Will the next iPhones breach Dh5,000 mark?

Dubai - Three new devices expected, with a 512GB storage likely in top-end model.

Three days from now, the world - especially Apple die-hards - will be treated to the next batch of iPhones. Last year, Tim Cook and Co entered unchartered territory when the decade-anniversary iPhone X was priced at $999 (64GB) and $1,149 (256GB), the first time a mainstream device topped the 4-digit dollar mark.
In the UAE, the device has price tags of Dh4,304 and Dh4,965.50, respectively - although this was after 5 per cent VAT kicked in; they were originally Dh4,099 and Dh4,729.
Note that the latter is practically at the Dh5,000 mark. Question: will the next iPhones breach that level?
To begin answering that, let's look at what is most likely to come out on iPhone D-Day:
TALE OF THE TAPE (lots of it)

(Via MacRumors)
If these hold up, then the biggest news is on the storage side.
Let's start by pointing out that there are three new iPhones expected to be unveiled at the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple Park this Wednesday, with screen sizes of 5.8 inches, 6.1 inches and 6.5 inches.
Two of them - the smallest and biggest - will have OLED screens; OLED screens have been in smartphones for some years now, though Apple only decided to use it for the first time last year on the iPhone X.
Both OLED devices are expected to come in three storage configurations: 64GB, 256GB and a new 512GB, the last of which would put it at par with the Samsung Galaxy Note9. They'd also have 1GB more RAM and higher battery capacities.
The middle one, meanwhile, is expected to sport an LED display, and will only have the first two storage capacities. It would also have a single-lens camera, compared to the other two's dual-lens snapper. All these specs for the 6.1-incher make sense because Apple is planning to position this as a more 'entry-level' device, the price of which would be at par with the iPhone X's lesser co-star last year, the iPhone 8, which is currently priced starting at Dh2,991.50, which is about $815.
If the $699 expected starting price of the 6.1-inch phone holds up, then that translates to roughly Dh2,600. Add the expected price difference here in the UAE and, yes, it would indeed be at the same level of the iPhone 8's starting price here.
Going back to the middle and top of the spectrum, if the higher end of the prices for the 5.8- and 6.5-inch variants hold up, then the former would be at par with the iPhone 8 Plus, which starts at Dh3,411.50, while the latter will be in the iPhone X's Dh4,304.
You get the pattern, right? The 6.1-incher replaces the iPhone 8, the 5.8-inch option is the follow-up to the iPhone 8 Plus and the 6.5-inch variant succeeds the iPhone X - in terms of pricing, at least.
Now, here's where we'll get to answer our question above: if the 256GB iPhone X is at Dh4,965.50, then - yes - the 512GB is a sure-fire above-Dh5,000 device.
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus have a difference of Dh420 between its 32GB and 128GB models. The iPhone X, meanwhile, has a Dh661.50 disparity between its own 64GB and 256GB offerings. If reports saying that the 512GB 6.5-inch iPhone will be priced at $1,299, then that means you have to be prepared to shell out at least Dh5,580. We came up with this calculation based on the fact that there is a roughly 17 per cent difference between iPhone prices here in the UAE and in the US:

To be fair, listed prices in America are still subject to sales tax - anywhere between less than 1 per cent to over 10 per cent, depending which state you're in. So even those in the US have to dole out additional dough for it.
And to make you feel even better, there are lots of other countries that have higher starting iPhone prices. Business Insider details this here, showing that the iPhone 8 is highest in Brazil at $1,377 (Dh5,058). Quartz, meanwhile, reported that the iPhone X tops out at $1,455.23 (Dh5,346) in Hungary.
And while there are bump-ups indeed, reports say that Apple was able to keep the price at the same levels by going with cheaper components. It could also drop the 3.5mm audio jack adaptor, yet another reason to bring costs down.
One more thing: the new iPhones - or at least one of them - could also support the Apple Pencil.
Oh, and you may have noticed 'iPhone Xs Max' mentioned up there; that's the rumoured name of the 6.5-inch model. The 5.8-inch OLED option is said to be named 'iPhone Xs' (that's '10 s'), while the 6.1-inch LED model's monicker remains unclear; it could be the 'iPhone 9' to make up for continuity, or something else. Among 'suggested' names have been 'iPhone X Plus', 'iPhone XI' and 'iPhone X2', but it's clear that the names are still a mystery. Apple does not comment on speculation or rumours.
The 's' cycle would make more sense, since Apple has done it every other year, until the transition between the iPhone 7 and 8.
In any case, expect Apple to still sell their stuff; their gamble with the high-priced iPhone X paid off, so it won't be a surprise if users continue their patronage - or a number from the other side of the fence jump to them.
- alvin@khaleejtimes.com

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