Yahoo Finance iPhone rumours: What we know so far about Apple's new handsets
Amid the usual fanfare, Apple is expected to reveal its latest iPhone developments later this year with the launch of an update to its premium iPhone X and two new smartphones including a smaller model and its largest model ever.
The California tech giant normally keeps its plans tightly under wraps, and this year is no exception. However, the most recent leaks and rumours suggest we will be seeing a 6.1-inch iPhone and a large 6.5-inch model.
Last year, Apple released one of its biggest smartphone upgrades in years with its tenth anniversary iPhone. The iPhone X (or "ten" as they like to call it) presented a major design shift with an all-screen front, a dual camera, wireless charging and facial recognition technology.
This year the company will be expected to improve on that design. While the iPhone X was a critical success, it was considered hugely expensive at £1,000 and, while profitable for Apple, has not sold in huge numbers like some of its older devices.
Here is everything we know so far about Apple's newest phone, and the Telegraph's take on the latest rumours.
iPhone 2018 release date
Apple normally releases its latest iPhone in the first couple of weeks of September. Last year, the iPhone X was launched on September 12 and Apple normally reveals its smartphone two weeks after German technology conference IFA, which this year is taking place in the last week of August.
Then it could be a couple of months before Apple's new products hit the shelves. Last year its iPhone 8 was released in the weeks after it was unveiled, but the iPhone X was not available to buy until November.
What will the new iPhone be called?
Apple fans will be reduced to guesswork on this question. The new phone could be called the iPhone Xs, some have suggested, returning Apple to its naming convention of adding an "s" to its new generation of smartphones.
Some have posited it could be called the iPhone 9, but this would mean taking the iPhone naming out of sequence. There have been suggestions that the largest version of the new iPhone will be called the iPhone X Plus.
What will the new iPhone look like?
The latest reports suggest the new iPhone will be similar in appearance to the iPhone X, but we may see several new size variants to provide new choice to consumers and upgrade the current iPhone 8 and 8 Plus smartphones.
The iPhone 8 features thicker bezels to the top and bottom of the phone, as well as a front fingerprint scanner. The current iPhone X has a screen which stretches almost the the sides of the phone's body and has no fingerprint scanner, having replaced the phone's unlocking mechanism with its Face ID facial recognition.
A report from Bloomberg suggests the new phones will follow the iPhone X design. One is expected to be a larger, 6.5-inch iPhone. Meanwhile, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said he expects Apple to release three phones, one follow up to the 5.8-inch iPhone X, one iPhone X "Plus" phone with a 6.5-inch screen, and a cheaper 6.1-inch screen iPhone.
Internally, the smaller new iPhone X has been code named D32, while the larger phone has been code named D33. Both are said to use next generation A12 processors.
A pair of dummy iPhone models obtained by Apple aficionado Benjamin Geskin show just what the new models might look like. While these are probably created from the current rumours and speculated design features, they do give a sense of how the new iPhones may pan out.
The dummy versions show what the larger 6.5-inch OLED and the purported 6.1-inch LCD version of the phone.
2018 iPhone X Plus (6.5-inch) and iPhone (6.1-inch) Dummy Models. pic.twitter.com/QrgkT6u0vS
— Ben Geskin (@VenyaGeskin1) July 29, 2018
Rumour rating
7/10. It seems likely Apple will keep to the iPhone X design and multiple sources suggest Apple will introduce a larger design. Last year, Apple announced three new smartphones for the first time, but it's not clear if it will do the same again.
What new colours will the iPhone 2018 come in?
There have been a few rumours suggesting Apple could release the iPhone in new colours designed to to boost sales and hit consumers in otherwise untapped markets. In fact, last year there were reports that Apple was planning to release a gold iPhone X.
Belatedly these turned out to be correct. An Apple FCC filing that was recently made public and reported by MacRumours shows that there was a gold coloured iPhone X planned, but it never reached full production. So it may be a possibility that Apple will bring another colour to market when it releases the new iPhones later this year.
There were also reports earlier this year that Apple would release a Product(Red) version of the iPhone 8 which turned out to be correct, so there is a possibility it may follow this up with a red iPhone X. Meanwhile, Ming-Chi Kuo reports that Apple will release several new colour varieties, including grey, white, blue, red and orange, according to 9to5Mac.
