Expect 'Potentially Simpler' iPhone Branding in 2018 and Beyond

In a note to investors, Guggenheim analyst Robert Cihra suggests Apple will take the opportunity this fall to simplify what it calls iPhone models.  In 2018, Apple’s expected to launch three new fall handsets, a 6.1-inch LCD model, second-generation OLED iPhone X, and an all-new 6.5-inch OLED “iPhone X Plus.”

According to Cihra, the LCD model could be called just “iPhone,” while the OLED models will retain the “iPhone X” moniker. The analyst explains, “We think Apple may use this upcoming cycle to formally change its iPhone naming/branding pattern.”

From 2010 until 2016, most of the iPhones released in even years have included a number in the name, like iPhone 4, iPhone 5, and iPhone 6. In odd-numbered years, an “s” was added to the title. For example, iPhone 4s, iPhone 5s, and iPhone 6s.

Apple elected to call its 10th-anniversary handset the iPhone X alongside the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. Past practice suggested those last two models should have been called the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus, given they were released during an odd year.

I”m not sure releasing an iPhone model and calling it simply iPhone is the way to go. Still, staying on the path that would eventually see the arrival of the “iPhone 14” doesn’t make sense either.

Regardless, we’ll know soon enough. Apple’s 2018 iPhone lineup should be announced in September.

What do you think Apple should call this year’s iPhone? Let us know below.