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Could this be the new iPhone?

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Could this be the new iPhone?

Concept iPhone design showing a zero-bezel display; note the earpiece and front camera on top embedded into the screen.

Talks of a zero bezel iPhone been resurrected, with more information leaking out.

Published: Mon 14 Nov 2016, 11:03 PM

  • By
  • Alvin R. Cabral

For those of you who were frustrated with how the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus panned out, we're here to give you a glimpse of hope - some tidbits swirling around what has been dubbed the "iPhone 8". The iPhone 7 did have some fairly nice upgrades, though many expected it to have some different flavour in terms of design - it basically is the iPhone 6 and 6s.
To start off, it is said that the next iPhones will come in slightly bigger variants - 5 and 5.8-inch models from the present 4.7 and 5.5-inchers.
Khaleej Times reported in May that the next Apple flagship could be an all-glass device. Talks have been resurrected, and with more information leaking out.
Barclays supply chain analysts say that the next iPhones may have a zero-bezel design, meaning a totally edge-to-edge display up front. This would, however, require one major design overhaul: removing the iconic home button on the iPhone.
From there, it may branch out into (at least) two options: the first may see the display extend all the way down, but saving enough room to retain the earpiece and front camera on top, or, second, embed those two into the display.
The fingerprint sensor, then, may be embedded in the display itself.
Now that would be a stunner: remember, no other company has been able to offer this design so far. Apple design master Jony Ive has wanted an iPhone that looks like "a single sheet of glass", and 2017 may just be the year he realises that.
And there's more to that: word has it that Apple may leave an extra 7.25mm of display on each side that may be used to wrap around the edges of the device, according to MacRumors - though it is unclear if this is actually achievable with the zero-bezel design.
The next iPhones may also utilise an OLED display, (finally) veering from the long-serving LCDs used in the devices. The Nikkei Asian Review, however, had previously reported that Apple plans to adopt this screen technology in 2018.
And with what could make for a nice contest is what the next iPhone will be called. Aside from "iPhone 8" the hotly-rumoured "iPhone Pro" is also in the mix.
Calling the next devices "iPhone 7s" is quite a remote possibility, since next year will mark the iPhone's 10th anniversary...so how about "iPhone X"?
- alvin@khaleejtimes.com



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