Apple’s said to be working on 3 new iPhones this year, with 2 set to be OLED models and third a cheaper LCD one. The last has popped up in a new China Times report which claims that Apple is looking to adopt Japan Display’s “Full Active” LCD tech.
Full Active LCDs are a class apart from regular LCDs, requiring only a narrow 0.5mm bezel on all 4 sides. That’s even slimmer than the ones found all around the iPhone X. The panels have 6-inch 18:9 screens with a resolution of 2160 x 1080p. Previous rumors have pegged a 6.1-inch display for the LCD iPhone, so these specs hold up.
The iPhone X has a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, so the 6.1-inch 2018 iPhone won’t be as tall with its presumably 18:9 one. It’ll still be much longer than the iPhone 8 though, plus it’ll likely have the benefit of having a full-screen design. The presence of the notch is still up for debate as of now, but it’ll probably be around.
Also Read: Apple to discontinue iPhone X, launch 6.5-inch iPhone in 2018
Noted KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently weighed in on the 6.1-inch iPhone, claiming that it’s swapping a stainless steel frame for aluminum, 4GB RAM for 3GB RAM, and dual cameras for a single camera. Surprisingly, Apple may not bless it with 3D Touch. This would be highly unusual, although there’s no denying it would keep the cost of the handset down.
As for what that price could be, Kuo recently revised his prediction from $650 – $750 to $700 – $800. If Apple does decide to go for Full Active LCDs, it’ll be following in Xiaomi’s footsteps since the firm had used the same for the Mi Mix 2.
The Wall Street Journal had previously reported that Apple was considering Japan Display’s panels, so there is a chance that the rumors of a Full Active LCD iPhone are accurate after all. Stay tuned for more on the upcoming device as and when news trickles in.