Rumour rating
5/10. We think this could be half right. It's likely that Apple will debut a new colour with the new iPhone, although it's hard to be certain since Apple appeared to drop its plans for a gold colour last time around. Given the previous work on a gold colour this seems the most likely.
What new features will the iPhone 2018 have?
Given the sweeping changes to last year's iPhone line-up there may not be the wholesale design changes we have seen on the new iPhones. However, there have been some reports indicating what kind of design elements users will see.
OLED screens
Reports from Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal suggest Apple is sticking with OLED screens for its high-end smartphones. OLED (or Organic LED) screens allow for darker blacks and better contrasts between colours, but are significantly more expensive than standard LCD screens.
The prototypes have included a screen resolution of 1242 x 2688 with OLED screen technology. Multiple reports also claim Apple's cheaper version of the new iPhone will stick with LCD screens used on most previous iPhone models.
Rumour rating
8/10. It seems fairly likely that Apple will stick with OLED screens for at least its premium versions of the iPhone. If Apple does go ahead with three smartphones as reports suggest, then a budget version would be logical.
New wireless modems from Intel?
The iPhone this year will feature a new set of internal processors from a new manufacturer. Chip giant Qualcomm confirmed to investors that Apple was set to use a rivals microchips in its 2018 smartphones. This is because Apple and Qualcomm have been engaged in a legal battle.
This probably won't change a great deal about how the phone works, as it has used processors from both Intel and Qualcomm on occasions in the past.
Rumour rating
9/10. This one comes from Qualcomm's chief financial officer, so it is probably accurate. However, it is not likely to change much about the actual workings of the phone.
Three new iPhones?
If we believe the reports, Apple will release three new smartphones this year. One an upgrade to the iPhone X, one larger iPhone X "Plus" phone and a budget version with an LCD screen.
Every year analysts predict there will be a three or even more new iPhones and until recently they were proved wrong. However, with the triple bill last year of the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X it seems Apple is now willing to launch even more smartphone products. Apple leakers including Ben Geskin claim to have obtained versions of the front panels of the three new iPhones.
2018 6.1-inch LCD iPhone has thicker bezel. I reported this a month and a half ago. https://t.co/SrvNUofPZapic.twitter.com/FtcwKwgUh5
— Ben Geskin (@VenyaGeskin1) July 17, 2018
Rumour rating
6/10. It is hard to judge just yet whether Apple will keep up the pace of new phone releases, given previous reports that it intended to slow down its production cycle. It may be more likely that we simply see the current iPhone X updated rather than a full revamp.
Triple camera design
According to a report in China's Economic Daily News, the larger version of the new iPhone will include a triple rear camera. This has been implemented on rival phones, such as on the Huawei P20 Pro.
A triple camera design would give the iPhone advanced 3D sensing and use stereoscopic vision, with two of the sensors taking photos at different angles.
The triple-lens camera could improve the iPhone's augmented reality features and give it 3x optical zoom.
Another report on Forbes seems to back up these claims, but offers conflicting views from case manufacturers and supply chain sources, with some supporting the claims and another suggesting the new phone will stick with a dual camera.
Rumour rating
4/10. For now, this still seems like a long-shot. While Huawei has already employed a triple camera design, many reviews don't suggest it is significantly better than the iPhone X.
In-screen Touch ID
Chinese smartphone maker Vivo has already debuted a phone with a built-in fingerprint sensor in its screen. Apple, however, seems to have gone away from this route when it invested heavily in its Face ID facial recognition technology. While the loss of a fingerprint scanner left some users unsure, our review suggests turning to a facial recognition system now seems natural.
Rumour rating
4/10. There's nothing to suggest Apple will turn back to Touch ID on the iPhone X. However, it may keep a fingerprint scanner on whatever budget model it brings out.
How much will the iPhone 2018 cost?
There have been no new reports on the price of the new iPhones, although we can probably safely assume they will not be getting any cheaper. The old iPhone X started at £999 and the more expensive version came in at £1,149. We could well see an even more expensive version of the iPhone in September.
