Stephen Silver
A new analyst report sees Apple switching to higher powered charging for its next generation of iPhones, with new component suppliers possibly coming aboard.
In a new research note provided to by AppleInsider, Jun Zhang of Rosenblatt Securities believes that Apple will upgrade from 5V 2A to 9V 2A and 5V 3A charging circuitry in its upcoming iPhone generation. Their interest in doing so is to "support more applications , provide a quicker recharge, and better compete with Android OEMs."
Apple will accomplish this, according to Zhang, by using Power Integrations as the lone supplier for its fast-charging chipsets, while using Flextronics and Artesyn for its upcoming iPad Pro and iPhones. The note also suggests that, after Power Integrations fixed a quality issue, that company will replace ON Semiconductor and NXP Semiconductors as "the main provider for the charging solution for all new iPhone and iPads."
The report also suggested that, for its wireless charging technology for the new LCD model, Apple will replace Broadcom with Texas Instruments, in order to reduce charging costs.
Overall, Zhang predicts that iPhone production will show annual growth in the second half of the year, as three new iPhone models arrive, with 100-100 new units produced and 85 million shipped. LCD iPhone model production as seen as higher than the other two models combined. And Hon Hai Precision is predicted to begin production a month earlier than previously expected.
Fast-charging debuted in the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.
Zhang predicted last month, in another note, that Apple may bring back the iPhone 5c-era color schemes for its next flagship iPhone.
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25 Comments
Not sure if any one here reported on mammoth ~30,000 person survey (Bank America Merrill Lynch, 23MAY2018, 32 pp report). It surveyed smart phone users in four countries: mostly India, China, also US, UK. Here's first page, but lots of granular data, useful resource for AI, lots of good news for Apple: 30,000 responses imply iPhone dominance across markets We conducted a smartphone survey of approx. 30,000 respondents, across four key markets (US, UK, India, and China). In our view, the survey suggests Apple benefits from high customer loyalty as well as multiple avenues for growth in emerging markets, setting the company for sustainable growth for years to come. Our survey implies older generations of the iPhone, particularly the iPhone 6 and 7 are still widely in use across markets. With approx. half of respondents who are iPhone users intending on upgrading in 2018 and most intending on sticking with the iPhone, we see room for pent-up growth over the short term. We maintain our Buy rating on Apple. Material room for growth in emerging markets Our survey points to a significant opportunity for growth in both China and India. Across countries surveyed, those in India would most frequently upgrade their smartphones, with 48% of respondents noting to upgrade every year versus the overall avg. upgrade cycle of 2.03 years (although users are mostly for lower end phones). Also, 35% of respondents intend on upgrading in 2018 vs. 25% in China, 24% in the US, and 22% in the UK. In our view, Apple focusing on India with the rumored iPhone SE2 and local production with Wistron should solidify its growth prospects in the region over time. In China, services use remains the lowest out of the countries surveyed. In our view, as engagement in China grows to match the mature markets, it should further support global services revenue growth. A majority planning to upgrade in 2018, prefer Apple 8% of survey respondents currently own the iPhone X, vs. a combined 9% for the iPhone 8/8 Plus, 25% for the iPhone 7/7 Plus, and 23% for the iPhone 6/6 Plus. iPhone 6 use was especially high in China and India, emphasizing the opportunity for future upgrades. Across the US and the UK, the iPhone 7 showed the highest relative ownership. 29% of respondents intend to upgrade their smartphone in 2018, and a relative majority across all countries showed a preference for the iPhone. iPhone users stickiness is better than the competition According to our survey, approx. 72% of iPhone users intend to stick to Apple with their next upgrade, compared to 54% for Samsung, 55% for Huawei, 36% for Xiaomi, and 24% for LG.
Add to last line, from p. 15: Google stickiness in survey was 38%. [FWIW, I wish they also included a simple iOS versus Android switching intent, but doesn't appear they did, maybe next survey]
Still waiting for Apple's charger.
Batteries are definitely a weak point in current iPhone designs. Any improvement would be welcome. Personally, I'd prefer more capacity at the expense of thickness. Fast charging is in itself a plus but should be a given on flagships.
9V/2A would align with the previous rumors that Apple would be including an 18W USB-C Charger with the next phone.