An all-glass and bezel-free render of the iPhone 8 with OLED curved display and wireless charging that Apple is expected to release 2H 2017 (Photo : YouTube/iCrackUriDevice)
In time for the iPhone 8 release date in the second half of 2017, Apple will reportedly produce three versions in 4.7-inch, 5-inch and 5.5-inch screen profiles, and the rumored all-glass build and design will be implemented across the board.
Japan's Nikkei reported this week that "Apple has tentatively decided that all the 5.5-inch, 5-inch and 4.7-inch models will have glass backs, departing from metal casings adopted by current iPhones." The devices will also boast of front glass panel, which aligns with the circulating rumors that Apple is switching from a glass-metal device model to an all-glass iPhone.
The report also indicated that Apple will partner with China-based firm Biel & Lens for the front and rear glass panel requirements of the next iPhone although Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry or Foxconn is believed to remain as the dominant assembler of the flagship smartphone.
"The glass front and back will be held together by a metal frame," Nikkei said on its report, somehow echoing the recent prediction aired by Ming-chi Kuo of KGI Securities. Kuo said that the 2017 iPhones will be built by sandwiching a metal construction between two sheets of glass or nearly the same build and design that Apple first used with the iPhone 4/4S.
Kuo also forecasted that for the metal framing, two materials will be used - aluminum for the more affordable models and stainless steel for the premium editions, likely the regular iPhone 8 and the phablet-size iPhone 8 Plus.
It can be assumed too that with plans for three-model releases next year, the tech giant will upsize the 4-inch iPhone SE but it remains unclear if the labelling will be preserved.
In a related report, Business Insider said that rolling out an all-glass iPhone is in line with the reported goal by Apple design chief to render the flagship phone looking like "a single sheet of glass." And with glass becoming the dominant material for the next iPhone, the report added that fans can expect an all-screen device as follow up to the iPhone 7.
That would mean the iPhone next year will have bezel-free screen with no physical buttons and sensors found on the front panel. The redesign will also retire the iconic Home button, which in the iPhone 7 became a capacitive control key purportedly in preparation for the all-glass and all-screen iPhone.
And to celebrate the 10th year of the iOS flagship smartphone, Apple is said to skip the S edition next year and call the new device iPhone 8 on its 2017 release date.
