The sequel to the iPhone 7 is an not an all-glass device, a new report said, but the build material will be a mix of glossy glass and stainless steel with the front panel to boast an edge-to-edge display made of OLED. Apple will name its 2017 flagship the iPhone 8.
Ming-chi Kuo of KGI Securities said in a new note that the rumored all-glass iPhone will not materialize next year, saying that "all-glass casing is not possible at present given technological bottlenecks." According to Apple Insider, the tech giant intends to sustain on the momentum created by the Jet Black 2016 iPhones and deliver the same glossy finish with the 2017 updates.
But instead of the scratch-magnet polished aluminum, Apple will use glass as chassis for the next iPhone with "a metal frame surrounding the edge is necessary for reinforced structure design." Kuo said that the iPhone 8 will use both stainless steel and aluminum for the device frame edging, and the latter will be for the entry-level or more affordable models while the former will be exclusive for the 128GB and 256GB editions.
Kuo predicted that the glass chassis will be an across the board implementation using 2.5D glass material, which the analyst said is more durable and known to have better resistance to scuffing and scratching. Likewise, it is understood that the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screen profiles will be maintained as well as the 32GB, 128GB and 256GB storage configurations that were introduced this year with the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.
There was no mention of other key specifications in the Kuo report but Business Insider has reported earlier this week that the next iPhone is nearly confirmed of a design overhaul that will make use of OLED display. The rendering will be of an edge-to-edge display that will magically hide the Home button, Touch ID sensor, FaceTime camera and earpiece underneath the front screen, the report added, pointing to Apple Israeli employees as source.
And to mark the 10th year anniversary of the iOS flagship phone, Apple is said to skip the S phase next year and opt for an iPhone 8 2017 release date (instead of iPhone 7S) to send the statement of a huge jump following iterative updates in the past three years.