The new iPhone – likely to be called either the iPhone 6S or iPhone 7 – will feature substantial design changes, according to an industry analyst with a good track record of acquiring reliable inside information.
Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities say Apple is planning several alterations to the iPhone 6 – the all-new design introduced last September.
In the recent past, the company has not made significant changes to the look and feel of the phone two years running. The iPhone 4 and 4s, for example, and the iPhone 5 and 5S, looked almost identical.
Now though, despite having launched the all-new iPhone 6 just nine months ago, it appears that Apple is planning a more substantial upgrade. Kuo says that we should expect:
- Force Touch for the iPhone 7, allowing the screen to determine how hard you are pressing it. "We're bound to see some interesting uses for this on the next iPhone, if Apple does choose to include it," says Business Insider. The functionality was first developed for the Apple Watch, and Kuo says the company is keen to bring features from that product line to its smartphones too.
- A wider, taller and thicker iPhone 7. Apple is usually reluctant to increase the size of its devices, but Kuo says the change has been enforced by the company's determination to incorporate Force Touch. The extra heft will be minimal, with the phone just 0.2mm thicker, 0.15mm taller and "fractionally" broader.
- A stronger iPhone 7, built from the more resilient grade of aluminium that also made its debut on the Apple Watch. The metal, known as 7000 Series aluminum, "is alloyed with zinc, and can be hardened to the highest strengths of any aluminium alloy," says Forbes. This should avert a repeat of "bendgate".
- The iPhone 7 colours will be brought into line with the Watch, meaning that space grey will become darker, gold will be yellower and a new colour, rose gold, will also be made available.
Apple never discusses details of forthcoming products before their launch, and the details described above remain predictions. Their source is reliable, however. " Kuo is known to be very accurate with his forecasts," says Business Insider. He nailed a lot of the details about the iPhone 5, 5s, and 5c long before Apple officially announced them."
Apple is expected to launch its upgraded smartphone in September. If it follows its established naming convention, the next model will be called the iPhone 6S, but Kuo said two months ago that the upgrade would be substantial enough to justify calling the new device the iPhone 7.
Other leaks and rumours suggest that the new phone will also come with an extensively