As always in the world of smartphones, rumors about the next generation come out way before its release. It's no surprise that just a month after iPhone 8 and iPhone X were released, expectations for iPhone 9 are already off the charts.

Of course, Apple has already started brainstorming for iPhone 9 way before iPhone 8's release. While no precise details about its upcoming line have been divulged, gadget experts from Trusted Reviews already have some intelligent guesses on what's coming.

First off, what will it be called? Now, this is a bit tricky, considering this year saw the release of iPhone 8 followed by iPhone X (10). But since iPhone 9 is still missing from the sequence, that name remains to be the greatest contender. The only fear among experts is that consumers would find iPhone 9 a step back from iPhone 10, which is a complete no-no for the futuristic Apple. This makes iPhone X2 or iPhone XI as other possible options.

History repeats itself, so does Apple. When it comes to release dates, the brand has been consistent since the launch of iPhone 5 (Friday, Sept. 21, 2012) up to the release of iPhone 8 (Friday, Sept. 22, 2017). If it doesn't break tradition, fans can expect the release of iPhone 9 on a mid-September Friday next year. That's Sept. 21, 2018. And because it's often announced the Tuesday or Wednesday of the previous week, iPhone 9 will most probably be announced either Sept. 11 or Sept. 12, 2018.

Moving on to design, fans are optimistic for a Super Retina display, what with the iPhone X's 5.8-inch OLED 2436 x 1125-pixel display resolution. However, a Wall Street Journal report said Apple is interested in purchasing a huge number of LCD displays from Japan Display — an almost definitive hint of what to expect from iPhone 9. Looks like OLED displays remain to be reserved for premium editions. As for the screen size, rumor has it that it would be a 5.3-inch model.

If a Super Retina display does push through, however, iPhone 9 will have to do away with the fingerprint scanning. As with the iPhone X, Apple's replacement for authentication would be facial identification.

When it comes to better performance and battery life, a brand new custom chip, most probably called Apple A12, is expected to take care of these.

And finally, the price tag? iPhone 9 is pegged to be at the same rate as iPhone 8, which was released at a hefty $699.