Samsung has long been described as the Apple killer and every single model the company launched was considered an iPhone rival, though history has shown the devices manufactured by the South Korean firm had little to no impact on sales of its Cupertino-based rival.
And this is what’s happening this year as well, with Canaccord Genuity’s analyst T. Michael Walkley saying that sales of the iPhone 7 remained steady and even increased in June, as opposed to all the expectations which predicted a drop.
Many believed iPhone sales would decline substantially after the arrival of the updated Samsung Galaxy lineup, but it looks like this isn’t the case. Furthermore, the iPhone 7 is selling better despite its somewhat outdated design, with Apple expecting increasing figures in anticipation of the iPhone 8 launch.
No iPhone rival had a strong impact on Apple sales, the analyst says, with LG G6 also disappointing, while Google Pixel barely stealing any buyers because of its limited availability and marketing.
The analyst also says that Apple’s upcoming iPhone 8 would indeed come with an OLED display manufactured by Samsung, confirming some of the rumors we’ve heard before.
“At a minimum, we expect the new iPhone to include an OLED screen (produced by Samsung initially with potential second sourcing in 2018 from Japan Display, Sharp, and AU Optronics) with very high screen to body ratio, the elimination of the home button, fast or accelerated charging, improved stereo speakers, fewer color SKUs, 64GB and 256GB memory options, and possibly improved water resistance. We also anticipate 3D sensing technology for facial recognition, wireless charging and a full glass body design,” he says.
There’s a good chance Touch ID will no longer be offered on the iPhone 8 and even Walkley avoided talking about this feature, as it’s believed Apple would give up on its entirely.
Instead, the iPhone 8 could come with a 3D facial recognition system that would provide biometric authentication similar to what Samsung is currently offering on its S8.
The iPhone 8 is projected to be unveiled in September this year, alongside the updated iPhone 7s and iPhone 7 Plus, both featuring a design similar to the existing models.
