KGI: Apple Could Ship 100 Million Units of New 6.1-inch LCD iPhone, Replacing iPhone 8 and 8 Plus in 2018 Device Line-up

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared shipment projections with MacRumors for Apple's rumored 6.1-inch iPhone that he expects to launch in the second half of 2018.

The device is said to have some iPhone X features such as Face ID, but design compromises will enable Apple to put it at a more affordable price point. They could include an LCD screen instead of an OLED display, an aluminum frame, a single lens camera, and no 3D Touch.

iphones 2018 kgi

We project shipments under the new product life cycle (4Q18-3Q19) for the 6.1" LCD iPhone, estimated to be launched in 2H18, will reach around 100mn units.

According to Kuo's research note, shipment projections could fluctuate depending on the selling price of the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone, which Kuo believes will be somewhere between $700 and $800 in the United States. In his analysis, shipments will be around 105-115 million units when priced at US$699, and 95-105 million units when priced at US$799.

The price could also depend on "whether Apple ultimately sees the new 6.1-inch LCD model as the successor of iPhone 8 or 8 Plus," according to Kuo. In a previous note, KGI Securities has said the 6.1-inch iPhone will have a standard non-stacked logic board and rectangular battery pack like the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.

Kuo expects the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone to account for around 50 percent of the new iPhone line-up's shipments, with sales remaining strong into 2019. On that basis, today's shipping estimate suggests lifetime sales of 2018 iPhones could reach approximately 200 million units.

The device is expected to be announced around September-October as usual alongside a new 5.8-inch iPhone X and a larger 6.5-inch version dubbed iPhone X Plus.

Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

zonk44 Avatar
81 months ago
Given that I can do everything with a ‘long press’ on my iPhone SE, that uses ‘3D Touch’ on the latest iPhones, is it actually needed?
You can't do everything with long press. In my opinion, the greatest feature of 3D touch is the ability to control a precise text cursor by 3D touching the keyboard. Setting the text cursor to a preferred position in a text field was a pain for me pre-3D touch
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonnyb Avatar
81 months ago

Dark UI, we've had the candy coloured, eye-watering festival of girliness for way too long. I'd love to see a slick, dark UI scheme with toned down colours and instead greys and transparency. Please, all the men in the world are crying out for a dark theme for iOS.
Yeah, we need a manly UI for men, devoid of colour, whimsy, and imagination. It would also help colourblind men. GRRRR!

I see this need every day on my train to work. Grown manly men, often with hairy chests, weeping (not too loudly, obviously) as they have to spend another commute looking at colours.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lionsy Avatar
81 months ago
I still think the lack of 3D touch is either completely wrong or if true, would be a massive misstep from Apple.

It's a core feature of the OS at this point.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alexgowers Avatar
81 months ago
I think Apple needs to deprecate some of its tech to hit what people really want at the right price.

3D touch is probably the reason a through the screen fingerprint reader wasn't possible as it makes the screen stack so thick. IMO it should definitely be dropped on ALL models. FaceID is a nice idea but a rear fingerprint or under screen would be preferable for both cost savings and design.

Lighting needs to go in favour of USBC, then hopefully we can all settle on a headphone standard that will be on all devices regardless of make from laptops to tablets and phones. Every new phone and PC has the jack now, so the switch won't be that bad and i'm sure an adapter could be made that sits flush for all hold outs.

Frame material should be cheap, whether that is aluminium or steel.

Glass back, honestly i want to see glass backs go away, they suck. Ceramic, metal, plastic, composite that doesn't crack would all be preferable.

Curved Bezels and bezels, I think we are ready for thinner bezels from Apple. It's almost a must to remain competitive. The curves in the corners are offensive to me in so many ways. Just pull that screen all the way to the edge and have it drip over the sides already!

The Aspect ratio! OH god this is one of my biggest pet peeves. 16:9 is video and the screen should be 16:9 at ALL times regardless of how it affects one-handed use.

Dark UI, we've had the candy coloured, eye-watering festival of girliness for way too long. I'd love to see a slick, dark UI scheme with toned down colours and instead greys and transparency. Please, all the men in the world are crying out for a dark theme for iOS.

Notifications have to be redone. Android does notifications right yet apple still clings to every notification from every app having a separate box. They need to be grouped with options to show by time instead.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Heineken Avatar
81 months ago
Given that I can do everything with a ‘long press’ on my iPhone SE, that uses ‘3D Touch’ on the latest iPhones, is it actually needed?
Yes, because it's not the same.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BMcCoy Avatar
81 months ago
Given that I can do everything with a ‘long press’ on my iPhone SE, that uses ‘3D Touch’ on the latest iPhones, is it actually needed?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Announces 'Let Loose' Event on May 7 Amid Rumors of New iPads

Tuesday April 23, 2024 7:11 am PDT by
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
iPhone 15 Pro FineWoven

Apple Reportedly Stops Production of FineWoven Accessories

Sunday April 21, 2024 6:03 am PDT by
Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories, according to the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami." In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kosutami explained that Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories due to its poor durability. The company may move to another non-leather material for its premium accessories in the future. Kosutami has revealed...
Apple Vision Pro Dual Loop Band Orange Feature 2

Apple Cuts Vision Pro Shipments as Demand Falls 'Sharply Beyond Expectations'

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:44 am PDT by
Apple has dropped the number of Vision Pro units that it plans to ship in 2024, going from an expected 700 to 800k units to just 400k to 450k units, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Orders have been scaled back before the Vision Pro has launched in markets outside of the United States, which Kuo says is a sign that demand in the U.S. has "fallen sharply beyond expectations." As a...
iOS 17 All New Features Thumb

iOS 17.5 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday April 21, 2024 3:00 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 17.5 update for the iPhone includes only a few new user-facing features, but hidden code changes reveal some additional possibilities. Below, we have recapped everything new in the iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 beta so far. Web Distribution Starting with the second beta of iOS 17.5, eligible developers are able to distribute their iOS apps to iPhone users located in the EU...
iPad And Calculator App Feature

Apple Finally Plans to Release a Calculator App for iPad Later This Year

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:08 am PDT by
Apple is finally planning a Calculator app for the iPad, over 14 years after launching the device, according to a source familiar with the matter. iPadOS 18 will include a built-in Calculator app for all iPad models that are compatible with the software update, which is expected to be unveiled during the opening keynote of Apple's annual developers conference WWDC on June 10. The lack of ...
Provenance Emulator

PlayStation and SEGA Emulator for iPhone and Apple TV Coming to App Store [Updated]

Friday April 19, 2024 8:29 am PDT by
The lead developer of the multi-emulator app Provenance has told iMore that his team is working towards releasing the app on the App Store, but he did not provide a timeframe. Provenance is a frontend for many existing emulators, and it would allow iPhone and Apple TV users to emulate games released for a wide variety of classic game consoles, including the original PlayStation, SEGA Genesis,...