Could Apple’s 4.7-inch iPhone Become the New Budget Offering?

Famed and historically accurate Apple analyst, Ming Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, recently told investors in his quarterly research note that Apple would be releasing a total of three iPhone variants next fall — including the standard, legacy 4.7- and 5.5-inch LCD-equipped variants, in addition to an all-new, vastly redesigned 5.2- or 5.8-inch model, which is likely to boast a curved OLED display.

Now, just days after his initial note surfaced, Kuo appears to be back with a slight expansion upon his previous report. To be clear, Kuo still believes that Apple will indeed be launching three iPhones next fall; however, he also stated earlier this week that he believes Apple’s standard, 4.7-inch iPhone could become either a lower-tier or budget offering for the company. Moreover, both the 4.7- and 5.5-inch LCD-equipped iPhone models will see drastic price cuts next fall, mainly in an effort to give the soon-to-be OLED flagship room to appeal to its own segment of customers.

Should Apple slash prices on a so-called ‘iPhone 7s’ next fall, Kuo noted that he believes those LCD-equipped, legacy devices — despite boasting upgraded internals, of course — will only account for about 30% to 35% of all 2017 iPhone shipments. The latter remainder of those shipments (Kuo suspected between 50 and 55%) will be for orders of Apple’s forthcoming, vastly redesigned ‘iPhone 8’ flagship.

Noting how Cupertino’s iPhone 7 Plus currently enjoys a $120 premium over its similarly spec’d, 4.7-inch counterpart, Kuo also alluded to how he believes that, should Apple reduce the price of its ‘iPhone 7s’ offerings, the company’s 5.5-inch jumbo-sized iPhone might be in an awkward position moving forward — finding itself sandwiched in between a lower-tier, budget friendly device featuring premium specifications, and a considerably more expensive, OLED-equipped iPhone boasting even more premium specifications.

Even despite his seemingly bittersweet report, however, Kuo also expressed a rather bullish outlook on Apple’s 2017 iPhone lineup, estimating that the company will sell between 90 and 110 million units during the fall 2017 quarter — up from 75 million so far this year.

Apple’s ‘iPhone 8’, as far as we know, is poised to be a purely game-changing device, according to a myriad of reports that have so far surfaced on the forthcoming smartphone. So even if Apple does reduce the price on its new “lower-tier” offerings, paving the way for ‘iPhone 8’ to carve out its own little niche in the market, the company is still on course to experience yet another blockbuster, record smashing fall quarter of 2017. Curious to see what the iPhone 8 could look like? See our realistic iPhone 8 concept designs here.

Are you looking forward to a cheaper ‘iPhone 7s’, or are you planning to go all out next year and splurge on the more expansive ‘iPhone 8’?
Let us know in the comments!

Featured Image: Engadget

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