If analysts and supply chain leaks are to be believed, this year’s iPhone 7 is going to be just a minor upgrade. The 2017 iPhone is rumored to get a complete design overhaul. So much so that Apple will skip the iPhone 7S moniker and call it iPhone 8, according to Barclays analysts. A new report coming out of China claims that the iPhone 8 will borrow an important feature from Samsung’s Galaxy S7 Edge.
iPhone 8 to feature dual-edge OLED displays
In April, Apple signed a $2.6 billion deal with Samsung for the supply of 100 million OLED screens beginning 2017. IHS China head Kevin Wong has learned from Asian supply chain sources that the iPhone 8’s OLED screen will be curved on both sides, similar to that of the Galaxy S7 Edge. Even though dual-edge displays in Samsung’s flagship phones have been dubbed as mere gimmicks, the Korean company has seen strong demand for such phones.
The 2017 iPhone’s display will wrap around both sides of the device, leaving no room for bezels on either side. Apple already owns patents for curved display technology. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted that the 2017 iPhone will have an “all-glass” design. However, Apple supplier Catcher Technology recently said that only one model of the iPhone 8 will have an all-glass design.
iPhone 8 curved displays may include important features
Wong’s latest report comes just a few days after he said Apple will finally increase the base storage in iPhone 7 from 16GB to 32GB, which should make consumers happy. Why would Apple copy Samsung with dual-edge curved displays? One reason could be that Samsung’s curved displays don’t serve much purpose. The curves don’t add any radical functionality to the Galaxy S7 Edge. Apple may be planning to add important features in dual-edge displays.
Notably, 2017 marks the 10th anniversary of the iPhone. So, the Cupertino company might have been planning something special for the next year. Japanese publication Nikkei reported earlier this week that Apple will switch to a 3-year major upgrade cycle.
