According to a reliable Apple analyst, the company will release three new iPhones this year — including a redesigned iPhone 8 (or iPhone X) and two iterative iPhone 7 updates.
All three models will reportedly boast new Apple wireless charging tech, rather than the feature being limited to a high-end OLED handset.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests that because the wireless charging technology produces more heat, the iPhones will include a new graphite layer to protect the 3D Touch sensor from being damaged.
Another reason for this protective graphite layer could be the fact that the glass casing expected for the redesigned iPhone is less efficient at dissipating heat, compared to aluminum. A previous report suggested that the glass casing is an integral part of the wireless charging technology that’s expected to be a big part of this year’s iPhone refresh.
These changes are all likely to contribute to increased production costs for manufacturers, which may then be passed on to consumers — possibly with the resulting top-end iPhone costing up to $1,000. Kuo suggests that the 3D Touch module alone will rise in cost between 30 percent and 50 percent due to the new production requirements.
For more on the new iPhones, which are expected to debut in 4.7-inch, 5.5-inch and 5.8-inch variants, you can check out our recent iPhone 8 mockup video here.
Are you excited about the next-gen iPhone? Would an iPhone X and two upgraded iPhone 7 units complicate buying options too much, especially when you factor in different storage options? Leave your comments below.
Via: 9to5Mac
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
3 responses to “All three 2017 iPhones may get wireless charging”
Glad to see Apple catching up with the competition, which has had this capability for years….
Hey Tallest Skill… take a step back, re-read your post and then ask yourself “Am I a decent human being?” I’d be curious to hear how you would honestly answer that question.
I merely stated a fact in my post, one that is unquestionably true.
Hope you have a great day!
I have to agree with BJ on this one. I’m an Apple fan – who has everything Apple – but I am getting disappointed in this company. I hated the so-called upgrades on the MacBook Pro – where they took away all the ports, making it virtually useless unless you buy a bunch of dongles and carry them around with you – AND added a hefty price increase to it. So, basically, Apple is charging more money for a computer that does less than it did before, unless you clutter it up with dongles. Terrible decision. … As for this upgrade to the iphone – the reference to the “heat” issues – makes me nervous: Are we going to be seeing the “fire problem” that Samsung just went through?