Apple Leak Reveals 'All Glass' New iPhone

8 years ago - April 18, 2016

He’s at it again. KGI Securities’ Ming-Chi Kuo (dubbed “the best Apple analyst on the planet”) has dug up new information on Apple’s increasingly controversial iPhone plans and this is perhaps the most radical of the lot…

Picked up by the ever reliable 9to5Mac, Kuo’s new report says Apple will completely redesign the iPhone. Out will go the ranges’ famed aluminium chassis and in its place will be the return of an all-glass enclosure. This will also be complemented by new cutting edge curved OLED display.

The only problem? These changes will come in 2017, not 2016.

Yes, according to Kuo, Apple will finally abandon its ‘tick/tock’ external redesign / internal upgrade pattern for iPhone launches. Consequently the iPhone 7 will look largely like the iPhone 6 / iPhone 6S and it will be an ‘iPhone 8’ in 2017 where Apple will pull out all the stops.

Why? Kuo doesn’t speculate, but an obvious point that springs to my mind is that 2017 is the tenth anniversary of the iPhone.

Of course this wouldn’t be the first time Apple has used glass. The company enjoyed mixed success with the material in the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Cracked backs plagued these stylish phones, but Kuo argues that advances in toughening glass since then should address this. Glass would also be ideal for wireless charging and boosting antenna reception.

How much faith should we place in Kuo’s report? As its reputation suggests, a lot. In recent times the analyst has a near perfect track record. He broke news of the radical 12-inch MacBook, iPad Pro, the shift to 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screen sizes with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, nailed every major feature of the iPhone 6S four months ahead of launch and revealed the iPhone SE, including its lower pricing.

Text by Forbes

We also recommend

iPhone 8: glass back 'very difficult' to repair and costs more than screen to replace

Apple’s ‘most durable glass ever in a smartphone’ claim likely to be put to the test with first iPhone 8 accidents, but repairs won’t be cheap, reports say

6 years, 7 months ago

Apple Leak Reveals iPhone 8 'Shape Change'

We already know the iPhone will change significantly in 2017, but now a new report has shed light on another radical alteration - and it comes from one of Apple’s largest manufacturing partners…

6 years, 10 months ago

Apple Leak Reveals Massive iPhone 8 Upgrade

The iPhone 8 is going to be a game changer for Apple AAPL +1.29%: an all new design, the addition of key catch up features from rivals and an eye watering price. But new information suggests the most expensive iPhone ever made may just be worth it…

7 years, 2 months ago

21 Ways Apple Changed Your World With The New iPhone 7

Wednesday’s launch of the iPhone 7 was a key moment in Apple’s corporate history, but it was also a key moment for the rest of the world. As many believe it can, Apple changed the world on the 9th of September.

7 years, 7 months ago

Noted Apple analyst drops yet more iPhone 7 details

Spoiler alert: KGI Securities' Ming-chi Kuo, who has been predicting Apple hardware details with a high degree of accuracy for years, issued a new research note over the weekend with some information about the new iPhone days before Apple is set to reveal it.

7 years, 7 months ago

New video shows off a ridiculously hot iPhone 7 Plus in deep blue

How hot would a deep blue iPhone 7 Plus look in your hand? China-based headphone company BeSound decided to promote its new headphones by trying to answer that question.

7 years, 8 months ago