Apple is expected to release a successor to last year’s iPhone 6S and 6S Plus this coming September. As usual, rumors are all over the web with respect to how this device will look like and the specs it will pack.
While this is going on, a new report has emerged suggesting that Apple will be releasing an overhauled version of the iPhone. However, the reports also add that this might be slated for next year; something that could mean the iPhone 7 might keep the design language of the current generation, with some minor tweaks here and there.
If Ming-Chi Kuo’s reports are to be believed, the 2017 iPhone will feature an all-new 5.8-inch AMOLED screen with a curved display and a curved glass casing to house the phone. The KGI Securities analyst says that this move is aimed at leaving the metal cases behind since they are no longer unique to the iPhone as they used to when Apple first came in with the design.
In the upcoming design, Apple will reportedly go back to the designs of the iPhone 4 and 4S for inspiration, but this time, combine the two to take them “to the next level” with respect to the 2017 model. What this means is that the iPhone to be released in 2017 will feature glass on both the rear and front with a metal frame surrounding the edges.
To make the design different and unique from what the iPhone 4 and 4S offer, Apple will reportedly turn to curved screen technology, something that means AMOLED takes over from LCD displays. Another surprising shift is the possible introduction of an even larger device of 5.8-inches in display. The current 5.5inch Plus models are the largest smartphones Apple has ever made and now that there are reports of a larger device, it is clear that Apple wants to compete on all fronts with Android OEMs.
The 2017 iPhone might also add iris or facial recognition to the Touch ID feature as well as wireless charging, among other features.
In Kuo’s view, Apple might launch two models of the iPhone in 2017. A standard 4.7-inch LCD iPhone and pair it with this rumored device. On another hand, the company might come in with three variants of the iPhone, keeping the current 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch LCD variants and coming in with a third variant, the 5.8-inch AMOLED model for high-end users.
The latest reports come after previous reports had also pointed towards a 5.8-inch OLED iPhone to be released in either 2017 or 2018, rumors that also suggested Apple will work with Samsung and LG with respect to the OLED panels.