Three iPhones likely coming in Sept. 2019, with one a refresh of the LCD iPhone XR

AppleInsider

Apple will produce another iPhone with a LCD display in its 2019 refresh alongside OLED-based models, but LCD might get dropped in 2020 in favor of OLED across the board.

The iPhone XR's LCD display is good, but not as great as the iPhone XS' OLED version

Apple first tested out the use of an OLED display in an iPhone instead of LCD in the iPhone X, and while the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max both use OLED, Apple persisted with LCD for the lower-cost iPhone XR. However, while the supposedly-disappointing sales of the iPhone XR has caused analysts to seemingly declare it a failure, Apple may be persisting with the iPhone XR's display for one more iteration.

According to sources of the Wall Street Journal, the 2019 iPhone release roster will again be made up of three models. Of the three, one is said to be a successor to the iPhone XR alongside two with OLED, similar to the 2018 iPhone product lineup.

The underwhelming reception of the iPhone XR has led to Apple considering the possibility of dropping the option for an LCD-based model entirely, claims report sources, which would result in a complete shift to using OLED displays for the iPhone range.

One reason for including an LCD display in the 2019 lineup is that Apple's project planning has progressed to a point where major features, like the display, cannot be easily changed, even though planning has not yet completed. The 2020 models are at an earlier stage of planning, and so can more easily be revised and the technology removed.

The use of LCD in the iPhone XR helped allow Apple offer an edge-to-edge iPhone similar to the iPhone X and with the majority of the specifications of its OLED counterparts, but at a significant discount. While cheaper, LCD does offer some drawbacks, such as the difficulty of decreasing the size of the bezel compared to OLED, backlighting increasing the thickness of the device, and that OLED is capable of far superior contrast levels.

Current plans for the OLED models allegedly focus on adding new camera features, such as a triple rear camera setup for the highest-specification model. The other two models will have a dual-camera assembly, meaning the iPhone XR followup will gain one more camera on the back.

georgebmac

I would hope that Apple would not be foolish enough to follow these analyst's projections / recommendations.

That mix of 3 phones turned out to be less than optimal in 2018 (it wasn't just one of the three).
Plus, Apple needs a mix of high end as well as more affordable phones.  And, the OLED display adds hundreds of dollars to the cost of the phone.   So, for many, the LCD display is the more attractive option -- so Apple needs to expand on that rather than restricting it to a Plus/Max sized phone -- particularly because many users simply can't tell the difference between an OLED and LCD display and don't see any reason to shell out the extra 20-30% for the OLED.  

A smaller (Xs sized or even SE sized) phone would provide a modern but more affordable option as well as be a better form factor for many.  So I would hope that Apple would expand its line to 5 phones:  2 OLED and 3 LCDs:   Small, medium and large.

Another reason to not restrict themselves to only or mostly the highest of high end (OLED) phones:   We are currently in a period of unparalleled prosperity built on the back of multi-trillion dollar borrowing by the federal government as well as (effectively) by the federal reserve.   That obviously is not going to last forever.  And, when it breaks, more people will be looking for affordable phones.   Hopefully Apple is there to meet their needs with a full range of LCD phones.

avon b7

The target market for the XR customer is very unlikely to be swayed on screen technology.

I'd much rather see a good LCD screen and a richer feature set.

Any 2019 iPhone really should come with dual cameras, true fast charging out of the box and 128GB minimum storage.

Pricewise, 649€ might be a good starting point - even if it shipped with the A12 again.

Last year saw Apple begin to slip on many fronts. Part of that slippage was brought on itself but another part was due to extreme competition in Apple's own comfort zone. That competition will go up a notch from MWC2019.

Last year the P20 Pro stole the limelight from very early on and kept it right through to year end. This year the S10 hopes to hit the ground running and if that happens it will put pressure on Apple in the US where it has been shielded throughout 2017 due to Samsung not really turning many heads (just like Apple with the 2018 refresh).

tulkas

Hope they don't think another 20% hike in prices will help stimulate sales. 

mattinoz

This is the bigger problem for Apple articles like this. Letting analysts have free reign of the narrative till September.  the analysts don’t need to be right they get what they want even by being wrong. 

laoban00

If they do not release them with 5G they will not sell any. 

sirozha

If the 2019 XR has a 1080p screen and two cameras, I would buy it. Problem is, it’s not going to have 5G, which means it’s a transitional product. 

