Following lackluster sales of its latest iPhones, most notably in China, Apple is developing three new iPhone models to be released in the fall, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. The company plans to introduce new camera features, including a triple rear camera for the forthcoming flagship model and a double rear camera for the other two devices in development.
The report comes barely a week after Apple issued its first sales guidance miss in 15 years and just one day after Samsung announced plans to unveil its next slate of smartphones next month. Both companies struggled in the end-of-year quarter and warned investors of lower-than-expected sales.
Apple plans to release a successor to the iPhone XR that will also use an LCD screen and be priced at the lower end of the lineup, according to the report. Apple might shift entirely over to OLED displays for iPhones in 2020, but a decision has yet to be made. The company could also make changes to its plans for 2019 iPhone models, but most of the major features and components are likely set at this point, according to The Wall Street Journal.
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With Apple’s high prices contributing to weakened demand, the company is also considering cutting some functions from the 2019 lineup to lower costs while maintaining the enviable profits it earns with each iPhone sale, according to the report. Taken altogether, it’s difficult to predict whether these reported changes will reverse Apple’s slowing growth. New features like additional rear-facing cameras are now common among Apple’s largest competitors in the smartphone market.