July 27, 2018
Early rumors about the 2018 iPhone indicate that Apple may be looking to explore a range of colors for the device when it releases later this year. Usually, Apple devices come in black, silver, and rose gold, which isn't that big of a variety when you realize most phones mimic that color scheme. Of course, Apple saw success with the release of the iPhone 5C, which featured a plastic back and came in a variety of funky colors.
There's some debate over what new colors could appear in the latest iPhone line-up, so let's take a look at what some of those reports say.
The Ming-Chi Kuo Report
A new rumor report about the iPhone 2018 released earlier this month, and the Ming-Chi Kuo report suggests that Apple is looking to debut a 6.1-inch LCD iPhone that will arrive in a variety of colors. The report initially stated that the iPhone would be available in white, blue, red, orange, gold, and grey. However, a new rumor from another Chinese leaker suggests supply chain sources might be producing different colors for the device.
This report from supply chain insiders insists that the latest iPhone will feature the same colors that were available for the iPhone X leather case sold by Apple. Those colors are white, black, yellow, orange, blue, taupe, or gold. This line-up should seem familiar to Apple fans since it re-uses some of the same colors we saw available in the iPhone 5C. The iPhone 5C wasn't a huge sales success, but fans have been asking Apple for more color variances for years now.
The latest report seems to drop a mention of red, but that doesn't mean we won't eventually see the color. It could be held back from launch as an exclusive color to generate more sales later in the phone's lifecycle. This staggered release of colored phones is something we've seen plenty of Android manufacturers do in the past. In fact, OnePlus recently released a red version of the OnePlus 5 after the launch of that device, so perhaps Apple is taking a page out of the Android playbook.
The Rumors So Far
The iPhone 2018 has been subject to a lot of rumors this year, so let's take a peek at what we know about the device so far. According to a report from a Morgan Stanley analyst, it's possible that Apple won't be debuting their newest iPhone until October. These reveals traditionally take place in September, but the analyst says display problems may hold up the release of the next generation smartphone from Apple.
The recent report says devices may be experiencing LED backlight leakage and that could be the source of the one-month delay while Apple sorts out these problems for its 6.1-inch screens. Suppliers were originally estimating about a six-week delay to take care of these problems, so perhaps Apple is working to get the issue ironed out as quickly as possible.
Last year's iPhone shipped with an OLED display made by LG, which received numerous criticisms when compared to OLED panels produced by Samsung. Therefore, it's no surprise that Apple is returning to the tried-but-true LCD technology for its bigger phone this year. Apple has not issued a statement on these rumors, however.
Three Models Incoming?
The other big rumor surrounding the iPhone 2018 is that Apple is looking to release at least three new models of the phone this year. One will feature a 5.8-inch OLED panel and is tentatively known as the iPhone X2. Another is the iPhone 9 with a 6.1-inch LCD screen. This device is the one said to receive the wild color treatment, so perhaps Apple will market this device more similar to the iPhone 5C. Finally, the iPhone X Plus is rumored to be a 6.5-inch OLED panel and the king of iPhones.
Of the three devices, the iPhone 9 with its LCD panel is expected to be the most affordable iPhone this year, which does suggest that Apple is looking at this model as it did the budget-but-colorful iPhone 5C that debuted in 2013.
USB-C Fast Charging
Another rumor that just won't seem to die is that Apple is finally going to include a USB-C to Lightning cable in the box with each iPhone. Previously if customers wanted to charge their device using their newest MacBook, which only has USB-C ports, they would need to purchase a $68 accessory to do so. This lack of connectivity netted Apple a lot of criticism for their desire to cut down all useful ports to one and charge outrageous prices for accessories to connect legacy devices to these new laptops.
Pricing
Finally, there have been plenty of pricing rumors about these three devices. Some rumors indicate that the 6.1-inch device could start as low as $550, making it a very competitive device with some mid-range Android phones. Other reports had pegged the device starting at $699, which would be more in line with what Apple started the base iPhone 8 device at when it debuted in 2017.
Apple fans who have their eyes set on the more expensive models can expect to pay about $899 for the successor to the iPhone X and $999 for the iPhone X Plus.
5 Things to Love About the Samsung Galaxy S20
April 08, 2020
Keep Your Smartphone & Tablets Clean With These 5 Quick Tips
March 23, 2020
So Just How Durable is the New Samsung Galaxy S10?
March 05, 2019
Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2019: A Recap of Samsung's Biggest Announcements
February 25, 2019