He’s Back: Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo Returns With Some 2018 iPhone Predictions

Famed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has returned with a number of new predictions regarding this year’s upcoming iPhone lineup.

Kuo, who left his former firm KGI Securities last April, has returned with his first Apple-related note with his new firm TF Securities. According to a new report from MacRumors, Kuo’s note claims that Apple will be adopting a “more aggressive” pricing strategy for its 2018 iPhone lineup in an effort to move more models this year.

According to Kuo, one of the main reasons Apple is going with this pricing strategy is “concern over the negative impact of a higher price” for its upcoming smartphones. Last year Apple received widespread backlash due to the incredibly high price point of the iPhone X, which debuted at the then-unheard-of price point of $1319 CAD.

Kuo believes that the 6.5-inch OLED “iPhone X Plus” model will debut at around $900-1000 USD, while the second-generation OLED iPhone X will clock in around $800-900. The 2018 iPhone lineup will be completed by a widely-expected 6.1-inch LCD model, which will be priced around the $600-$700 USD mark. Kuo believes all three phone will continue with the iPhone X’s bezel-less screen design and will feature Face ID.

“We forecast that Apple will adopt a more aggressive price policy for the following reasons: (1) concern over the negative impact of a higher price in a mature smartphone market on selling momentum, (2) improved cost structure, which is mainly attributed to assembly yield improvements of end product & 3D sensing and cost reduction of components, and (3) increasing users of Face ID benefiting the promotion of the Apple service and ecosystem,” predicts Kuo.

Finally, Kuo believes the 2018 iPhone lineup will debut at an event at some point in September, the month Apple has historically debuted its newest smartphones. Following the September event Apple will launch said phones, believes Kuo, including the LCD model, which many analysts had predicted for a November release date.

While Kuo’s predictions aren’t the most revelatory we’ve ever seen, it’s certainly good to have the analyst back – he was one of the most reliable when it came to Apple predictions and tips. When Kuo first left KGI Securities in April, many expected him to focus on other emerging industries, but it’s nice to know that he will still cover Apple.