A report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo last month claimed Apple Inc. would unveil not two, but three new iPhones next year. Additional reports from Nikkei and Nomura Securities Co. Ltd. this week have added further fuel to Kuo’s claims.

Citing a source “privy to the company’s product designs,” Nikkei’s report today claims Apple will unveil three new iPhones in 2018. This will include two organic light-emitting diode or OLED display devices, measuring 5.8 inches and 6.3 inches. The third device would be a more budget-friendly option and will trade the OLED display for a 6.1-inch liquid-crystal display.  

This report does fit more or less with Kuo’s claims, but the analyst predicts the “iPhone X Plus” model will be even larger, measuring 6.5 inches. In a note distributed to investors earlier this week, several of Nomura’s predictions also align with those of Kuo, including the 6.5-inch model.

The 6.1-inch LCD iPhone will also trade the glass back found on the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X for the metal back used on older models, like the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, and will be available in “several colors,” according to Nikkei.

Apple could also opt to go with a new supplier for the LCD model. Casetek, a subsidiary of iPhone 8 manufacturer Pegatron Corp., could be selected to make the LCD iPhone. Casetek has made iPads in the past, but the 6.1-inch LCD device would be its first iPhone. A second Nikkei source said Casetek has already been “experimenting with new casings for the LCD-equipped iPhone.” Nomura predicts the LCD iPhone will be assembled by Pegatron and possibly Wistron Corp. and will be targeted at the midrange segment between $650 and $900. Kuo predicts a price of between $650 and $750.

Opting to not use OLED displays for all of its iPhones next year makes sense for Apple and will ensure the company is not completely dependent on rival Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., the current manufacturer of its OLED panels. An alternative supplier, LG Display Co. Ltd., will only be able to provide Apple with an estimated 10 million OLED displays in 2018, according to Eric Chiou, an analyst at Taipei-based research company WitsView Technology Corp.

2018 iPhone concepts: 5.8 and 6.5-inch OLED models and the 6.1-inch LCD model via Benjamin Geskin

The two upcoming OLED models will be similar to the current iPhone X and will sport the same True Depth camera system, according to Nomura. Apart from size, the OLED models will be the same, except for dual SIM card support in the 6.5-inch model.

Apple may also introduce a 512-gigabyte storage option, according to Nomura. Samsung announced Tuesday that it had started mass production of a 512-gigabyte embedded Universal Flash Storage memory chip for mobile devices. Although the company hasn’t specified which of its 2018 flagships will receive the chip, if it is the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus, that will give Samsung the upper hand.

Samsung has denied claims that the Galaxy S9 and S9 will debut at the Consumer Electronics Show next month, but the possible launch date before Mobile World Congress would put the 512GB Galaxy S9 months ahead of the Apple iPhone launch in September.

Another report from Nikkei earlier this week suggests Apple is also working on its own main power management chips, allowing it to be less dependent on suppliers. While one source stated that Apple is “set to replace partially, or around half of its power management chips to go into iPhones by itself starting next year,” another source said the technology could be delayed till 2019. Apple’s in-house power management chip will be the “most advanced in the industry,” according to the sources.

Reports last month suggested Apple also plans to unveil an updated iPhone SE in the first half of next year, which would make four new iPhones for 2018. Alternatively, the reported LCD model could be the updated iPhone SE, albeit in a much larger size.

Although the majority of smartphones are getting larger, Apple has kept a foot in the smaller smartphone market with the SE. With reports that its biggest rival Samsung plans to introduce a five-inch Galaxy S9 Mini next year, it’s unlikely Apple will want to relinquish this market.

Main image: Medhat Dawoud: Unsplash