Apple’s upcoming flagship smartphone iPhone 7 will bring some radical changes. According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new iPhone will have a curved glass casing made from liquid metal. In 2013, Apple had filed a patent for a curved “glass” case made from Bulk Amorphous Alloy. It is an intricate fusion of titanium, copper, nickel, and zirconium.
iPhone 7 casing to be smoother and sturdier
The Bulk Amorphous Alloy is said to have the sturdiness of rubber and the smooth texture of glass. It is classed as glass due to its unusual composition. Kuo believes that the new casing material will be used in the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. Liquid metal is tough, light, and scratch-resistant. Since it is a slow cooling alloy, it can be moulded more easily than aluminum or steel.
The KGI Securities analyst added that 3D printing developments have made the three-year-old technology more feasible now. Its design will be similar to the “glass sandwich” in iPhone 5S. The only difference will be curved glass on both edges. The iPhone 7 will reportedly be the slimmest iPhone ever at just 6mm thickness. By comparison, the current iPhone 6S measures 6.9mm in thickness while its bigger sibling 6S Plus is 7.1mm thick.
Will Apple remove the home button?
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster believes that Apple will eventually do away with the physical home button, thanks to 3D Touch. The elimination of the home button would allow the company to make the screen bigger or make the smartphone smaller. Another area where we can see improvement is battery life. The iPhone 7 is also rumored to ditch the 3.5mm headphone jack, protruding rear camera, and the antenna bands.
Talking about Apple’s 2017 iPhone lineup, Kuo told investors that the next year’s iPhone 7S would feature a curved 5.8-inch AMOLED display. The device would be equipped with glass on both the front and back sides, and there will be a metal frame surrounding the edges. The analyst said it will also feature wireless charging and more biometric recognitions such as iris or facial recognition.
Apple has set up a secret lab in Taiwan to develop and improve new display technologies.
