The highly-rumoured 2017 flagship iPhone is expected to be named as 'iPhone X' and not iPhone 8, according to the latest leak from prolific tipster Evan Blass via Dutch website iCulture.
Until now, rumours suggested that the upcoming flagship iPhone would carry the tag name 'iPhone Edition'. However, the newly speculated 'iPhone X' moniker makes more sense, as it directly relates to the tenth anniversary iPhone being unveiled at the forthcoming media event on September 12 at Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino.
Furthermore, Apple has a consistent track record of using the 'X' moniker in its product names to represent the number 10 or signify that it's a tenth anniversary iPhone.
It is already known that the iPhone 7 upgrades will be renamed as 'iPhone 8' and 'iPhone 8 Plus' as Apple intends to drop the proposed '7s' and '7s Plus' moniker from its next-gen iPhone lineup.
The catch here is Apple plans to refresh the ageing iPhone 7 lineup with a new model name altogether, so that these handsets do not get overshadowed by the 'iPhone Edition' aka 'iPhone X' launch in the ultra high-end segment.
Here is what Evan Blass tweeted while describing the mystery surrounding Apple's naming strategy for the upcoming iPhone:
"One of the biggest mysteries around the new iPhone is the naming. Is it the iPhone 8 or something else? iCulture found out the answer: From a reliable source, we have learned that Apple is calling the new device the iPhone X ("iPhone 10")."
The tipster has also tweeted that the iPhone X will go live on pre-orders starting September 15 with its release date set for September 22.
If the past is any indication, the iPhone X is expected to run short of stock during launch weekends and launch months, owing to the overwhelming demand predicted for this product in the US despite its asking price going upwards of $1,000.
According to a recent leaked image published on Weibo and re-posted on Slash Leaks, freshly leaked iPhone SKUs from an unknown retailer's system indicate that the iPhone Edition will indeed ship in just two storage variants: 128GB and 256GB. This is contrary to earlier leaks which suggested the availability of a 512GB variant of iPhone Edition aka iPhone X.
It is not yet known if the image is genuine or fake or if the retailer website has just used it as a placeholder for marketing and advertisement, until the new flagship iPhone is revealed to the public.
Contrary to Apple's tradition of selling new iPhones on a Friday, the iPhone X is expected to go live on sale starting September 21 which is a Thursday in China.
A closer look at the leaked image confirms that Apple is all set to launch the new iPhones at a media event on September 13 at 1am (China local time), which translates to September 12, 10am PST in the US.
Coming to the pricing details, the base model of the iPhone X (aka iPhone Edition) will be retailing in the range of $1,196 to $1,242 as per the screenshot. Meanwhile, it is learnt that the iPhone X price will be set competitively in the US while the rest of the world needs to pay a bit more owing to transportation charges, customs and excise duties on foreign goods.
The iPhone X is touted to come with a starting price of $999 in the US, according to the New York Times.
Business Insider has apparently obtained the note written by UBS analysts Steven Milunovich and Bejamin Wilson, wherein Apple is expected to offer only two storage variants of iPhone 8 (64GB and 256GB).
Check out the alleged iPhone Edition video (below):
