Apple will release three new iPhone models in 2018, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted in a note distributed to clients on Monday seen by Business Insider.
Kuo and his research team is well-known for accurately predicting details about upcoming Apple products thanks to his connections in the Asian manufacturing industry.
"We predict Apple (US) will launch three new iPhone models in 2H18: 6.5-inch and 5.8- inch OLED models and a 6.1-inch TFT-LCD model, all equipped with a full-screen design and TrueDepth Camera (front 3D sensing), as with iPhone X," Kuo wrote in Monday's note.
Apple is preparing two iPhones targeting the "high-end market," the researcher writes. The third model will be aimed at the low-end markets, with a predicted price tag of between $649 to $749, Kuo writes.
The high-end iPhones will include one phone with the same screen size and technology (OLED) as the iPhone X, and a super-sized iPhone X model with a 6.5-inch screen. The iPhone X currently retails for $999.
The high-end phones will have edge-to-edge screens and Apple's facial recognition camera, Face ID , like the iPhone X. The low-end new iPhone will use facial recognition instead of a fingerprint sensor, and will sport a 6.1-inch LCD screen at a lower resolution than the high-end OLED phones, among other differences in hardware and design specs.
A "real super-cycle"
The three new models will drive a "real super-cycle in terms of iPhone replacement demand," the analyst writes, predicting 100-120 million iPhones assembled in the second half of 2018.
Kuo now pegs next year as the "real super-cycle" because he believes Apple will release its new phones on-time without delays, the larger range of price-options with Face ID, and strong demand for iPhone X continuing through 2018. He also mentions that he believes Apple will ship 25-27 million iPhone X units this quarter, which will grow 35%-45% in the first quarter of 2018.
Analysts previously predicted this year's high-end iPhone X would drive a "super-cycle" of sales to upgraders, but a seemingly short supply has caused some researchers to delay their supercycle forecasts to 2018 or later.
Kuo says he views Apple shares and its key suppliers positively in 2018. Apple usually launches new iPhones in September, so obviously, lots of things could change before then.
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