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Real 6.5-Inch iPhone X 'Plus' To Arrive Long Before Rumored Curved Screen iPhone

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Credit: Martin Hajek

While it's nice to know that Apple is working on futuristic iPhones that may -- or may not -- arrive years from now, a more realistic "iPhone X Plus" is arriving in a few months.

At the end of the Bloomberg story that discussed a far-off, newfangled iPhone with "touchless control" and a screen that curves inward from top to bottom, there was this reminder of a much more imminent -- and certain -- iPhone future:

While the Apple projects aren’t imminent, the company has near-term plans to expand OLED technology to more devices, according to other people familiar with the matter. It will release a second iPhone with that type of screen later this year; a larger model with a 6.5-inch screen....

To access adequate OLED supplies for these new devices, Apple is expanding its sourcing from Samsung to also include LG Display, the people said.

"Apple Working on Touchless Control and Curved iPhone Screen," Bloomberg, April 4, 2018

The story also reiterated (per previous reports) that there will be an update to the existing 5.8-inch iPhone X and a new lower-cost LCD model. All 2018 models are expected to have Face ID and edge-to-edge displays like the iPhone X. (Currently, all Apple phones use LCDs, except for the OLED-based iPhone X).

Credit: Martin Hajek

Why is Apple's giant iPhone X necessary now? The iPhone X comes in only one screen size (5.8-inches). A giant 6.5-inch iPhone X "Plus" (or whatever Apple decides to call it) would mean Apple, for the first time, will have a phone to compete head on with the likes of the 6.3-inch Galaxy Note 8 (and upcoming Note 9).

Bigger can be better:

If you've been using iPhone Plus models over the past few years (as I have), you quickly notice that the "smaller" 5.5-inch display on the 8 Plus is actually bigger (wider) than the X's 5.8-inch display -- which becomes especially clear when watching videos.

The reason: the X is just a 4.7-inch iPhone 8 stretched vertically (see Apple's Human Interface Guidelines). The 6.5-inch X Plus wouldn't have that shortcoming*, making it Apple's first massively-big-screen smartphone.

Besides, bigger-is-better is a truism for smartphone displays. For instance, I would like to have a stand-in for my 10.5-inch iPad Pro. A massive-screen iPhone X Plus would fit that bill. In fact, for many, a phone that large would obviate the need for an iPad.

Price: RBC Capital Markets analyst Amit Daryanani said in a research note in March that the next iPhone X will be priced at $899 and the upcoming iPhone X Plus at $999 -- the same as the current iPhone X. And the 6.1-inch mid-range iPhone (LCD) would slot in at $799.

Conclusion: In displays, Apple is playing catch up to Samsung. The South Korean electronics company to date has had a stranglehold on smartphone OLED displays. So, it's been leading the way with the Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S9 Plus, which have large 6.3- and 6.2-inch OLED displays respectively.

But the dynamics are changing. LG Display is now ready to enter the OLED fray in a big way (and will likely be a future Apple supplier) and other manufacturers, such as Japan Display, may also become suppliers.

So, it's reasonable to expect more OLED iPhone models in the near term, though Apple likely won't abandon LCDs, as manufacturers (such as Japan Display) step up their game. Down the road, Apple could turn to MicroLEDs too, which may solve some of the inherent shortcomings (such as durability) of current OLED technology.

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*Some would say it's not a shortcoming because it makes the iPhone X more ergonomic and better for one-handed operation.

Galaxy Note 8: Samsung leads the way with large OLED display phones.

Credit: Samsung