Hold your horses, and keep a grip on your multiple cores, because Apple is expected to release the iPhone X version 2 in September 2018. Featuring an upgraded TrueDepth camera system, improved AR, and a bigger battery.
iPhone X version 2
Upon the release of the next iPhone X, expected in September 2018, version 2 of the popular device is anticipated to require a larger battery to power the more intensive hardware and more demanding software that will be built in to the second generation of the form-factor-favourite.
After Apple's $390 million investment in Finisar, a component manufacturer for the TrueDepth camera system, it is expected that the current TrueDepth system will power the current 2017 and early 2018 iPhone X, and then the second-generation system will ship win September 2018 with the newer iPhone X version 2, iPad Pro, and possibly also the new MacBook Pro.
Acclaimed Apple research analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities released his expert analysis of the next wave of Apple's iPhone plan, noting that power-hungry components would necessitate a more powerful battery. Apple's love of keeping things thin means that other components will need to shrink or be tightly integrated into the circuit board to allow more space for a physically larger battery, as well as using updated battery manufacturing to get more power out of a similar sized battery.
Three iPhones in late 2018
Ming-Chi Kuo re-iterated his stance that there will be three iPhone models released in September 2018:
a successor to the current iPhone X, to be known as the iPhone X (version 2) retaining a 5.8" screen
a new iPhone X Plus with a 6.5" screen
another new mid-range iPhone X with an enhanced LCD screen at 6.1" screen size.
Of course, all of these new models are expected to retain the Lightning port, TrueDepth camera, Face ID, AR features, wireless charging, all the normal iPhone goodness, and run a newer version of iOS with advanced software capabilities.
XYZtech suggests that the iPhone with the LCD 6.1" screen may be known as the iPhone 9, filling the gap between the iPhone 8 and the stellar iPhone X, both in price and features.
Will the iPad Pro get a TrueDepth camera?
It's looking more and more likely that the next version of the iPad Pro will feature a TrueDepth camera for Face ID and AR.
Supply chain issues
Tim Cook remains positive on the outside, but is frustrated on the inside, about supply chain bottlenecks, and has launched a $1 billion fund to invest in boosting supplier capacity.
Until next time,
Xavier Zymantas
XYZtech
XYZ Media Group