Apple is posed to launch a cheaper iPhone 9 in 2018, and whether or not it goes by that specific name, we are expected a new all-screen phone closer to the iPhone 8 price than the iPhone X price.

Apple iPhone 9 & 9 Plus: The Best Cheaper iPhone Ever

Of course, we do expect a new flagship phone too in the form of the iPhone XI with a September launch window, but everyone holding out for a more affordable device from Apple should look no further than the iPhone 9.

Recent Update: The iPhone 9 is rumoured to land in September at a surprisingly low price. Plus, it looks like the phone will come in a new variety of colors with one analyst reporting it's set to come in blue and orange as well as red, grey and white.

So, in a way, we will get the iPhone 9 and iPhone 9 Plus as far as incremental upgrades to the 8 and 8 Plus are concerned, it's just that Apple will probably go back to the drawing board when it comes to naming.

We don't have any solid information on the iPhone 9 at this point, but rumors are starting to trickle in, pointing to a larger screen and a mix of an iPhone 8 and iPhone X features.When it does it's sure to be expensive - though possibly less so than you might expect.

iPhone 9 news and leaks

It's worth noting that the iPhone 9 probably isn't the iPhone XI. The latter is expected to be the super-premium successor to the iPhone X, while the iPhone 9 might be more of a sequel to the iPhone 8.

That assumes Apple continues to split its range up in such a way, but early iPhone 9 rumors suggest it will, and one of the rumors includes a render video, showing how the phone might look.

As you can see in the video below, it looks a lot like the iPhone X, but with a single-lens camera. The source adds that it has a 6.1-inch OLED screen.

This phone will supposedly have an aluminum (rather than stainless steel) frame and according to Kuo will have an LCD (rather than OLED) screen but could have just a 0.5mm bezel.

It's also said to have some single-lens camera and innards that are more reminiscent of the iPhone 8 than the iPhone X, as the chart below details.

Kuo also notes that the resolution of the 6.1-inch model (which we'll call the iPhone 9) could be lower, at 320-330 pixels per inch (ppi), while the iPhone XI could have a screen of 458ppi or more, and that it could have 3GB of RAM while the other upcoming models might have 4GB.

Most surprisingly, he says that it may not have 3D Touch, a feature every iPhone since the iPhone SE has had. The last piece of information we've had from Kuo refers to the color choices for the iPhone 9.

This isn't the only talk of a 6.1-inch iPhone 9 either. Prior to all this we'd heard rumors of a 6.1-inch LCD phone elsewhere, with the source - who's supposedly privy to Apple's product designs - adding that it might have a metal back.

However, while most rumors point to a 6.1-inch screen, one of the most recent rumors is that it will actually be 6.0 inches, and that it will have a single-lens rear camera and a TrueDepth front-facing one.

That's something we've heard before, as unnamed supply chain sources have supposedly said that a lower price handset will include Face ID, though they also said it might have an OLED screen, which recent rumors dispute.

Further confusing matters, while most sources reckon that Apple will launch three new iPhones in 2018 and that two of them will be OLED-packed iPhone X successors, one source claims that two (a 5.7 to 5.8-inch one and a 6.0 to 6.1-inch one) will be LCD, while only one will be OLED.

We've also heard reports that Apple might include a fast charger in the box with the iPhone 9 and any other 2018 iPhone models, letting you juice it up quickly, though given that this is likely to be a cheaper handset than the iPhone XI the company might reserve this for its flagship.

In more minor news we've also heard that the iPhone 9 might use an Intel modem. With current iPhone models there's a split between Intel and Qualcomm ones, but Apple is rumored to be relying purely on Intel in 2018.

How many new iPhones will Apple launch in 2018?

Reports indicate that three new iPhones will be announced in autumn 2018, although, a report in January 2018 suggested the company could actually launch four new handsets this year.

Back in November 2017 Apple analyst Ming-Chi Huown predicted that three new models would launch in autumn 2018, and that these would have the same all-screen design with the now-familiar notch. In January 2018 he followed up with more details of each model:

5.8in OLED: the successor to the iPhone X, with largely same design.

6.5in OLED: a Plus version of the iPhone X, aka iPhone X Plus or XI Plus.

6.1in LCD: a cheaper iPhone with the same design as the X but slightly larger bezels ad an LCD display. It will feature Face ID but not 3D Touch and won't have twin camera lenses on the rear.

Dual rear-facing cameras

The iPhone 9 cameras are one of the best cameras of their phones. The iPhone 9 will feature a set of dual rear-facing cameras – that much is almost certain. However, as it has done in the past few years, Apple will only include it in the plus-sized model, the iPhone 9 Plus.

It'd be an awesome move for the company to give this feature to those who don't want to shell out plus-sized dollars, but still want all the bells and whistles associated with Apple’s nifty feature.

Adjusting portrait lighting and shooting photos with depth is great to have on your phone as a DSLR replacement. And as Apple continues to pour its efforts into these competitive features, it’d be wise to homogenize the results from its broad range of devices moving forward.

Amazing Wireless charging System

Apple's investment in wireless charging is young, though it's essential enough that we'd be pleased to see it show up in the iPhone 9.

Moving from the iPhone 7 to the 8, enabling the wire-free charging feature required Apple to make the phone's back all-glass, as to allow the charging signal pass through the device.

Keeping this feature hints that the iPhone 9 might not look all that different from what's available today and will likely be just as easy to break.

iPhone 2018 prices

The iPhone X was positioned by Apple as a premium iPhone with a premium price - starting at £999/$999, while the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus were priced at £699/$699 and £799/$799 accordingly. We would expect the new models for late 2018 to be priced at a similar level.

However, respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's first research note since departing KGI Securities in April suggested that Apple will be offering a "more aggressive" pricing strategy for its three new iPhones in 2018.

He believes that Apple is concerned about "the negative impact of a higher price," but also that it has an improved cost structure thanks to assembly yield improvements. He suggests the following prices:

5.8in "iPhone X" will be $800-$900 (down from $999).

6.5in "iPhone X Plus" will cost $900-$1,000.

6.1in LCD model will be $600-$700.

In terms of UK pricing, rather than doing a straight currency conversion, which wouldn't include VAT, it is generally more accurate (at least with iPhones) to switch the dollar sign to pounds - so that's £900-£1000 for the new 'Plus' handset, £800-£900 for the X-successor handset, and £600-£700 for the LCD model.