Apple suppliers are slated to make 120 million to 150 million iPhones in the second half of 2017, a volume that would crush all previous sales, according to a top analytics firm report cited by 9to5Mac.
KGI Securities forecasts three new iPhones with wireless charging from Apple next year, 9to5Mac reported Tuesday. The phones could include one major redesign, the iPhone 8, with two more iterative updates to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, according to 9to5Mac.
With features like a glass chassis and a bright, flexible screen, the new handsets could outsell Apple's most popular phone to date, the iPhone 6 phablets, KGI's analysis said.
KGI's updated forecast comes on the heels of a Wall Street Journal report that Apple is considering more than 10 designs for its 10th anniversary iPhone next year, including at least one flexible screen design.
To be sure, Apple doesn't always sell every iPhone it plans to make. Last year, Apple initially provided the supply chain with high numbers only to cut numbers later, according to UBS analysts.
But an iPhone sales boost could provide much-needed relief to Apple investors, who watched iPhone sales drop from their year-ago volumes for three-straight quarters this year. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expect Apple to sell 78 million iPhones in the December 2016 quarter, up from 75 million from a year ago, bringing the second-half 2016 sales to 124 million.
