Apple is likely to sell its new and cheaper iPhone XR faster than the luxury iPhone XS and XS Max, an Apple analyst has claimed.
According to Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst with TF International Securities who often accurately predict Apple’s future device plans, more people would upgrade to the iPhone XR this year.
iPhone XR would go on sale in India from October 19 and would be in stores on October 26, starting at Rs 76,900 for the 64GB storage variant.
According to a MacRumor report on Monday, Kuo said that Apple is now expected to ship 36 to 38 million iPhone XR units in the fourth quarter of 2018, up 10 per cent from an original estimate of 33 to 35 million units.
Also read: Why the iPhone has a Notch and why Pixel 3 XL’s doesn’t make much sense
In a note to investors, Kuo also said Apple would continue to offer 5.8 and 6.5-inch OLED iPhones in 2019, along with one 6.1-inch LCD model.
Kuo has also revised his estimate for total iPhone shipments to 78 million to 83 million units from his earlier 75 to 80 million. Apple sold 77.3 million iPhones in the same period in 2017.
“We believe that replacement demand for XR will be better than it was for the iPhone 8 series last year because of XR’s larger display, longer battery life, dual-SIM support, and new form factor design,” Kuo said in the note to investors.
The affordable iPhone XR has a 6.1-inch LCD screen with liquid Retina display and aluminium body instead of a steel one.
Also read: iPhone’s Bluetooth and WiFi don’t turn off via control centre of iOS 12
While this might hold true, but those going for iPhone XR don’t have a lot to rejoice as it sports a much inferior display when compared to the iPhone XS and XS Max. At $749 it doesn’t feel cheap either — given the inferior quality of its display and the camera downgrade to a single lens that is supported by a myriad of software to make the images look better.
iPhone XR faces stiff competition not only from its own lineup of better variants but also from the world of Android, including the recently released flagship Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL devices that are coming to stores at a relatively reasonable $799 and $899, respectively.
Also read: How to pre-order the Apple iPhone XR
With inputs from Candid.technology
