Apple iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XC: Everything we know so farSep 11 (AZINS) Apple will host an event on September 12 at the Steve Jobs Theater in the company's Cupertino, California, campus, where it is widely expected to unveil new iPhone models. Analysts believe Apple plans to release three new smartphones this year, including one with a larger display than previous models. Analysts also expect Apple to release an iPhone with an edge-to-edge display similar to the iPhone X but using less-costly LCD screen technology.

Apple's event invitation made heavy use of the color gold, fueling speculation on social media that the company plans to launch a gold-colored successor to the iPhone X, which was made available only in silver and gray last year.

Apple has for years released its new phone models in the second week of September and often updates other product lines such as the Apple Watch at the event. The company has already given base-model iPads and some MacBook laptops an update this year as well.

Here’s what we know about the three rumoured iPhones - iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XC:

iPhone XS

Likely to be called the iPhone XS, it will be the successor to the current iPhone X, and feature a new gold colour. Interestingly, Apple's event invite also features the same gold colour, thereby confirming that the iPhone will feature the new gold and black blend.

Reports also reveal that the next-in-line iPhone will continue to feature the bezel-less display and have a larger sibling featuring a 6.5-inch display while the base version will be at 5.8-inch. Both the models are likely to be called iPhone XS with one featuring an OLED display.

iPhone XS Max

The iPhone Xs Max will essentially replace the 'Plus' models in the previous iterations. The new iPhones will feature OLED displays and a new gold finish on the stainless steel sides. There will also be a cheaper LCD version. In terms of specifications, the upcoming iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max will include 4GB of RAM, A12 chip under the hood, and for the first time, support for dual SIM in the larger model.

iPhone XC

Adding to the pool of revelations, a cheaper variant of the upcoming iPhone XS, called iPhone XC, has also been recently spotted online. A leaker who goes by the name LeakSpinner has posted a photo of the purported device on SlashLeaks. Based on the image, we could see the iPhone in red, white, and blue colour choices. Past rumors indicate that the iPhone XC would be a more affordable version of the iPhone XS and come with a single camera and a 6.1-inch LCD display. In the images, the phone features a rather basic design with the presence of a dual SIM slot.

According to 9to5Mac, GBH Insights analyst Daniel Ives, there is ‘a massive iPhone upgrade opportunity’ in the making…’ He said, “The new phones “will help capture the underlying demand [for] upgrades among customers that have decided to bypass the … cycle this time around, with price points and features that catalyze fence-sitting iPhone customers onto their next smartphone.”

For Apple, China is particularly a ‘big opportunity’. It is believed that almost 100 million iPhone customers in China and about 60 million to 70 million of them are due for an upgrade over the next 18 months.