iPhone X Plus release date, specs rumors: Large variant of Apple's 2018 flagship phone arriving September in gold color

The much-awaited unveiling of Apple's brand-new iPhone models is expected to happen in roughly half a year, and it is not surprising to see leaks of the iPhone X successor surfacing at this point. It was already tipped that the 2018 iPhone flagship will have a larger Plus variant, although the latest report now suggests that the so-called iPhone X Plus will arrive with gold color option for the first time in iPhone history.

According to Bloomberg's resident tech analyst, Mark Gurman, the Cupertino-based tech firm is set to launch three new iPhone models in September, one of these being the Plus version of the upgraded iPhone X. The handset in question, codenamed "D33," is said to sport a massive organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen with length measuring up to 6.5 inches. To note, the current iPhone X stands at 5.8 inches. 

The iPhone X Plus is tipped to have almost the same physical footprint as the iPhone 8 Plus. Although, the iPhone X Plus will have the OLED screen wrapped from edge to edge, while the physical home button is removed from the front display. The report claims that Apple has started testing prototypes of the iPhone X Plus, which is targeted to achieve a display resolution of 1,242 x 2,688. This will make the smartphone's display to be as sharp as the 5.8-inch OLED screen of the iPhone X. With this massive resolution, it is likely that Apple will include the same split-view feature of the earlier Plus models to the iPhone X Plus.

It is expected that the iPhone X Plus will still sport the same core design as the original iPhone X. Aside from the OLED panel, the sides of the body will be made of stainless steel. If there is one interesting change that this phone will introduce, it is the new gold color variant for the iPhone X Plus. Gurman said that Apple is already preparing the gold color for the upcoming iPhone models, which will join the regular silver, black and white options of the current iPhone X. In fact, Apple might have already planned to launch the iPhone X in gold last year, but it did not materialize because of production issues.

Aside from the iPhone X Plus, Apple is also expected to showcase the regular-sized 5.8-inch iPhone X successor, codenamed "D22." Another iPhone model, which will be a budget-friendly version of the iPhone X, will use an LCD panel. All three iPhone 2018 devices are expected to feature the next-generation A12 chip, as well as an improved Face ID technology and the new iOS 12.