Both the iPhone 7 and Galaxy S7 are expected to embrace new looks next year, as Apple and Samsung update their flagship smartphones. Apple in particular is expected to significantly reboot the iPhone concept with the iPhone 7, and keen fans of both smartphone series are currently seeking clues as to the ultimate appearance when they appear in 2016.
Leaks from close to the Samsung and Apple supply chains suggest that both companies will be baking-in antennas in the next generation flagship smartphones. Additionally, it is expected that both manufacturers will utilize metal to surround the glass fronts of their handsets next year. While it is not yet known whether the iPhone 7 will feature a glass rear, it is expected for Samsung to update the Galaxy S7 with a back similar to the model released earlier this year.
Another design parameter that is being tipped for both smartphones is the idea of utilizing borders that are less broken up than in previous releases.
iPhone 7 & Galaxy S7 – Similar appearance
Thus, many analysts are asserting that the Galaxy S7 and the iPhone 7 may look the same next year. Not the same as they did this year, but actually that both Samsung and Apple will instigate similar design changes for their next generation handsets. Instead of focusing effort on redesigning their physical smartphones, focus may instead be placed on improving internal specifications and making general technological advancements.
Another interesting morsel of information that has come to light is the idea that Catcher Technology will be working on manufacturing components for both Apple and Samsung devices. It is reported that the company will be working on a metal compound that has the ability to efficiently transmit radio signals. It seems that this technology will then be utilized in both the iPhone 7 and Galaxy S7, if indeed it can be put into practice adequately in order to fit the timescales for both of these handsets.
Catcher Technology has already worked with some of the most iconic companies in the consumer electronics industry, including Apple, Samsung, Motorola, and LG. The corporation tends to manufacture products such as metal casings and bodies for smartphones and tablets. It is for this reason that both Apple and Samsung intend to work with this manufacturer in order to produce iPhone 7 and Galaxy S7 devices that are as slim as possible.
One of the fascinating capabilities that Catcher has developed is the ability to mix composite fiber with carbon fiber or glass fiber. From this point, it seems that it would be feasible to mix the requisite elements in order to create a conductive metal that could replace the existing two-band structure in the Galaxy S7 and the top and bottom bands in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
Another technology that Catcher is particularly associated with is plastic clad on metal. The company describes this technology as one particularly “useful for process simplification, cost-cutting, production cycle shortening and light weight design. The plastic clad on metal is now widely used in 3C products such as cell phone fringes, battery covers and laptop chassis.”
Antenna to be hidden
Following on from these reports, Digi Times has suggested that the iPhone 7 will have the capabilities to utilize these new compound materials in order to hide its antenna. This would be a pleasing aesthetic achievement for Apple, and the publication cites a story published in Taipei which suggests that Catcher technology will supply iPhone parts to Apple in the coming year.
Another similar story asserts that although shipments of the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus are expected to reduce during Q1 2016, there are high expectations at Apple for later in the year. The consumer electronics giant is expecting the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus to outsell the previous iteration of the series, and the general outlook for the Apple share price is favorable for the second half of 2016.
Music innovation
Another interesting suggestion is that the iPhone 7 may feature significantly improved acoustics. Apple has already applied for a patent in order to achieve this aim, back in August 2014. The specific patient application in question is US 13/764,682, and it describes a technology that could have a big influence on the music-playing capabilities of the iPhone 7.
This patent is based around a long-throw acoustic transducer, a technology that could make it possible for Apple to replicate the sound of two speakers within the iPhone 7, while also retaining the super-slim design of previous models. This has led to suggestions among analysts that the iPhone 7 – and for that matter the Galaxy S7 – could bring its exterior speakers to the front of the phone; clearly the natural location for this aspect of the smartphone.
2016 will be a big year for both the Samsung and Apple, as the two market-leaders in the smartphone marketplace once again jockey for position. Apple has unquestionably dominated the mobile marketplace over the last couple of years, and this has resulted in Samsung floundering somewhat.
But in the last few months, Apple has encountered major difficulties for the first time in quite a while. Its share price has slowed significantly, and there is scepticism among investors that Apple has the requisite strategies in place to achieve long-term growth. Apple has already promised the city that it will develop new product lines, but its ability to do so is certainly being challenged at present.
Samsung, meanwhile, has struggled to generate the sort of profits it would expect in recent quarters, and the company has fallen significantly behind Apple in terms of profitability and perception. So its aim with the Galaxy S7 is to create a device that can seriously challenge the iPhone range; after all, if Samsung is not able to do this, it certainly does not seem that there is any viable competitor to the supremacy of Apple.
It will be intriguing to see how the iPhone 7 and Galaxy S7 turn out, but it seems increasingly likely that some innovative technology, of a similar nature, will appear in both smartphones.
