If you were holding out hope that next year’s iPhone lineup might differ drastically from the models introduced this year, you might end up being disappointed. In a note to investors on Monday morning, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo included a chart that seems to suggest Apple will stick with the same three sizes in 2019.
In the chart, which shows Apple supplier Luxshare Precision’s projected market share from 2017 through 2019, Kuo mentions the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X as the three 2017 models, the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR as the 2018 models, and “New 6.5″ OLED,” “New 5.8″ OLED,” and “New 6.1″ LCD” for the 2019 models. Kuo seems to believe that Apple’s 2019 iPhone models will stick to the script.
Rumors about the 2019 iPhones began to circulate before Apple even confirmed the existence of the XS or XR (as we’ve become accustomed to in recent years), but specifics have been hard to come by. The assumption is that since this was an “S” year, Apple would save its most significant design changes for 2019 with the true sequel to the iPhone X, but Kuo’s latest note raises far more questions than it answers, if it answers any at all.
Kuo has made a name for himself among technology blogs by accurately predicting Apple’s next moves more often than not. That said, we’re still so far out from the launch of next year’s iPhones, that it is possible Kuo simply filled in the blanks to make his point about Luxshare’s potential gains in 2019. But when MIng-Chi Kuo says something about Apple’s upcoming devices, it’s always worth listening.
The only noteworthy rumor we’ve seen recently regarding Apple’s next phones is that the 2019 models will ship with a powerful A13 processor that will be exclusively supplied by TSMC for the fourth year in a row.
