Apple has been posting high sales numbers for iPhones year-on-year across the world. Last year’s iPhone X set the bar high for flagship smartphones — both in terms of features and price. And, if you look at their sales figures, Apple has sold a handsome number of units for the iPhone X, despite sporting a higher price tag, The more affordable iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus have also been responsible for driving the volumes at Cupertino, along with the older iPhone 7 and iPhone 6s. However, despite the iPhone X being considered as one of the best smartphones you can buy today, it lacks a major feature crucial to the Asian markets — dual-SIM functionality. This could change soon as Apple is possibly bringing it with the next-gen iPhones.
9to5Mac was fiddling around with the codes of iOS 12 Beta and discovered that dual-SIM functionality could be unveiled with the upcoming iPhone models. The codes mention commands that suggest towards the availability of dual-SIM features. iOS 12’s diagnostic report elements have references to ‘Second SIM status’ and ‘Second SIM Tray status.’ One of the other codes also has references to a ‘Dual SIM Device.’
This clearly indicates that Apple is finally going for the feature that rival brands from the Android ecosystem have been offering since ages. The leak doesn’t suggest which of the three iPhone models could offer Dual-SIM. However, the possibility of the more affordable 6.1-inch LCD iPhone debuting the dual-SIM feature is high, followed by the premium successors of the iPhone X. Additionally, the mention of a ‘second SIM tray’ also suggests that there could be two separate slots for the SIM cards instead of one tray holding two SIM cards. The leak comes across as believable considering the official iOS 12 Beta build contains such codes. Last year's HomePod firmware contained traces of the iPhone X's design, which became true later at the launch event.
9to5Mac has also gained hints of Apple planning a calling functionality for the HomePod smart speaker. iOS 12 Beta 5’s HomePod setup page now shows support for Calendar and mentions the addition of the capability to ‘make phone calls.’ Since the HomePod isn’t getting any beta builds, the feature can only be confirmed once Apple rolls out the stable build for iOS 12 for the HomePod.
Disclaimer: The above report is completely based on online rumours and leaks from the respective sources. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Deccan Chronicle and/or other staff and contributors to this site.
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