iPhone 8

KGI: OLED iPhone to boast 5.1″ or 5.2″ active display area

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 21, 2016

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is out with a new report this morning. In his note to clients, a copy of which was obtained by AppleInsider, the revered analyst predicts that a brand new premium iPhone model will be joining the lineup next year alongside 4.7 and 5.5-inch models.

This brand new device should boast an all-new industrial design with a glass casing instead of metal and use OLED display technology, as reported before. According to the note, the active display area will be somewhere in between the current 4.7-inch iPhone 7 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus, or about 5.2-inches diagonally.

KGI details three new iPhones coming in 2017, including 5.5″ OLED model with dual cameras

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 15, 2016

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is out with a new report to clients Tuesday, a copy of which was obtained by MacRumors, that lays out his predictions for Apple's 2017 iPhone refresh. The analyst is calling for a trio of new iPhones next fall, two of which should be upgraded versions of the current models with classic TFT-LCD screens.

As for a third model, it will boast all-new industrial design and utilize power-sipping organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display technology, according to the analyst's note.

Analysts: curved-screened iPhone 8 to come in 5″ and 5.8″ varieties with bezel-free design

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 11, 2016

After analyzing the latest chatter in Apple's supply chain following a trip to Asia this week, Barclays Research analysts predicted the Cupertino firm will offer a next-generation 'iPhone 8' in 2017 in two sizes, one with a screen measuring five inches and the other featuring a 5.8-inch display.

Because the handsets will utilize curved screens, they're expected to have a bezel-less design allowing them to increase display size while retaining the same overall size as the current 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhones.

Report: Foxconn working on wireless charging system for iPhone 8

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

Hon Hai Precision Industry is working on a wireless charging system for Apple, reports Nikkei. Citing an industry source familiar with the matter, the outlet claims the manufacturer, better known as Foxconn, is making wireless charging modules for the iPhone 8.

The source adds that the feature making it into Apple's next flagship handset will depend on whether Foxconn can boost the yield rate to a satisfactory level. So if it can't produce these modules at a high quality/volume, we may not see wireless charging next year.

Sharp exec confirms iPhone 8 will have curved OLED screen & all-glass design

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

Sharp President Tai Jeng-wu—who is also a high-profile executive at Foxconn, Sharp's parent company and Apple's favorite contract manufacturer—said publicly that Apple's next iPhone will use a curved screen based on organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology akin to that on Samsung's Galaxy S7 smartphone, Nikkei reported Saturday.

As you know, Apple currently uses OLED screens on the Apple Watch and the new MacBook Pro's Touch Bar. All iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices to date have used traditional LCD screens.

New report rebuffs claim that Apple will release 5-inch iPhone in 2017

Cody Lee ∙ October 26, 2016

A new report is out late Wednesday rebuffing an earlier claim that Apple intends to release 3 iPhone models next year. Citing sources familiar with Apple's plans, AppleInsider says the company will be sticking with its 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch handset sizes in 2017.

For those that missed it, Asian news outlet Nikkei reported Wednesday morning that Apple would be adding a 5-inch option to its current two-size lineup. It didn't, however, explain why it would want to do so, given how close it would be to the 4.7-inch model.

Nikkei: all iPhone 8 models to have all-glass design, new 5″ model in the works

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 19, 2018

According to Nikkei Asian Review today, Apple's 2017 iPhone family (which may be called “iPhone 8” rather than “iPhone 7s”) will include three models, adding a brand new five-inch form factor to the mix. All three models of the iPhone 8 should boast refreshed industrial design.

The overhauled phones would be sandwiched between two pieces of chemically hardened curved glass—like KGI's Ming-Chi Kuo predicted in a report to clients.

Both glass backs and cover glass for the iPhone 8 will be supplied by China's Biel Crystal Manufactory and Lens Technology, an industry source told the publication. The glass front and back will be held together by a brand new metal frame, but Apple is said to have yet make a final decision on the design of the metal frames.

New Apple patent would embed light sensors into the display, hints at iPhone 8 technology

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 11, 2016

The United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) today awarded Apple a patent describing a process for embedding light-sensing sensors into a mobile display. The invention, titled “Electronic devices with display-integrated light sensors,” potentially paves the way for next year's iPhone.

Apple's new patent specifically mentions the ambient light and proximity sensors, which are found on the front face of the device, as being integrated into the display assembly.

According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and pundits in the know, like Daring Fireball's John Gruber, the iPhone 8—or whatever a 2017 iPhone (or Tenth Anniversary iPhone) ends up being called—should be a major design departure from prior models as it would supposedly get rid of the chin and forehead bezels by integrating Touch ID and the front-camera along with other sensors directly into the display.

KGI: 2017 iPhones to sport glass front/back, stainless steel edges on high-end models

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 29, 2016

Back in April, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that the Tenth Anniversary iPhone would undergo significant design changes, ditching the LCD screen and unibody aluminum casing for an all-glass enclosure and a wraparound AMOLED panel protected by curved 2.5 glass cover on the front.

In a new report issued to clients today, a copy of which was obtained by AppleInsider, Kuo says that there is “increasing likelihood” that all 2017 iPhones will have all-glass front and back, with a high-end iPhone 8 model adopting a stainless steel metal frame rather than aluminum.

Apple employees in Israel seemingly confirm 2017 iPhone will be called iPhone 8

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 28, 2016

Apple is quietly developing the next iPhone hardware in Herzliya, Israel, and a local employee who solders components for Apple has allegedly confirmed to Business Insider that the tenth anniversary Apple handset will be marketed as 'iPhone 8', not 'iPhone 7s'. The source added that the forthcoming phone will be “different” to the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 7, have a better camera and sport a radical redesign.

KGI: dual rear camera expected to remain exclusive to iPhone Plus next year

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

The dual-lens camera system introduced on the iPhone 7 Plus this year is expected to stay exclusive to Apple's larger 5.5-inch handset in 2017, reports KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo. The analyst issued a new research report on Friday, claiming that high costs and the need to differentiate high end iPhone models is likely to keep the feature Plus-only next year.

Suppliers gearing up for production of iPhone 8’s curved-glass chassis

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 31, 2016

In 2017, the iPhone should undergo a top-to-bottom industrial design overhaul with a number of hardware improvements planned for the handset, such as a wraparound AMOLED display curved at both sides like that on Samsung's Note 7 and the Galaxy S6/S7 range, as well as an all-new glass enclosure.

According to a recent Chinese-language Commercial Times report cited by DigiTimes, Taiwanese suppliers are now ordering machinery for the production of curved glass chassis for next year's iPhone lineup. The glass casing should help differentiate the Tenth Anniversary iPhone, as the media affectionally calls the device, and give Apple fans more reasons to upgrade.