Good news: You probably won't have to spend $1,000 for this year's new iPhone
Sure, the summer has just begun, but that means we're inching closer to Apple announcing new iPhones in September.
Apple is widely expected to announce three new iPhones this fall. Along with a spec refresh for the iPhone X, all signs point to Apple announcing a larger 6.5-inch Plus-sized version and a 6.1-inch model that'll likely be priced under $1,000.
Is this the beginning of the end of the $1,000 iPhone? Don't count on it. As with most things, you'll get what you pay for.
The key difference between the upcoming 6.1-inch iPhone and the iPhone X and 6.5-inch "iPhone X Plus" will be the display.
One of the reasons why the iPhone X is so pricey is because of the custom OLED display. The screen is designed by Apple and produced by Samsung. Unlike the Super AMOLED displays used in Samsung's own Galaxy phones, the iPhone X's OLED screen has a flexible design that enables it to fold backwards internally to stretch the screen edge-to-edge. The result is the iPhone X doesn't have a "chin" below the screen like many Android phones.
Besides the design advantage, the OLED screen also produces deeper blacks, higher brightness, richer colors, and increased power efficiency.
These features are wonderful, but they're also lost on many users. Despite the iPhone X being the best-selling iPhone since its release last November, many people are still reluctant to buy it because it's too expensive.
Which is why Apple is expected to sell the 6.1-inch iPhone for under $1,000 — possibly starting it at about the same price as the current $700 iPhone 8 or $800 iPhone 8 Plus.
But in order to sell the new iPhone for less, Apple needs to reportedly cut some corners. Instead of an OLED screen, the 6.1-inch iPhone will probably have a regular LCD. It'll probably still be a really good display — at least on par with the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus — but it won't have any of the OLED benefits I mentioned earlier.
With a lower price, there's greater potential the new iPhone will kickstart a new "super cycle" for iPhone sales as users who've hung onto their older devices are enticed to upgrade. Many analysts strongly believe Apple has requested suppliers ramp up more production for the LCD-based iPhone than the OLED models, according to the Wall Street Journal.
If true, the report suggests Apple is expecting more people to buy the LCD-based iPhone over the its more expensive OLED iPhone X and the yet-to-be-announced iPhone X Plus.
The display won't be the only thing that differentiates the LCD iPhone from the other two, either. Though all three new iPhones are expected to look virtually identical from the front — they'll all have a notch and edge-to-edge screens — the materials used to build them will probably be different.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
The iPhone X and "X Plus" are expected to have a stainless steel frame and dual rear cameras. However, the 6.1-inch iPhone is rumored to have a less premium aluminum frame with single rear camera. The back is still said to be glass and will support wireless charging.
And, yeah, don't count on the headphone jack coming back. Seriously, just give up on that idea. It's never coming back.
I've made the case for why the $1,000 iPhone X is worth the money, but not everyone can afford it. We all want Face ID and Memoji is going to straight up crush it, but if only the elite can buy a phone that has these features, Apple splits its customers into the haves and have-nots. It's time to get everyone into the haves boat. A cheaper iPhone X seems to be the way to go.
Raymond Wong is Mashable's Senior Tech Correspondent. He reviews gadgets and tech toys and analyzes the tech industry. Raymond's also a bit of a camera geek, gamer, and fine chocolate lover. Before arriving at Mashable, he was the Deputy Editor of NBC Universal's tech publication DVICE. His writing has appeared on G4TV, BGR, Yahoo and Ubergizmo, to name a few. You can follow Raymond on Twitter @raywongy or Instagram @sourlemons.
