Your next iPhone could easily cost over $1,000
Apple's 10th anniversary iPhone -- rumors are currently split on whether this will be called the iPhone 8 or iPhone X -- is going to do more than push the boundaries of technology. It's also going to push the boundaries of your budget.
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According to Fast Company, the special edition 10th anniversary iPhone will feature a 5.8-inch OLED display, which will add substantially to the cost given that OLED displays cost about twice as much as LED displays to produce.
It is also rumored that the next iPhone will feature a stainless steel chassis as opposed to the aluminum that Apple has used for the past few generations, with the back being made of glass rather than metal (presumably to allow for wireless charging).
And wireless charging raises issues by itself, as KGI analyst Ming Chi Kuo points out. The extra heat generated by the charging coil will require Apple to fit a new graphite layer inside the phone to protect the film 3D Touch sensor from damage.
All this costs money, and could push the price of a top-end iPhone to over $1,000.
Reports also claim that Apple is looking to embed the Touch ID sensor, Home button, and other features directly into the display.
The high-end 5.8-inch iPhone 8/X is expected to appear alongside updated versions of the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone and iPhone Plus. Neither of these handsets is expected to feature OLED displays.
Is $1,000 a lot for an iPhone? Well, it depends on how you look at it. Yes, it's a lot of money, but a fully-kitted-out 256GB version of the iPhone 7 Plus already retails for $969 (the high-end iPhone is expensive even for Apple to make), so paying $1,000+ for an OLED display and some new shiny things to wave under the noses of your more frugal friends and colleagues may be worth it.
Or you could wait a year or so for the high-end stuff to filter down to the cheaper iPhones.
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See also:
- Apple did a lot more than just smash its iPhone sales record
- 7 things you need to know about Apple (1Q 2017 edition)
- iPhone 8 rumors finally suggest wireless charging is on the way
- The key to the success of the iPhone: Power efficiency
- The iPhone decade: Apple's transition from Jobs to Cook
iPhone turns 10: Watch it evolve from 2007 to 2017: