. Previously, former Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo speculated that the company would release three models in 2018 based on the design of the today’s full-screen flagship.

Rumor: A cheaper iPhone

Kuo predicted back in April that Apple may launch a single-SIM version that costs between $550 and $650 (which converts to about £390 to £460 or AU$710 to AU$840) and another dual-SIM model, priced between $650 to $750 (about £460 to £530 or AU$840 to AU$970). And sure, in order to make a 6.1-inch model that’s more affordable than anything in the current lineup, Apple could omit some of the pricier components including Face ID, the OLED display, 3D Touch and the second rear camera. But when it comes to a $550 iPhone X — we have our doubts.

Rumor: A pricier iPhone

Of course, every rumor has its equal and opposite rumor. Investment analysts at UBS have predicted that Apple’s flagship iPhone for 2018 will cost $1,100 (which converts to about £770 or AU$1,415). That’s about $100 over the iPhone X’s starting $999 price tag, but it makes sense if that model has a larger screen than the current model.

Could Apple’s full embrace of Face ID mean the end of the road for Touch ID in 2018?

Jason Cipriani/CNET

Rumor: Face ID proliferates, goes horizontal

Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that Apple will bring its TrueDepth camera system to the three new phones coming in 2018. With facial recognition technology fully deployed across the 2018 iPhone lineup, Apple could omit the fingerprint sensor from the next batch of phones, according to Kuo, which might mean the end of the line for Touch ID.

In addition, Face ID may also make its way into the next batch of iPads rumored for a WWDC announcement later this year. Related to this is a report from multiple sources (Mac Okatara, MacRumors and Bloomberg) that the next version of Face ID will be able to unlock phones while in landscape position — the default orientation for most iPad users.

Android P vs. iPhone XS

Meanwhile, the Android world continues to react and respond to the iPhone X. At its I/O event in May, Google showed off the new gesture-based interface at the center of its new Android P operating system. (For what it’s worth, Google says it started working on the new navigation before the debut of the iPhone X.) And then there’s Samsung’s AR Emoji and Intelligent Scan features — lesser versions of the iPhone’s Animoji, Memoji and Face ID that don’t quite measure up to the originals.

OnePlus, Asus, LG, Huawei and others have announced or are rumored to be working on phones that ape the distinctive notch design that Apple popularized (but with which the Essential Phone was first to market). And Huawei has already iterated on the notch concept with its P20, which gives you the option to toggle it on and off. Interestingly enough, Samsung has thus far avoided the notch even on its latest most advanced phone yet, the Galaxy Note 9, but Google appears to be adding a notch to its Pixel 3. (Or: Maybe not.)

With the Android world making strides in camera technology and other fronts, Apple can’t rest on its laurels. The trillion dollar question is whether the company can keep its amazing winning streak alive even as the overall market for handsets slows.

Though we’re less than two weeks from seeing the next iPhone (and we don’t have any proof as to what its features will be), the rumor mill is already creating a compelling picture of what’s to come. We’ll continue to update this page with news and leaks as we begin our countdown to the 2018 Apple iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone X2, iPhone 11 or whatever the next generation may be called.

Also, check out our weekly iPhone news report to see all the latest iPhone news.

The Apple Pencil.

James Martin

Rumor: iPhone support for the Apple Pencil or iPen

An OLED iPhone due out in 2018 will support an “iPen” device, according to an April note from investment firm Rosenblatt Securities. Of course, this rumor — an iPhone that supports the Apple Pencil — has been around since the stylus first debuted in 2015. And yet the new 2018 iPad’s addition of Apple Pencil functionality gives this old chestnut some new life.

iPhone X review: Our full in-depth review of Apple’s top iPhone

The best phones you can buy right now: These are the phones CNET recommends