Now that Samsung has announced the new Galaxy S8 series, the media attention is back on Apple's much awaited anniversary mobile iPhone X (aka iPhone 8) and rumours are rife that it will be accompanying new Watch Series 3 along with generic iPhone 7s series.
Apple Watch Series 3:
Apple has renewed the assembling contract with old-time supply partner Quanta Computer to build Watch Series 3, which is scheduled to debut along with 2017 series iPhones in the second half of the year, DigiTimes reported, citing industry insiders.
The company has also roped in new contractor Compal to build older Apple Watch series, the report added.
It is believed that the new Apple Watch Series 3 will keep most of the design attributes of its predecessor, but will come packed with faster, efficient processor and a larger battery.
Apple iPhone X (aka iPhone 8) Price revealed:
In a related development, a new report has surfaced online revealing that the iPhone X, despite coming major ugrades such as a radically re-designed exterior looks, glass cover, fast and wireless charging feature will cost less than what has been reported in the recent past.
Steven Milunovich, analyst at UBS, financial company, in a note to his clients (now available with CNBC) has claimed that the iPhone 8 will cost around $850 (€796/Rs. 55,225), not $1,000 (€936/Rs. 64,971), as previously anticipated.
It is believed that factory cost of the 64GB OLED-based iPhone X will be $70 to $90 higher than the iPhone 7 Plus model. Despite surge in making cost, Apple has reportedly decided to not increase the selling price and keep the three storage models (most likely—64GB, 128GB and 256GB—order) between $850 and $900.
Apple decision to keep the low profit margin low for the iPhone X series is said to be strategic plan to compete with Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus, which costs $840.
"Apple's top model (iPhone X aka iPhone 8) will be at a display size disadvantage to Samsung's Galaxy S8 Plus. We still think Apple will choose to price its top model relative to Samsung's top model, but remain cautious on how much higher Apple could ultimately go on price given a smaller display," Milunovich said in the note.
Apple iPhone (2017) series: What we know so far
As per the information we have gathered so far, Apple's anniversary mobile, the iPhone X, will be the company's first to flaunt OLED-based display like rival Samsung Galaxy S8, which offers immersive viewing experience.
It is expected to come with the new-age wraparound technology, wherein key components such as the earpiece, FaceTime camera and Touch ID fingerprint sensor will be integrated right into the display panel resulting in a true edge-to-edge display, without having to increase the dimensions of the device.
If rumours are to be believed iPhone X will have 5.0-inch active display having dimensions: 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.7mm, same as the generic iPhone 7 (display diagonal: 4.7-inch; front panel whole: 5.44-inch).
Apple is also expected to incorporate facial and gesture recognisable laser sensor with front-camera to help authenticate owner's face and also scan the eyes' iris pattern to unlock iPhone screens.
Further, the front-camera will have 3D capability, wherein the iPhone X users will be able to play AR (Augmented Reality) games on their devices with protagonist featuring 3D image of their own face.
Also read: Apple iPhone turns 10: Better bring anniversary mobile (aka iPhone 8) with game changing innovation or else face Dodo's fate!
Other expected features include True Tone display feature (as seen in the iPad Pro), new generation Apple A11 Fusion CPU, higher RAM and battery capacity.
On the other hand, the generic iPhone 7s and 7s Plus, are expected to have identical design language as seen on the current models-- iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus, respectively.
The good news is that they will have incremental upgrades in terms internal hardware, which includes new A11 series Fusion CPU backed by 3GB RAM and bigger battery.
Watch this space for latest news on Apple iPhone X (aka iPhone 8) and iPhone 7s series.
