Singapore telcos can forget iPhone 7: analyst

It is just a stopgap for the eventual release of its 10th anniversary phone.

Singapore big telco giants -- Singtel, StarHub, and M1 -- can expect uninspiring reception for iPhone 7 and 7 plus, UOB Kay Hian analyst Jonathan Koh stated.

"The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are seen as unspectacular and not worthy to be considered a full upgrade, which occurs every two years," Koh explained.

He furthered that even with the new solid-state home button, the latest iOS 10 operating system, the usual improvements to higher speed, more storage, longer battery life, and better cameras, Apple's latest smartphone offering looks  indistinguishable from the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus.

"They are just a stop-gap placeholder for the eventual release of iPhone 8, scheduled next year to coincide with the iPhone's 10th anniversary," the analyst noted.

To recall, Apple's iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, dubbed by the firm as the "most advanced mobile", hit Singapore in the middle of September. SingTel and StarHub opened scrambled and got their registration sheets early hoping to get fresh sales.

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