2018 iPhone Rumor Roundup
As I've done in 2016 and 2017, I have collected all of the rumors from MacRumors' main feed in 2018 about the new iPhone lineup and have judged them based on how accurate they ended up being. You should really browse the list to see some of the things we were talking about throughout the year, but here are the highlights:
- 54% of all rumors were accurate.
- 36% of rumors from January to June were accurate.
- 76% of rumors from July to today were accurate.
- August had the most new rumors (9).
- March and May tied for the fewest new rumors (2 each).
- July was the most accurate month for rumors (all 6 rumors were correct).
- The name "iPhone Xs" was first reported by Mark Gurman and Debby Wu on August 27.
- The name "iPhone Xr" was also first reported by Gurnam on September 10.
- We knew the Xr model would not have 3D Touch all the way back on January 23.
- We knew the exact screen size, resolution, and new color of the iPhone Xs Max on February 26.
- We knew the Xr would be an October release on July 25.
- There were lots of rumors about the iPhone SE 2, many of which I have removed from this list because they haven't been proven true or false yet.
And compared to the last couple years:
- 54% of all rumors were accurate, which is the same as 2016 and worse than 2017 (64%).
- The new phone names were leaked 16 days before the announcement, compared to 3 days before last year.
- There were only 46 rumors this year compared to 90 in 2017 and 77 in 2016.
January
- WRONG Apple's 2018 iPhone Lineup May Include Second-Generation iPhone SE
- PARTIAL CREDIT KGI: Larger-Sized iPhones Coming This Year Will Offset Weakening Demand for iPhone X in China
- CORRECT KGI: 6.1-Inch iPhone to Have Single-Lens Rear Camera, Aluminum Frame, 3GB RAM, and No 3D Touch, Cost $700-$800
- CORRECT KGI: Apple to Discontinue iPhone X Rather Than Sell at Lower Price When Second-Generation Model Launches
- WRONG Apple's Rumored 6.1-Inch iPhone Said to Be 18:9 With 2,160×1,080 Resolution and Ultra-Slim Bezels
- WRONG Apple's New 2018 iPhone Line-up May Consist of Two Phones With LCD Displays and One Larger OLED Model, Claims Analyst
- WRONG https://www.macrumors.com/2018/01/26/apple-2018-iphones-two-lcd-models-vs-one-oled/
- CORRECT KGI Shares Latest on 6.1-Inch iPhone, Next iPhone X and iPhone X Plus to Have 4GB of RAM and Two-Cell Batteries
February
- WRONG Sketchy Rumor: iPhone SE 2 Will Debut at WWDC With Classic Design But Larger 4.2-Inch Display - Mac Rumors
- CORRECT Apple’s 6.5-Inch ‘iPhone X Plus’ Said to Have 1242 x 2688 Resolution, Could Come With Dual-SIM and Gold Color Option - Mac Rumors
- PARTIAL CREDIT Claimed ‘iPhone X Plus’ Displays and Digitizers Shown in Leaked Photos - Mac Rumors
March
- WRONG Next iPhone X Lineup Said to Feature Smaller Notches, 2019 Models May Ditch Notch Entirely - Mac Rumors
- WRONG This Year’s iPhone X and iPhone X Plus Could Start at $899 and $999 Respectively Says RBC Analyst - Mac Rumors
April
- WRONG New iPhone SE Could Launch in May With Touch ID and A10 Fusion, Without 3.5mm Headphone Jack - Mac Rumors
- WRONG Apple May Offer Two 6.1-Inch iPhone Models in 2018 With Price Tag as Low as $550 - Mac Rumors
- CORRECT Kuo Again Predicts No 3D Touch for 2018 6.1-Inch LCD iPhone - Mac Rumors
- WRONG Sketchy Video Shows Possible iPhone SE 2 With Glass Back and Headphone Jack - Mac Rumors
