Just as Apple users were getting their heads—and hands—around the iPhone X and its four-digit price tag, there are rumblings that the tech giant is getting ready to announce a new smartphone lineup.
Bloomberg Technology cites people “familiar” with the three new phones that are reportedly already in the testing stage. Apparently, the move is spurred on by consumers’ love of “phablets,” or big-ass phones like the Galaxy Note 8, Sony Xperia, or iPhone 8 Plus. Apple plans to release its largest phone ever, with an edge-to-edge screen of about 6.5 inches. That would make it one of the largest on the market, though the actual size of the phone would be the same as the iPhone 8 Plus. Code-named “D33,” this huge smartphone would use the same OLED and Face ID technology as the iPhone X.
The “D32,” meanwhile, will be kind of an upgraded iPhone X, while the unnamed third model is intended to be the most affordable option. It will still have an edge-to-edge screen and Face ID, but will use “LCD screen technology similar to the type employed in the iPhone 8" and have “aluminum edges and a glass back” to keep costs down. Although Apple’s previous “low-cost” model, the iPhone 5C, was discontinued due to its lack of popularity (customers realized that they could get a better phone for just $100 more), the company had to offer something more reasonably priced than the $1,000 iPhone X. As Bloomberg notes, that model’s sales were well below projections.