Apple Inc., (NASDAQ: AAPL)- A report first published by Forbes suggests that the upcoming iPhone 7 will come with a Sapphire display and no physical home button.
Apple released the iPhone 6S smartphone and iPhone 6S Plus phablet a month ago and rumors have already been flooding the rumor mill regarding the next generation. The iPhone 7 belongs to the point of the cycle where we expect to see radical changes, especially when it comes to the hardware part.
Piper Jaffray’s investment bank Gene Munster talked to Barron’s about his speculations regarding Apple’s tenth iteration of the iPhone lineup. According to Munster’s contacts, the iPhone 7 will offer a major design overhaul that is unprecedented in the entire series. The device will reportedly change the entire design philosophy of the iPhone lineup, introducing new aesthetics on which the next versions will be mostly based on.
Munster primarily focused on three points; Apple is more likely to kill the home button as well as ultimately supplant glass with Sapphire and increase battery size.
Apple iPhone 7 to sport Sapphire display?
The Cupertino giant has been experimenting with Sapphire for quite a while now. The company’s plan to deliver a Sapphire display with the iPhone 6S went bad, after its supplier, GT Advanced Technologies, filed for bankruptcy last October.
Munster believes that the iPhone 7 is the ideal candidate to implement this new feature. Though, like with the Series 7000 aluminum, the most probable scenario is to initially see Sapphire on the Apple Watch Sport, which evidently constitutes a testing device for new materials.
As aforementioned, the iPhone 6S came with a Series 7000 aluminum, which is sturdier and resolves the #bendgate drama. The Apple Watch Sport was the first device that introduced us to it.
According to Mohs scale of hardness, Sapphire is the second most durable material after diamonds, hence tech companies efforts to integrate it into their flagship phones. The are two downsides with the particular mineral that could hold some back though; it is expensive -especially when it comes to mass production- and when it breaks it tends to shatter and not crack.
Nevertheless, it still is the best material for resisting scuffs and scratches on a display.
Bigger battery with the iPhone 7?
Another potential improvement on the next iPhone can be the battery.
Due to the fact that Apple has doubled the battery life on the MacBook laptops, by developing more efficient processors and software, Munster estimates the possibility of the same update taking place on the iPhone as well.
Customers have been long complaining about poor battery life on the iPhone, hence it would be perfect timing for Apple to address the particular issue.
Apple kills the home button?
Another substantial change that we might witness with the new iPhone 7, is the retirement of the iconic home button that has been a signature design cue of the series since their inception back in 2007 with the iPhone 2G.
Relying on the development of Touch ID, Munster suggests that Apple is planning on making use of the particular technology thus removing the home button area. By doing that, the company can either free up some space for enlargement of the screen size or make the device smaller.
If Apple goes with it, then it will also have to move up the TouchID either to the side, much like Sony’s Xperia range, or on the back panel, like Google did with its Nexus phones. The same source indicates that Apple will potentially opt for the first option; which are the sides, as the particular location would allow users to unlock their handset directly from the surface without having to pick it up.
Munster considers the possibility of a home button removal in 2016 as a”50%”, otherwise this is most likely to take place two years after the iPhone 7 launch, with the iPhone 8, which belongs to the groundbreaking point of the cycle.
What are your thoughts on Apple’s upcoming smartphone? Let us know in the comments below.
Via: Forbes, WSJ
Source: Barrons
Featured image credit: iAppleJailbreaker, YouTube