- CORRECT Barclays Predicts 2018 iPhones Won’t Come Bundled With Lightning to Headphone Jack Adapter - Mac Rumors
May
- WRONG 2018 6.5-Inch iPhone to Be Similar in Size to iPhone 8 Plus, iOS 12 Could Feature Horizontal Face ID Support - Mac Rumors
- WRONG 2018 iPhones Again Said to Have Faster 18W USB-C Charger in Box - Mac Rumors
June
- WRONG Image Shows Supposed ‘iPhone SE 2’ Screen Protector With Smaller iPhone X-Style Notch - Mac Rumors
- PARTIAL CREDIT OnLeaks: Budget iPhone X to Have 6-Inch Screen With Notch, Single Rear Camera, and Aluminum Frame - Mac Rumors
- WRONG Ming-Chi Kuo Returns With 2018 iPhone Details: Lower Pricing, September Launch for All Models - Mac Rumors
- CORRECT Schematics and Renderings Depict Apple’s 2018 iPhone Lineup - Mac Rumors
- PARTIAL CREDIT Kuo Details 2018, 2019 iPhones, Expects Cheaper MacBook Air, Face ID iPads, and Larger-Screen Apple Watches Later This Year - Mac Rumors
July
- CORRECT 2018 iPhones Said to Feature Both Embedded Apple SIM and Traditional SIM Card Tray - Mac Rumors
- CORRECT Ming-Chi Kuo Says 2018 iPhone Lineup Will Have New Colors, Including Gold, Red, Blue, and Orange - Mac Rumors
- CORRECT Front Glass Panels for 2018 iPhones Appear to Leak, Show Thicker Bezels on 6.1-Inch LCD Model - Mac Rumors
- CORRECT Apple's 6.1-Inch LCD iPhone 'Possibly' Delayed to October, OLED Models Still Coming in September - Mac Rumors
- CORRECT Hands-On Video Shows Alleged 6.5-inch iPhone X Plus and 6.1-inch LCD iPhone Dummy Units - Mac Rumors
- CORRECT Leaked Images Depict 6.5-inch 'iPhone X Plus' and 6.1-inch LCD iPhone Dummy Units - Mac Rumors
August
- WRONG Dual-SIM Dual Standby Feature May Be Limited to Version of 6.1-Inch iPhone Available Only in China - Mac Rumors
- WRONG 2018 iPhones Could Start at $699, May Include Apple Pencil Support, 512GB Storage Option for OLED Models - Mac Rumors
- WRONG Another Report Says Second-Generation iPhone X and iPhone X Plus Will Support Apple Pencil - Mac Rumors
- CORRECT Hands-On With 6.1-Inch and 6.5-Inch 2018 iPhone Dummy Models - Mac Rumors
- CORRECT 2018 iPhone Pre-orders to Take Place on September 14 According to German Carriers - Mac Rumors
- WRONG 2018 iPhones May Feature Faster and More Efficient Wireless Charging With Switch to Copper Coil - Mac Rumors
- CORRECT Bloomberg: Apple Considered 'iPhone Xs' Names for 2018 OLED iPhones, Weighed Dropping 'Plus' Branding - Mac Rumors
- CORRECT Kuo: No Apple Pencil Support for 2018 iPhones, Upcoming 6.1-Inch Model to Be Slightly Delayed - Mac Rumors
- CORRECT Apple Leaks Images of Upcoming 2018 'iPhone XS' Models - Mac Rumors
September
- CORRECT Upcoming 6.5-Inch iPhone Could Be Called 'iPhone Xs Max' - Mac Rumors
- CORRECT Apple Leaks iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR Names on Apple.com Ahead of Official Announcement - Mac Rumors
- PARTIAL CREDIT Leaked Images of Alleged SIM Trays for 6.1-Inch iPhone Depict Five Color Options - Mac Rumors
- CORRECT Gurman on 2018 iPhone Names: iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, and Possibly iPhone Xr - Mac Rumors
- PARTIAL CREDIT 'Dummy' 6.1-inch LCD iPhone Images Reposted on Social Media as Alleged iPhone Xc 'Prototypes' - Mac Rumors
- CORRECT Leaks Reveal Storage Capacities and Colors for the Upcoming iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR - Mac Rumors