From iPhone 6S, Apple is expected to deliver an iPhone 7 that is a total departure from its immediate predecessor - inside and out. The 2015 iOS flagship phone is rumored to ditch the home button on release date plus the bonus of boasting longer battery life.
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster is also convinced that for the next iPhone, the front display will make use of a toucher glass material - sapphire, per a new Barron's report.
It will be a total design and build overhaul for the iPhone 7 and Munster pointed to 3D Touch as the chief reason for the upcoming revamp. "Given a number change cycle, we expect the iPhone 7 to sport a unique design from the iPhone 6/6S," the analyst wrote.
Apple has previously changed its design template when jumping from an S version. From the iPhone 3GS, for instance, the device transformed from the rounder corner form-factor to the chamfered edges of the iPhone 4. And from the iPhone 5S, the tech giant significantly slimmed down its most profitable product in outing the super-thin iPhone 6, which basically is the same look and build that the iPhone 6S sports when it was unboxed.
Now, likely to miss the cut next year is the iconic home key. "The addition of 3D Touch may provide Apple with a way to eliminate the home button on the phone and use the additional space to make the screen bigger or make the device smaller," Munster said.
With the possible elimination of the Home front button iPhone screen stretched further, the analyst suggested that the Touch DI fingerprint sensor is up for location. It could be placed anywhere on the front screen, on the side of the device or the rear like the Google Nexus 5X and 6P.
Longer battery life is also a key upgrade to be expected next year, the report said. There are two possibilities on how this will be achieved - bumping up the battery rating or tweaking the A10 chip that is rumored to power Apple's 2016 iDevice offerings.
Sapphire, which Apple uses as protective coating for the Touch ID button and rear camera lens, is also speculated to see greater use in time for the iPhone 7 release date in the second half of 2016. The material, combined with the robust metal alloy that is the iPhone outer shell, will make the next iPhone more durable than ever.