An unannounced iPhone surfaced on popular benchmark tool Geekbench’s online database this week, casting a (dim) light on what’s on the test bench at Apple’s Cupertino HQ.
The handset, which refers to itself as the ‘iPhone 11,2’ in the benchmark listing, is equipped with a brand new CPU (D321AP) and 4GB of RAM – 1GB more than the top-of-the-line iPhone X. It was also tested running a non-beta build of iOS 12.
In the test itself, the ‘iPhone 11,2’ posted a higher score than that of Apple’s flagship iPhone X, raking in 4673 points in the single-core and 10,912 in the multi-core test. The iPhone X, for comparison, was awarded 4206 and 10,123, respectively.
So what is the iPhone 11,2? Well, that depends on the naming convention Apple adopts, but it’s definitely newer than the iPhone X, since that was assigned the identifier ‘iPhone 10,3’ when it first cropped up on Geekbench’s database.
Apple is said to be working on a total of three iPhones for 2018: an entry-level iPhone with a 6.1-inch LCD screen and a single camera, a successor to the 5.8-inch iPhone X and a supersized 6.5-inch iPhone X Plus that could tout three cameras.
The iPhone X Plus is said to measure in at the same size as the iPhone 8 Plus, which carries the identifier ‘iPhone 10,2’, and seeing as the ‘iPhone 11,2’ is in the same 2-series (iPhone 11,2), one would assume it’s the iPhone 8 Plus’ natural successor.
Apple assigned a model identifier to each iPhone launched in 2017. The iPhone 8 is the ‘iPhone 10,1’; the iPhone 8 Plus is the ‘iPhone 10,2’ and the iPhone X is the ‘iPhone 10,3’ – so their successors should be the ‘iPhone 11,1’; ‘iPhone 11,2’; and ‘iPhone 11,3’.
Here’s where the situation gets a little confusing. The iPhone X was a one-off handset, designed to highlight the direction Apple is headed in with regards to the design of its iPhones. That means it’s unlikely we’ll see an ‘iPhone 11,3’ this year.
iPhone X Plus? iPhone 9 Plus?
If that’s the case, the handset in question could be the iPhone 9 Plus. Let’s be clear, though: it probably won’t be called that either when it hits the shelves; tipsters believe Apple is going to adopt the same ‘New’ branding it uses for the iPad line.
Related: iPhone 9
So the iPhone 9 Plus could just be the New iPhone X Plus, which will later go on to be known as the iPhone X Plus 2018. Or who knows? We could be well off base and we could actually be looking at the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone, dubbed the iPhone SE 2.
[videoai]What feature are you hoping to see on the iPhone X Plus? Let us know over on Facebook or Twitter @TrustedReviews.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
