Apple will reportedly assemble three flagship smartphones that will be due for release in 2017 and one model will have a supersized 5.8-inch display. The same will make use of the rumored AMOLED curved display that will be exclusively supplied by Samsung from South Korea.
Taiwanese publication DigiTimes reported this week that "Samsung Display will become the exclusive supplier of AMOLED panels for use in Apple's new iPhone devices to be launched in 2017." The report pointed to supply chain players as source of its information.
In the same report, DigiTimes claimed the AMOLED panel will be limited to the handset model with a 5.8-inch screen profile that presumably will be called the iPhone 8, in keeping with the recent forecasts issued by Apple-focused analysts that include Ming-chi Kuo. Apple's 2017 iOS device push will also include two units that will retain the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch form factor last seen with the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.
These two devices will likely take the label iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus if recent rumors are to be believed.
Basing too on the DigiTimes news story, the Cupertino-based tech giant is planning to ship out as many as 70 million units of the AMOLED-laced next iPhone or 20 million units per month in the last quarter of 2017.
No other specifics for the iPhone 8 or other 2017 models were mentioned but it's fair to assume that the recent speculations on the device remain in line - that the next year's flagship will sport an all-glass build and design with the front panel boasting of an all-screen or no-bezel look.
The next iPhone or specifically the 5.8-inch iPhone is rumored too to be free of mechanical or physical control keys like the Home button. Instead and as part of the huge makeover for next year, the refresh will have in-screen Touch ID Home button, and according to iDownloadBlog.com "this could theoretically permit Apple's engineers to increase screen size without necessarily making the entire device bigger."
As for the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus, the general look and feel from the current models will likely be carried over next year but with significant inside component upgrades, to be bannered by the 10nm A11 Fusion chip and possible RAM bump of up to 3GB.
And as indicated by the DigiTimes report, Apple will average no less than 20 million iPhone 8 units before the close of 2017, somehow hinting that the next iPhone release date will most likely happen October next year.