We are less than 24 hours away before Apple unveils its next-generation iPhone models. In terms of design, they will look almost indistinguishable from the iPhone X based on the leaks we’ve seen so far. For the upcoming model, it appears that Apple is finally jumping on the dual-SIM bandwagon based on several new leaks including a teaser from a telco.
Riding on the success of the iPhone X which has been proven to be a best seller, the next iPhone will expand the same edge to edge display into two new models which is expected to be called the iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max. Meanwhile, there will be a cheaper model which is now rumoured to be called the iPhone Xr. You can think of it as the “iPhone 5C” for 2018 and it comes in a variety of striking colour options along with a 6.1″ LCD display.
While the rear design looks like an iPhone 8 with its single camera and glass back, the device seems to be getting an interesting SIM tray design. If you look closely, it appears to be double sided to accommodate two nano-SIM cards at the same time. About a month ago, a line of code in iOS 12 Developer Beta 5 had hinted that Apple will be supporting dual-SIM.
If that’s not convincing enough, there’s a teaser image from China Mobile which more or less confirms that the next iPhone will support two SIM cards for various usage. It’s also teased that there will be a total of three models.
For years since its introduction, Apple had abstained from releasing dual-SIM phones. With China being an important market, making a dual-SIM device could be vital for their continued growth. Initially introduced only entry to mid-range smartphones, most flagship Android smartphones these days are dual-SIM ready. Not only it allows a user to hold both personal and business mobile numbers on a single phone, but it’s also extremely useful while travelling as you can always pop-in a local SIM with cheaper data.
For us in Malaysia, you might not want to put your hopes too high on this one. It was suggested that the dual-SIM version could be exclusive for the Chinese market only. Would you want a dual-SIM iPhone? Let us know in the comments below.
The Apple event is taking place on 13 September at 1AM Malaysian time. Looking at the local release of the current iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, there’s a chance that we could be getting the latest iPhone models as early as October.
