JUST A DAY after the first images of alleged iPhone X Plus parts surfaced online, Bloomberg is reporting that Apple's "biggest smartphone yet" will make its debut this year.
Mark Gurman, notorious for legitimate Apple leaks, reports that the iPhone X Plus will see an official launch later this year and will be just one of three new iPhones in 2018.
According to Gurman, the so-called iPhone X Plus will arrive alongside "an upgraded handset the same size as the current iPhone X and a less expensive model with some of the flagship phone's key features."
The iPhone X Plus, codenamed 'D33', sounds like it will be the most interesting of the three, with its 6.5in OLED display set to fit into a device with the same physical footprint as the iPhone 8 Plus thanks to its lack of physical home button and edge-to-edge display.
It's OLED display will pack a 1242x2688 display, according to the report, making it "about as sharp" as the 5.8in screen on the original iPhone X.
The iPhone X Plus, along with the 5.8in iPhone X successor - codenamed 'D22' - could be made available in a gold colour option for the first time, the report claims. Bloomberg notes that Apple tried to develop a gold version of the current iPhone X handset, but abandoned it because of "production problems".
All three incoming models, including the more-affordable LCD-equipped model, will pack Apple's next-generation A12 processor, the report adds, alongside iOS 12 and a built-in Face ID sensor.
There's no word as to when the smartphones will be making their debut, but it's likely Apple will hold its launch event in September.
26/2/18: A leak alleged to have come from an LG display production facility in Vietnam has given us our first glimpse of Apple's iPhone X Plus.
A pair of images posted on MacX forums show what appears to be an iPhone X-shaped pane of glass. It's clearly bigger than the panel found on the current-gen iPhone X, and looks like it could have a smaller notch too - matching up with earlier rumours that claimed that Apple will downsize the notch on future iPhone X models.
Although unclear whether the leak is legit, MacRumours notes that the flex cable looks authentic, as does the part number printed on it.
Also adding weight to the leak is the fact that earlier rumours also claimed that, while Samsung currently uses Samsung as its supplier for OLED displays, it's planning to use LG's OLED facility for its 2018 iPhone models.
16/2/18: Apple will release a 6.1in iPhone this year that will resemble the iPhone X and cost just $699 (around £500) according to KGI.
In a note seen by 9to5Mac, KGI is predicting that Apple's mooted 6.1in iPhone will "use slightly less premium components" than the iPhone X, such as an aluminium frame instead of stainless steel. Despite this, it will reportedly look nearly identical to Apple's notch-equipped flagship.
This all sounds like a winning formula to KGI, which expects the 6.1in LCD-screened model to be Apple's "most popular" 2018 device, and expects it to see total sales of around 100 million units.
In comparison, KGI's Ming-Chi Kuo expects the current iPhone X to ship a total of 62 million units in its lifetime.
Alongside the 6.1in iPhone, Apple is also expected to launch a new and improved iPhone X with souped-up internals and a larger iPhone X Plus with a 6.5in OLED display. While KGI expects the lesser-specced model to retail for $699, pricing for the other two models is not yet known.
5/2/18: Apple will reportedly make Intel its sole supplier of cellular modems for its 2018 iPhones, eliminating its reliance on Qualcomm.
So says KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, naturally, who reports via 9to5Mac that: "Intel will be the exclusive supplier of baseband chip for 2H18 new iPhone models, while Qualcomm may not have a share of the orders at all."
According to Kuo, Intel can meet Apple's technical requirements and offers more competitive prices. The modem which Apple may be using is Intel's XMM 7560 modem which supports 4×4 MIMO technology.
This move comes amid escalating tensions between Apple and Qualcomm. One of the firms' most recent legal squabbles saw the chipmaker accuse Apple of sharing proprietary code with Intel, including confidential information about its chips.
Despite this ongoing hostility between the two firms, Kuo doesn't rule out Qualcomm returning to the supply chain, perhaps as concessions in the patent lawsuit settlement.
He adds that there's also a risk that Intel may not be ready for 5G as quickly as Qualcomm, which may also force Apple's hand.
26/1/18: Apple will launch a single OLED iPhone this year with a 6.5in screen, according to Digitimes, despite earlier speculation that it was also planning a 5.8in successor to the iPhone X.
Digitimes' report, which we'd advise to take with a pinch of salt, claims that Apple plans to abandon the 5.8in OLED iPhone form factor after just one generation, and plans instead to launch just the 6.5in iPhone X Plus later this year.
It notes, however, that Apple has "not yet made the final decision" and notes that the firm has been testing four different iPhone designs for 2018.
Still, it seems pretty confident that Apple'' 2018 lineup will comprise of 5.8in LCD, a 6.1in LCD and the 6.5in OLED phone iPhone models.
Elsewhere in its report, Digitimes also claims that an iPhone SE successor with wireless charging, and no 3D Touch, will make its debut later this year.
19/1/18: A new report from KGI, via 9to5Mac, reaffirms previous speculation that Apple will launch a three-tier iPhone lineup this year, including a 6.1in LCD model with a "similar design to the iPhone X", a sequel to last year's iPhone X and the 6.5in iPhone X Plus.
