Apple has yet to release the successor to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, but rumors of future iPhones have already begun to swirl — including tidbits about the iPhone 9.
The iPhone 9 could be years away, but a few of the details are starting to come into focus. Here is everything we know about Apple’s next-generation iPhone.
Specs
Samsung might supply the iPhone 9’s screen. That is according to The Bell (via The Investor), which reported that the Seoul, South Korea-based company will supply 5.28-inch and 6.46-inch OLED panels for Apple’s upcoming phone.
“[The] iPhone 9 is expected to come in two OLED models — 5.28- and 6.46-inch display sizes,” The Investor reported. “Samsung’s OLED shipment is also likely to be more than double at 180 million units.”
Assuming details are not adjusted down the line, the iPhone 9 could look radically different from the iPhone 7 and the rumored iPhone 7S. The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus have 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch LCD screens, respectively, and the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus’ displays are expected to retain those dimensions.
The iPhone 9 will have a screen that is more vibrant and colorful than the iPhone 7’s. OLED, or organic light-emitting diodes, creates light depending on how much electric current you send it and dims black in the absence of a charge. That is in contrast to LCD panels, which have a persistent backlight that never switches off.
The iPhone 7S and 7S Plus are rumored to debut alongside a high-end iPhone — the iPhone 8 or iPhone X — with a 5.8-inch OLED panel. If the rumors are true, it seems that Apple will equip all future iPhones models with OLED.
Design
Alushta, Russia – November 21, 2014: Man holding an iPhone 6 Space Gray with social networking service Twitter on the screen. The iPhone 6 was created and developed by Apple.
The iPhone 9’s design remains a complete mystery, as of now, but there is a chance it will look something like iPhone 8.
According to the latest rumblings, the upcoming iPhone 8 will boast a stainless steel body, a bezel-less curved touchscreen, a Touch ID fingerprint sensor that is concealed beneath the display and vertically oriented dual rear cameras. The front shooter is expected to be oriented along the phone’s center (in contrast to the iPhone 7’s off-center selfie camera), and the iPhone 8 is likely to ditch the home button for a digital, software-based alternative.
Naming, release date and price
Historically, Apple has followed predictable iPhone release schedule: Minor “S” models follow major upgrades. The iPhone 4S came after the redesigned iPhone 4, and the iPhone 5S came after the Touch ID-enabled iPhone 5. But Apple might switch things up this year.
Rumor has it that Apple will release three iPhone models in fall 2017: The iPhone 7S, 7S Plus, and 8. If that happens, the iPhone 9 could launch as soon as next year. But if it doesn’t — if Apple sticks to its guns and releases the iPhone 8 next year — the iPhone 9 could be as many as two years off.
If the iPhone 9 is priced anything like the iPhone 8, it will be expensive — analysts at Goldman Sachs estimate that the 128GB and 256GB iPhone 8 will cost $1,000 and $1,100, respectively. But it could be in line with the iPhone 7S, which is expected start at $650 for the 64GB model and $750 for 128GB — the same as the iPhone 7.