At least one of Apple’s new iPhone models coming this year will be waterproof and have wireless charging capabilities, Apple partner Wistron has officially confirmed.
According to Japanese outlet Nikkei Asian Review, waterproofing will alter the assembly process for the upcoming iPhones a little bit.
Yuanta Investment Consulting and Fubon Securities analysts claim Wistron is splitting orders for the upcoming 5.5-inch devices “with flat displays” with Foxconn, meaning Wistron is probably referring to an LCD-based iPhone 7 Plus model as having wireless charging features.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted a few months ago that all three iPhone models coming this year would comet outfitted with wireless charging modules.
Wistron is an Apple partner that is currently making a small number of the iPhone SE and iPhone 6 handsets in India so it’s a bit surprising that they would jeopardize their Apple business by confirming a feature the Cupertino firm has yet to discuss publicly.
Here’s what a company official said:
Assembly process for the previous generations of iPhones have not changed much, though new features like waterproof and wireless charging now require some different testing and waterproof function will alter the assembly process a bit.
The iPhone 7 series is splash, water and dust-resistant, rated IP67 under the IEC standard 60529. According to Apple, “splash, water, and dust resistance are not permanent conditions and resistance might decrease as a result of normal wear.”
Wistron is probably talking about increased water and dust-resistance under the IP68 rating, like Samsung’s Galaxy S8. The Korea Herald said in January that iPhone 8 would feature IP68-rated dust and waterproofing.
As for the rumored wireless charging features, Reuters recently reported that Apple has been testing at least five different wireless charging technologies.
In February, Apple joined the Wireless Power Consortium, prompting some watchers to interpret the move as an unmistakable sign that iPhone 8 would use the ubiquitous interface standard Qi (pronounced chee) that’s being widely used for wireless charging across a number of consumer electronics devices.