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New iPhone 7s in 2017 could be made entirely from glass
Apple could be planning to do away with aluminium iPhones altogether and create an all-glass handset from 2017, according to a report.
KGI Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has successfully anticipated a number of significant iPhone changes in the past, predicts the iPhone 7s will feature an all-glass body and OLED display, according to 9to5Mac.
Such a decision would mark a return to 2011's iPhone 4s, the last iPhone to be manufactured from glass, with a thick aluminium band running around the body.
Last month it was reported Apple has held discussions with suppliers Samsung and LG in December over increasing the production of OLED screens, a significant step forward from the LCD screens the Californian tech giant currently uses in its handsets.
OLED screens are typically brighter and use less power than LED displays, as well as being flexible, possibly raising the prospect of a curved screen in the iPhone or a future Apple gadget.
Last July, LG Display said it will invest KRW1.05 trillion in a flexible screen production line, based at the Gumi Plant in Gyeongbuk Province, Korea, which is listed among Apple's suppliers.
The new line will produce more than 200 cuts 5.5-inch cuts from a single plastic substrate sheet - the same size as an iPhone 6 Plus display - according to LG. Mass production is not expected to begin until early 2017.
The iPhone 7, due for release in September later this year, is unlikely to feature such radical design overhauls.
The new iPhone, slated for release in September, represents an important moment in Apple's history. The company has reportedly slashed production levels of the iPhone 6s and partner unit the 6s Plus by a third amid fears of slowing demand for the 'fallow year' s models, despite initial sales of more than 13 million units within three days of availability.
The iPhone Pro is rumoured to be being prepared for release alongside the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, and will sport a dual-lens camera and a magnetic smart connector, first seen on the iPad Pro, leaked pictures claim.
The dual lens system would involve one wide angle lens and one telephoto lens, capable of taking individual shots and merging them together into a single, composite image, according to a patent filed by Apple last June and granted this January.
iPhone 7 rumour roundup
One of the most persistent rumours we've seen surrounds the removal of the round 3.5mm headphone jack in an effort to make the device marginally slimmer.
The decision to remove the headphone jack would prove a controversial one. The company would presumably include new wireless headphones with the new handset, or a pair of headphones which connect to the phone through a lightning connector. Third parties have been able to create lightning connector headphones since June 2014 when Apple extended its Made-for-iPhone licensing programme.
This rumour appeared to be further confirmed following the publication of images obtained by @OnLeaks claiming to be of a transparent plastic case designed for the iPhone 7, minus a dedicated hole for the headphone jack.
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