Since Apple released the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus last month, speculations about next year’s iteration – the iPhone 8 — are already in full swing. So far, there have been plenty of reports related to the iPhone 8’s expected changes, but a recent report from The Nikkei Asian Review is creating a lot of buzz.
iPhone 8 not all glass, might have steel or aluminum frame
Citing a source familiar with the matter, The Nikkei Asian Review informs readers that the iPhone 8 will sport covers and backs made of glass just like the iPhone 4. The website also claims that there will be a metal frame to hold the sides in place. MacRumors has speculated that the metal frame will be made either of stainless steel or aluminum. China’s Biel Crystal Manufactory and Lens Technology will probably supply the glass, meaning that Foxconn has lost the deal.
Apple gets a major supply of metal casings from Foxconn, which gets more than 50% of its total sales from the U.S. firm. The iPhone maker secures the metal casings for its iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone SE from Foxconn, while for the iPhone 7, it splits orders with Catcher Technology and U.S.-based Jabil, says Nikkei. The source informed the website that it cannot be said with surety if there will be any impact on Foxconn’s revenue next year, as the final decision on the design of the new metal frames is still pending on Apple’s end.
Further, Nikkei claims that the iPhone 8 will come in three sizes: 5.5 inches, 5 inches and 4.7 inches. It is, however, not known for now if a glass back will be a “premium” feature that will be available on the larger models only.
Apple will celebrate the tenth anniversary of the iPhone in 2017 and thus is expected to unveil a made-over iPhone next year. The company is aiming at wooing potential customers and encourage existing fans to buy the new range, for which it is expected to come up with a radically different-looking smartphone. The company faced a lot of criticism regarding its latest smartphone, the iPhone 7, as people said that not only it was very similar to previous models but that it lacked innovative features as well.
Others who suggested the same thing
Last month, KGI also advised that the 2017 iPhone models will shift to an all-glass design because the high-gloss Jet Black finish that Apple has introduced with the iPhone 7 is not only difficult to manufacture but is also very prone to scratching. It is obvious that the glass will easily shatter on impact, but the surface is more scratch-resistant. The all-glass front and back is be joined using a metal casing around the edges, as seen in the iPhone 4, the firm added. KGI expects stainless steel to be used in the high-end models, while the lower-end models will use aluminum. Also the iPhone models that will come next year could have AMOLED displays.
Citing a tech blogger BGR recently reported that the design of the next-gen iPhone will be something the world has never seen before.
In a Facebook post, Robert Scoble, a tech blogger and current Entrepreneur in Residence at UploadVR, wrote, “The next iPhone will be, I am told, a clear piece of glass (er, Gorilla Glass sandwich with other polycarbonates for being pretty shatter resistant if dropped) with a next-generation OLED screen (I have several sources confirming this). It’s a big f**king deal and will change this industry deeply.”
Other expected changes
Scoble also said that users will be able to pop the iPhone 8 into a headset that has eye sensors on it. This will make it possible for the iPhone 8 to have a “higher apparent frame rate and polygon count than a PC with a Nvidia 1080 card in it.”
According to a late August report in Nikkei, the iPhone 8’s 5.5-inch version will sport a curved display that will use advanced organic light-emitting diode panels. Also the report hinted that Samsung will supply them and that the other two handset models will retain the same low-temperature poly-silicon panels that the iPhone 7 had adopted.
Also Vincent Chen, an analyst at Yuanta Investment Consulting, said in a note on October 20 that a wireless charging feature would be another major improvement in the iPhone 8.
