KGI: iPhone 8 to eclipse sales record set by iPhone 6, wireless charging on high-end and low-end models

Apple is ramping for its biggest iPhone sales success ever next year, according to KGI. Its estimates suggest that the new iPhones in 2017, expected to comprise three new models, will empower Apple growth with ‘unprecedented’ demand. KGI expects the new phones may sell between 120-150 million units in the second half of next year, eclipsing the previous sales record set by iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

The new form-factor premium OLED iPhone will likely encourage high-end customers to upgrade their device and the low-end new 4.7-inch iPhone model (with wireless charging and a glass chassis) will be attractive to the lower-end of the smartphone market.

KGI reiterates what the firm has said before, in that Apple will debut three new iPhones in 2017: one major redesign (colloquially dubbed ‘iPhone 8’) and two iterative updates to the existing 4.7-inch iPhone 7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus.

The report says that wireless charging will feature on all models, making the ‘less-exciting’ devices still very compelling for consumers. The iterative devices will look similar in design to the iPhone 7 but replace their aluminium body with a glass casing, potentially including new cameras and the usual CPU/GPU upgrades.

The ‘iPhone 8’ is expected to include radical new appearance with a large OLED display that curves around the sides of the phone; many sources are describing the phone as ‘bezel-less’ with the Home Button integrated into the screen.

Wireless charging looks to be a tentpole feature across all three new phones. A previous article from KGI suggested that the wireless charger may be an additional accessory, despite all phones including the components for wireless charging.

The combination of updates at both the high-end and low-end will enable Apple to sell more iPhones than in any previous cycle, according to KGI. Suppliers are reportedly preparing to produce 120-150 million iPhone units in the second half of 2017. This compares to 110-120 million units in the same period in 2014 with the iPhone 6 series of phones; iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were the first Apple smartphones to feature screens larger than  inches.

Consensus on screen size for the OLED iPhone is around 5.8 inches although some of that area will be used to wrap the display around the sides of the device. Reports indicate that the touchscreen itself will have an active touchscreen area of around 5.2 inches.