I think 2019 is looking bleak for Apple unless some other killer product is in the pipeline that will be released in 2019. Apple may as well try a different pricing strategy in 2019 and try to make money via higher volume rather than via higher pricing. 

If Apple lowers its profit margins by 50%, they may very well be able to make up in much higher sales and may come out on top with the profits. 

All that needs to happen is for Tim Cook to come out and say, “You’ve spoken and we’ve heard you. We messed up. We are changing our pricing. Please look at our new prices and give us another chance. Our products are the best, and once you try them, you will agree with us.”  

Apple should show a little humility, and the people will forgive. Do this now, Tim, before you start bleeding your faithful customers, who WILL leave for Android and Windows if you do nothing. 

I bought a 2018 MacBook Air in the last days of 2018 because I saw a decent sale at B&H, which was $200 off plus no sales tax. Altogether I saved $343 on the deal. When the 2018 MBA was announced, I scoffed at it. Dual-core CPU for $1800 (16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)? Ridiculous. However, I needed a Mac laptop, and I absolutely didn’t want to pay over $2,000 for a laptop. I also didn’t want the gimmicky Touch Bar or the crappy Gen2 butterfly keyboard. So, my choices were limited: 2015 MacBook Pro or 2018 MacBook Air. So, I gave MacBook Air a shot at $1600 and no tax. Turns out, the dual-core 2018 MBA fits my needs perfectly and in the configuration that bought, it can do everything I need. I’ve learned my lesson, which is going forward I don’t need a quad-core or six-core CPU Mac laptops.

However, even at $1600, the 2018 MBA with 16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD is still overpriced. If Apple priced this configuration at $1399, it would be priced correctly for a very lightweight and reliable Mac laptop. Apple would be able to sell a lot of MBAs, if the 8GB 128 GB version cost $999, the 8GB 256 GB MBA cost $1099 and the 8GB 512 GB version cost $1249.  

What I learned was that the 2018 MBA is a phenomenal portable laptop overpriced by $400. Had it been priced correctly, it would be flying off the shelves.

Apple should lower the profit margins to 20% and see how that affects its bottom line. 

edited January 2019

rogifan_new

I thought Apple was finally getting away from the bigger and smaller flagship not having the same features and now this rumor has us back to the bigger phone getting a better camera. Are all these camera lenses the new megapixel obsession? Somehow the latest Pixel phone takes amazing photos (especially in low light) with just one lens.

dedgecko

laoban00 said:

If they do not release them with 5G they will not sell any. 

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha—yeah no, thats not how it works. 

wood1208

It is not rocket science and even not so informed people can say 2019 iPhone XR will receive what is their in 2018 iPhone XS except newer A-series and screen remains LCD. Pricing will remain same.

edited January 2019

gg1

laoban00 said:

If they do not release them with 5G they will not sell any. 

I won't buy them with 5G (at least this year). The 5G infrastructure performance and coverage will be lacking, and the modem chipsets will be non-optimal (high current drain, multi-antenna placement not sorted out yet, etc.) for the first year or two.

Yes, the 5G infrastructure will improve over time, but you will be stuck with non-optimal phone hardware (you can't fix that in software).

seankill

I’m glad to see the market react negatively to the phone price increases. Hopefully they are cheaper when I’m ready to upgrade but with a new battery, my 7+ runs great. 

edited January 2019

canukstorm

rogifan_new said:

I thought Apple was finally getting away from the bigger and smaller flagship not having the same features and now this rumor has us back to the bigger phone getting a better camera. Are all these camera lenses the new megapixel obsession? Somehow the latest Pixel phone takes amazing photos (especially in low light) with just one lens.

That's because the Pixel is using cloud-based AI / ML in addition to on-device ML

dudoji87

GeorgeBMac said:

And, the OLED display adds hundreds of dollars to the cost of the phone.   

Actually the cost difference is less than a $100.
The entire bill of material cost of the OLED display on XS Max is around $120, and the cost of LCD is around $40.

spamsandwich

We’ll see if this is accurate, but once a rumor gets out to customers that new phones are coming later in the year, people who don’t need a phone immediately will delay their purchases, further slowing sales.

jungmark

laoban00 said:

If they do not release them with 5G they will not sell any. 

