Analyst predicts Apple will retire iPhone X in summer of 2018
The iPhone X may not have garnered the sales that Apple was hoping for, but the Cupertino, California company’s latest phone is by no means a failure. We loved it enough to name it one of our best products of 2017, and millions of Apple devotees have already taken the plunge, but even more have noted that the divisive (literally) “notch” design, and the huge $1,000 price tag was enough to put them off buying the phone, with many opting for cheaper iPhones as a result.
Despite that, it’s still a shock that Apple may well be ditching the iPhone X in the summer of 2018. According to a research note from KGI Securities (via Apple Insider), Apple will choose to retire the Apple iPhone X ahead of a new cycle of iPhones in fall 2018. This would be the first time that Apple has ever brought an iPhone to the end of its lifespan before a new product launch, instead of keeping it on as a cheaper model.
Focusing on iPhone sales in China, KGI blames the design of the iPhone X as the reason that the phone’s sales are not doing as well as hoped. Despite the iPhone X having the largest screen ever seen on an iPhone (5.8-inches compared to the 5.5-inch screen on the iPhone 8 Plus), KGI believes that the notch at the top of the screen, that houses the phone’s sensors, has tricked many consumers into assuming that the phone has less usable real estate when compared to a standard iPhone Plus model. Since scale isn’t obvious in most marketing materials, and most consumers would likely assume that the model with the “Plus” moniker is the largest available, this isn’t an unfair assessment to make.
Despite this possible setback, it’s highly likely that Apple will be looking to continue an iPhone X-style design with its next series of iPhones. Whether or not the notch will remain is up for debate (Apple had previously hoped the notch would become as iconic as the circular home button), but it’s fair to assume that the edge-to-edge design will remain. And regardless of how the iPhone X has performed, iPhone sales are still expected to continue strongly, with Apple well on the way to becoming the world’s first company valued at $1 trillion during the course of 2018.
Finally, it’s also worth noting that an early retirement of the iPhone X would essentially make it a limited edition run — somewhat fitting, since it was originally intended to commemorate the tenth birthday of the iPhone brand. Whether or not this announcement of retirement will boost sales will have to remain to be seen, but if you’ve been pushed into buying one by this news, then check out our iPhone X buying guide for the best way to buy your bezel-less beauty.