KGI: Apple Could Ship 100 Million Units of New 6.1-inch LCD iPhone, Replacing iPhone 8 and 8 Plus in 2018 Device Line-up

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared shipment projections with MacRumors for Apple's rumored 6.1-inch iPhone that he expects to launch in the second half of 2018.

The device is said to have some iPhone X features such as Face ID, but design compromises will enable Apple to put it at a more affordable price point. They could include an LCD screen instead of an OLED display, an aluminum frame, a single lens camera, and no 3D Touch.

iphones 2018 kgi

We project shipments under the new product life cycle (4Q18-3Q19) for the 6.1" LCD iPhone, estimated to be launched in 2H18, will reach around 100mn units.

According to Kuo's research note, shipment projections could fluctuate depending on the selling price of the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone, which Kuo believes will be somewhere between $700 and $800 in the United States. In his analysis, shipments will be around 105-115 million units when priced at US$699, and 95-105 million units when priced at US$799.

The price could also depend on "whether Apple ultimately sees the new 6.1-inch LCD model as the successor of iPhone 8 or 8 Plus," according to Kuo. In a previous note, KGI Securities has said the 6.1-inch iPhone will have a standard non-stacked logic board and rectangular battery pack like the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.

Kuo expects the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone to account for around 50 percent of the new iPhone line-up's shipments, with sales remaining strong into 2019. On that basis, today's shipping estimate suggests lifetime sales of 2018 iPhones could reach approximately 200 million units.

The device is expected to be announced around September-October as usual alongside a new 5.8-inch iPhone X and a larger 6.5-inch version dubbed iPhone X Plus.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 26

6 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.1

Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below. Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
ios 26 1 slide to stop

iOS 26.1 Brings Back 2007 Feature in New Way

Friday October 31, 2025 1:40 pm PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a small but helpful change for iPhones, and it could prevent you from running late to something important. Specifically, when an alarm goes off in the Clock app, there is a new "slide to stop" control on the screen for turning off the alarm. On previous iOS 26 versions, there is simply a large "stop" button, which could be accidentally tapped. The new ...
M5 MacBook Pro

Waiting for New Macs? Apple Just Shared Bad News

Friday October 31, 2025 7:32 am PDT by
Apple has just given a strong indication that it will not be releasing any additional new Macs for the remainder of the year. Apple's CFO Kevan Parekh dropped the hint during the company's earnings call on Thursday:On Mac, keep in mind, we expect to face a very difficult compare against the M4 MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac launches in the year-ago quarter.Parekh essentially gave a heads up ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

8 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday October 30, 2025 4:42 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
maxresdefault

Apple TV 4K Could Still Launch Before 2025 Ends: All the Rumored Features

Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors. ...
ipad mini 7 feature blue

OLED iPad Mini: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Wednesday October 29, 2025 7:13 am PDT by
Rumors are stoking excitement for the next-generation iPad mini that Apple is reportedly close to launching. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out. Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to...
Coffee Burgundy and Purple iPhone 18 Pro Mock 1

Leaker Outlines Potential New Colors for iPhone 18 Pro

Friday October 31, 2025 8:28 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro models could be available in new rich and warm color option, according to a known leaker. The Weibo user known as "Instant Digital" today suggested that next-year's iPhone 18 Pro models will be available in at least one of the following color options: Coffee, purple, and burgundy. The iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 14, and iPhone 14 Pro were all available in ...
apple tv hd

Apple Launched Its Big New Vision for TV 10 Years Ago Today

Thursday October 30, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple launched the Apple TV HD, the Siri Remote, tvOS, and their accompanying App Store a decade ago today, marking a major overhaul of the device. The new vision for the Apple TV was unveiled on September 9, 2015 during Apple's "Hey Siri" event in San Francisco, where CEO Tim Cook introduced the device with the statement, "The future of TV is apps." The announcement represented a major...

Top Rated Comments

zonk44 Avatar
101 months ago
Given that I can do everything with a ‘long press’ on my iPhone SE, that uses ‘3D Touch’ on the latest iPhones, is it actually needed?
You can't do everything with long press. In my opinion, the greatest feature of 3D touch is the ability to control a precise text cursor by 3D touching the keyboard. Setting the text cursor to a preferred position in a text field was a pain for me pre-3D touch
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonnyb Avatar
101 months ago

Dark UI, we've had the candy coloured, eye-watering festival of girliness for way too long. I'd love to see a slick, dark UI scheme with toned down colours and instead greys and transparency. Please, all the men in the world are crying out for a dark theme for iOS.
Yeah, we need a manly UI for men, devoid of colour, whimsy, and imagination. It would also help colourblind men. GRRRR!

I see this need every day on my train to work. Grown manly men, often with hairy chests, weeping (not too loudly, obviously) as they have to spend another commute looking at colours.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lionsy Avatar
101 months ago
I still think the lack of 3D touch is either completely wrong or if true, would be a massive misstep from Apple.

It's a core feature of the OS at this point.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alexgowers Avatar
101 months ago
I think Apple needs to deprecate some of its tech to hit what people really want at the right price.

3D touch is probably the reason a through the screen fingerprint reader wasn't possible as it makes the screen stack so thick. IMO it should definitely be dropped on ALL models. FaceID is a nice idea but a rear fingerprint or under screen would be preferable for both cost savings and design.

Lighting needs to go in favour of USBC, then hopefully we can all settle on a headphone standard that will be on all devices regardless of make from laptops to tablets and phones. Every new phone and PC has the jack now, so the switch won't be that bad and i'm sure an adapter could be made that sits flush for all hold outs.

Frame material should be cheap, whether that is aluminium or steel.

Glass back, honestly i want to see glass backs go away, they suck. Ceramic, metal, plastic, composite that doesn't crack would all be preferable.

Curved Bezels and bezels, I think we are ready for thinner bezels from Apple. It's almost a must to remain competitive. The curves in the corners are offensive to me in so many ways. Just pull that screen all the way to the edge and have it drip over the sides already!

The Aspect ratio! OH god this is one of my biggest pet peeves. 16:9 is video and the screen should be 16:9 at ALL times regardless of how it affects one-handed use.

Dark UI, we've had the candy coloured, eye-watering festival of girliness for way too long. I'd love to see a slick, dark UI scheme with toned down colours and instead greys and transparency. Please, all the men in the world are crying out for a dark theme for iOS.

Notifications have to be redone. Android does notifications right yet apple still clings to every notification from every app having a separate box. They need to be grouped with options to show by time instead.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Heineken Avatar
101 months ago
Given that I can do everything with a ‘long press’ on my iPhone SE, that uses ‘3D Touch’ on the latest iPhones, is it actually needed?
Yes, because it's not the same.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BMcCoy Avatar
101 months ago
Given that I can do everything with a ‘long press’ on my iPhone SE, that uses ‘3D Touch’ on the latest iPhones, is it actually needed?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)