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2018 is kind of an S year, and kind of not.

The 5.8" XS is definitely an "S" year model. Or maybe we should say, an "s" year model. Most people won't notice the speed bump over last year's A11, which itself still feels extremely fast. The only change of note is the improved camera. But every year the iPhone camera gets better - it's a given.

But the Max is Apple's first Plus-sized OLED phone. If you're not into big screen phones, then this probably isn't a big deal. But if you like big screen phones, that's a really meaningful improvement over last year's X.

And of course, the Xr is a brand new model, in a brand new form factor. There's nothing "S-year" about it.

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If Apple keeps the same 3 form factors for 2019, I'm wondering what Apple will do to distinguish them from the 2018 models. Of course, there will be a faster chip and improved cameras - that's a given, but that's no different from any other year.

Not sure what else they should or can do. They stayed with the same design for a long time before this. I can't imagine they solve the notch anytime soon.
 
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My crystal ball says: iPhone XI and XI Max. iPhone XR will just get a little bit cheaper without spec bump to widen the gap to the true premium iPhones. 8 will get significantly cheaper and 7 will be dumped.

2019 will be the most boring iPhone lineup ever. I think the iPhone will jump the shark next year.
 
I don't think this year was exactly a simple S cycle.The Max being a different size is a big product differentiation from the original X. The XR is a completely new beast. If only the XS was released then I would agree it is a simple S year. For the people that want a redesign next year, you are in for disappointment. Look how long it went with the last models.

now can somebody howl "bring back the SE"?
Yep, I agree. My prediction is next year's XR will probably just be a CPU (A13) and upgraded (single lens) camera, maybe some new colors and not much else. The OLED phone replacements will change a little more, retaining essentially the same design but bigger camera upgrades (triple lens?) and a new smaller true depth system allowing them to shrink the notch a little. Current XR sticks around at a discount with the XS and XS Max discontinued, 8 and 8 Plus replace the 7 and 7 Plus at the entry level.
 
How about a 5" iPhone X as a replacement for the SE? 5.8" and 6.5" are too big.

Well it would be a 5-5.5” XR really, but yea, I wish that was the real size of the XR.
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Pity if it‘s true. I hoped they would release a smaller version of the XR the size of the former 4.7“ devices as a successor to the SE.

Same :(
 
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What ?, NO mention of the Next-Gen iPhone XSE ??? ... that's the Single Lens Version of the iPhone XS that AAPL "may" announce for $899 USD on Thursday, Oct 18th, the day BEFORE pre-Orders kick off for the XR ... if they announce it, AND it includes 4 GB of DRAM, it will sell like Hot Cakes !
 
Hard to see if and when I will ever upgrade to a new iPhone. $1000 for a phone is just stupid, and I’m not interested in something the size of the Xr.

Maybe an 8 when my seven dies... they’ll be plenty cheap by then...
 
I am waiting out until 2020 to upgrade all my Apple products. When the iPad Pro goes Super OLED and maybe a price drop on the iPhone X series.

I will certainly be choosing the large options.
 
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hi

in the chart, what does "Receiver" and "Speaker" refer to?

thanks
 
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When Apple introduced the X, Tim Cook called it the iPhone of the next 10 years, or something to that effect. I took that as drastic redesigns would be coming slower in the future. I foresee the current design sticking for around 3-4 years.
 
I think the feature that I expect to be the most pronounced in 2019 will be the triple lens camera. This has the potential to be substantial, but the real question is, does Apple make this hardware feature exclusive to the Max or do they apply it to both the 5.8 and 6.5 iPhones? (Rhetorical).
 
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Bring on iPhone 11 (11 Max, 11R) with A13, USB-C charging, smaller notch, triple lense camera.
 
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