The new low-cost iPhone will only be one of three models that are expected to come out this fall. Apple is also expected to launch an updated version of the iPhone X as well as a super-sized iPhone X.
But the cheapest of the three new phones is expected to be the best-selling, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. It could account for 65% to 75% of iPhones sold this upcoming cycle, he said in a note earlier this week.
One reason why it could be less expensive than the iPhone X is because it uses a less advanced screen. It's said to use an LCD screen, instead of the OLED screen on the iPhone X. OLED screens use less power and have better colors.
More information about LCD vs OLED here.
Supply chain sources have said the new iPhone will have a 6.1-inch screen, which is bigger than the screens on the iPhone X and the iPhone 8 Plus.
The new low-end iPhone may also support a feature Asian users have been asking for a while: two SIM card slots, so you can easily switch between carriers or data plans. There could also be a single-SIM model, according to KGI Securities.
The double-SIM model will likely be more expensive. "If the [double-SIM] model sells for US$650-750, the single-SIM model may sell for US$550-650," Kuo wrote in a note seen earlier this week.
Other specs haven't been rumored, but you can expect the low-end iPhone to have a new Apple chip, and a powerful rear camera as well — although it may not have the double-lens design on the iPhone X and iPhone 8 Plus, because Apple usually leaves those features off of its less expensive iPhones.
But while Apple is exploring a low-cost phone, it is also expected to launch a super-sized iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen. Some analysts believe this unit could start at $1,100 or more.
More information on Apple's 2018 iPhone lineup here.
