Next year's iPhones won't have the new TrueDepth tech on its rear camera, says analyst

The iPhone X's release is imminent (and we can tell you all about it in our review), but that hasn't stopped the rumor mill from churning out reports about Apple's next generation of smartphones.

The latest speculation about Apple's 2018 offerings is more concerned with what the phones won't have, rather than what new features are coming. Apple won't bring the iPhone X's innovative new TrueDepth front-facing camera system to the rear camera, according to an investors note from respected analyst and supply chain source Ming-Chi Kuo that was provided to AppleInsider.

Apple will instead focus on launching the phones on time and stabilizing shipments by avoiding the difficulties that reportedly plagued the X's production. Kuo previously predicted that TrueDepth tech will become the norm across all future iPhone and iPad models, completely replacing physical the physical home button.

Kuo thinks Apple will concentrate on "reducing costs and selling prices," which could potentially make the high level technologies in the current X more accessible to consumers next year as they're implemented across other devices in the iPhone line.

The analyst believes TrueDepth will eventually make its way to the rear of the iPhone — just not so soon. The technology is still in its infancy, and there are other issues beyond the supply chain and production challenges. Kuo thinks that Apple still has work to do to expand its AR ecosystem and platform, ARKit, since AR functionality would likely be one of the main draws to a rear-facing TrueDepth rig.

We don't know much about Apple's plans for next year, but some rumors have already leaked out. An early report claimed that Apple is working on two new phones with 5.28-inch and 6.46-inch OLED displays, which would serve as fitting complements to the 5.8-inch X if Apple releases three devices again.

On the supply side, LG might be providing batteries for the 2018 iPhones, while Samsung is rumored to supply both OLED displays and chips. The next generation of devices could be without Qualcomm's modem chips, too, as Apple is said to be testing out Intel and MediaTek chips as Apple and Qualcomm are embroiled in a messy dispute.

Apple typically doesn't comment on rumors, however, and the company goes to extreme lengths to keep its development plans secret. We won't know for sure what's coming with the next generation of iPhones until next fall when they're (presumably) officially unveiled. Start the countdown now.