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

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

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.

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.

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40 Comments

GeorgeBMac

said about 5 years ago

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

said about 5 years ago

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

said about 5 years ago

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

mattinoz

said about 5 years ago

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.