KGI: all 2017 iPhones to have wireless charging, iPhone 8’s 3D Touch pricier to build

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted in a new note to clients, obtained by MacRumors, that all new models of iPhone introduced this year would feature wireless charging. In addition, the report cautions that production costs of iPhone 8’s enhanced 3D Touch module might rise between 30 and 50 percent.

A report yesterday by FastCo stated Apple would pass any increased production costs stemming from iPhone 8’s OLED screen and other hardware advances onto the consumer, speculating that the final sale price of iPhone 8 could pass $1,000 in US.

According to Kuo, iPhone 8’s 3D Touch module will use additional graphite sheet lamination for better thermal control in order to prevent the phone from overheating.

And why exactly would iPhone 8 overheat?

Because wireless charging inevitably boosts the internal temperature of a smartphone.

As iPhone 8 is rumored to have a glass casing—and given that glass handles heat poorer than metal (as opposed to aluminum, which is better at dissipating heat)—a heat compensation solution will be much appreciated because we don’t want 3D Touch to cause our brand spanking new iPhone 8 to malfunction due to overheating.

Here’s an excerpt from Kuo’s note:

While we don’t expect general users to notice any difference, lamination of an additional graphite sheet is needed for better thermal control and, thus, steady operation; this is because FPCB is replaced with film, which is more sensitive to temperature change of the 3D touch sensor in OLED iPhone.

iPhone 8’s enhanced 3D Touch module could be up to $5 more expensive in production.

The report adds some credence to yesterday’s claim that an OLED screen and other hardware advances would make iPhone 8 the most expensive iPhone to date.

Kuo’s report adds that iPhone 8 might offer an enhanced 3D Touch experience for users, but the analyst stopped short of providing any specifics as to what new 3D Touch features customers should expect.

In addition to the OLED-based iPhone 8, Apple is expected to update the existing iPhone 7 lineup this year with a pair of LCD-based models, a 4.7-inch iPhone 7s and a 5.5-inch iPhone 7s Plus. Both LCD iPhones are said to have dual cameras on the back.

Check out this video concept of iPhone 8 running iOS 11, via ConceptsiPhone.

The FastCo report also claims iPhone 8 might include a “far bigger battery.”

Another new feature of iPhone 8 could be some sort of 3D-sensing technology, possibly for use with things like facial authentication and augmented reality.

FastCo’s sources says iPhone 8 will look like a “smooth black monolith” as Jony Ive is understood to have been pushing for a seamless full-screen iPhone design with an in-screen Home/Touch ID button, the sensors and the front-facing FaceTime camera all embedded into the display.

Source: MacRumors