According to a report by Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty via Barron’s, Apple might be delaying the 6.1-inch LCD version of the next-generation iPhone until October 2018. The reason for the delay is potentially due to “LED backlight leakage” issues.
Prior to this issue, Apple was expected to be releasing the 6.1-inch LCD version of the iPhone in September 2018. As a result of the delay, Apple may report a “weaker-than-consensus September quarter,” wrote Huberty.
However, this is actually an improvement from the original production forecast because that figure was pegged at a reported six-week delay for the 6.1-inch version. This would have put the 6.1-inch LCD version at a November 2018 release timeframe.
As for the successor of the 5.8-inch iPhone X and the 6.5-inch “iPhone X Plus,” a delay is not actually expected. And all three of these devices are expected to be announced in September 2018.
“We currently see no delay in the ramp of Apple’s upcoming flagship 5.8″ or 6.5″ OLED iPhones. However suspected issues with LED backlight leakage have caused a 1 month delay in mass production of the 6.1″ LCD iPhone, although this is down from a 6-week delay baked into the original production forecast, according to suppliers,” says the report.
TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reaffirmed this release schedule in a report back in June. Kuo predicted that the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone would be priced between $600 and $700. The 5.8-inch OLED successor to the iPhone X is expected to be priced at between $800 and $900. And the 6.5-inch OLED “iPhone X Plus” is expected to be released between $900 and $1,000.