Haha. Which markets will have 5G by the end of the year?

krreagan2

At this point 5G is just a smoke screen from the wireless providers trying to get the hype machine into overdrive.

I don't see a big need for 5g like I did for LTE when it came out. I have not  really noticed many "slow" connections including while streaming. The times I do notice a slow down it was not due to the speed but from a lack of coverage! Maybe in 4-5 years it will be relevant, but not yet! So it is a non-issue for my next phone purchase (Fall 2019). While I'm not a bleeding edge tech person, I do like my tech! I just don't see a need yet!

jungmark

SpamSandwich said:

We’ll see if this is accurate, but once a rumor gets out to customers that new phones are coming later in the year, people who don’t need a phone immediately will delay their purchases, further slowing sales.

Odd comment. IPhones come out every year in the Fall. 

randominternetperson

sirozha said:

If the 2019 XR has a 1080p screen and two cameras, I would buy it. Problem is, it’s not going to have 5G, which means it’s a transitional product. 

I think 2019 is looking bleak for Apple unless some other killer product is in the pipeline that will be released in 2019. Apple may as well try a different pricing strategy in 2019 and try to make money via higher volume rather than via higher pricing. 

If Apple lowers its profit margins by 50%, they may very well be able to make up in much higher sales and may come out on top with the profits. 

All that needs to happen is for Tim Cook to come out and say, “You’ve spoken and we’ve heard you. We messed up. We are changing our pricing. Please look at our new prices and give us another chance. Our products are the best, and once you try them, you will agree with us.”  

Apple should show a little humility, and the people will forgive. Do this now, Tim, before you start bleeding your faithful customers, who WILL leave for Android and Windows if you do nothing. 

I bought a 2018 MacBook Air in the last days of 2018 because I saw a decent sale at B&H, which was $200 off plus no sales tax. Altogether I saved $343 on the deal. When the 2018 MBA was announced, I scoffed at it. Dual-core CPU for $1800 (16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)? Ridiculous. However, I needed a Mac laptop, and I absolutely didn’t want to pay over $2,000 for a laptop. I also didn’t want the gimmicky Touch Bar or the crappy Gen2 butterfly keyboard. So, my choices were limited: 2015 MacBook Pro or 2018 MacBook Air. So, I gave MacBook Air a shot at $1600 and no tax. Turns out, the dual-core 2018 MBA fits my needs perfectly and in the configuration that bought, it can do everything I need. I’ve learned my lesson, which is going forward I don’t need a quad-core or six-core CPU Mac laptops.

However, even at $1600, the 2018 MBA with 16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD is still overpriced. If Apple priced this configuration at $1399, it would be priced correctly for a very lightweight and reliable Mac laptop. Apple would be able to sell a lot of MBAs, if the 8GB 128 GB version cost $999, the 8GB 256 GB MBA cost $1099 and the 8GB 512 GB version cost $1249.  

What I learned was that the 2018 MBA is a phenomenal portable laptop overpriced by $400. Had it been priced correctly, it would be flying off the shelves.

Apple should lower the profit margins to 20% and see how that affects its bottom line. 

Lowering profit margins by 50% won't increase profits unless sales literally double.  (Basic math.)  Neither of those things is going to happen.

georgebmac

GG1 said:

laoban00 said:

If they do not release them with 5G they will not sell any. 

I won't buy them with 5G (at least this year). The 5G infrastructure performance and coverage will be lacking, and the modem chipsets will be non-optimal (high current drain, multi-antenna placement not sorted out yet, etc.) for the first year or two.

Yes, the 5G infrastructure will improve over time, but you will be stuck with non-optimal phone hardware (you can't fix that in software).

Good plan -- IF you plan to trade-in your phone in 2020.  Otherwise, it sort of sucks.

georgebmac

jungmark said:

laoban00 said:

If they do not release them with 5G they will not sell any. 

Haha. Which markets will have 5G by the end of the year?

Ask the wrong question, you get the wrong answer....

A better question is:

"Which markets will have 5G over the life of the phone -- say 3-5 years out?"