Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple May Launch 5.8-Inch OLED iPhone With Curved Glass Casing and Screen in 2017
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
A return to pure design like the iPhone 4/4s is well overdue as I've been advocating and predicting for a long time. Apple has been drifting slowly away since.
Let's get into a discussion about the future of Apple's design language:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/future-apple-design-language.1963417/
Let's get into a discussion about the future of Apple's design language:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/future-apple-design-language.1963417/
2017 will be the 10 years anniversary of the iPhone, so it would make sense if Apple kept the huge redesign for 2017.
It depends whether your buying decisions are based more on appearance or features. Although I get that some people care more about the way their phone looks than what it does, for me appearance is less important—not completely unimportant, just secondary. For me, two of the most significant improvements in the last few years were Touch ID and the larger screen, which is why I got the 5s and 6 Plus. So as each new iteration comes out, I decide whether its new features are worthwhile enough for me to upgrade.
This rumor is interesting because if true, it throws the existing "s" rotation in doubt. Also, if the iPhone 7 comes out on the usual schedule this fall but there are solid rumors about a major upgrade like the OLED iPhone by mid 2017, I'd probably wait.
I think this may be the year (2017) that a third distinct iPhone comes out... iPhone 7S & 7S+, iPhone SE 2, and iPhone Pro.
Ok I do not know if macrumors has additional information or I am just interpreting the 9to5mac article wrong.... The 9to5mac article makes no mention of LCD displays. The way the 9to5mac article reads, ALL iPhone models are receiving curved OLED displays. So that means the 4.7 and larger model. The clarifier is that there is a possibility of a 5.8" display. If enough 5.8" displays can be made then it will replace the 5.5" model.
Imagine a curved 4.7" iPhone with no/minimal bezels.... It's form factor would be only slightly larger the the iPhone 5 line while still providing a larger display. The curved sides could be used for software keys backed by deticated haptic engines. This would allow software keys with the feel of real keys just like the new MacBooks trackpad. Integrating the front camera and Touch ID could also be possible with transparent OLED displays. Basically these sensors would be placed behind the screen and when they need to be used, the pixels in the area can be turned off creating a transparent "window" for the sensor to work. That would then allow the elimination of the top and bottom bezels (or at least drastically reduced bezels). The 5.8" display could follow this same design language and come in slightly smaller then the current plus model. That would be what I would call a drastic redesign!
Imagine a curved 4.7" iPhone with no/minimal bezels.... It's form factor would be only slightly larger the the iPhone 5 line while still providing a larger display. The curved sides could be used for software keys backed by deticated haptic engines. This would allow software keys with the feel of real keys just like the new MacBooks trackpad. Integrating the front camera and Touch ID could also be possible with transparent OLED displays. Basically these sensors would be placed behind the screen and when they need to be used, the pixels in the area can be turned off creating a transparent "window" for the sensor to work. That would then allow the elimination of the top and bottom bezels (or at least drastically reduced bezels). The 5.8" display could follow this same design language and come in slightly smaller then the current plus model. That would be what I would call a drastic redesign!
Whaddya mean - Apple lets you change the wallpaper ... were you looking for more options?
If they add iris scanning they won't need it. But, I can't see them scrapping Touch ID now, and I can't see how you'd get a high resolution print through an LCD screen.
[doublepost=1459089672][/doublepost]
Ugh. Stupidest comment ever made on a luxury electronics forum.
Now, I gotta go take the trash to the curb so the city will come pick it up and take it somewhere else. #firstworldproblems
The edge wasn't designed to perform tasks, it was only a design, purely aesthetic--Samsung even sated as much.
Pointless would be apple putting a 64 bit CPU on a device with 1GB of RAM when 64 bit CPU's need at least 4GB to take full advantage of its use.
Pointless is having an NFC chip and can only use it for apple pay which only works with 10% of retailer equipment.
[doublepost=1459089977][/doublepost]
A totaly black iPhone with a seamless OLED screen? Please, take my money! Cant wait to see a moving wallpaper on a device like that!
Edit:
I couldn't resist to make a quick mock-up about my idea of a totaly black OLED iPhone. Would love to see it blacker than black.
Edit 2: Attempt #2
Apple is planning a major overhaul of the iPhone for 2017, including the adoption of an all-new curved glass casing paired with a curved 5.8-inch AMOLED display, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Seeking to move away from the metal casing designs that are no longer unique, Apple will reportedly take the glass-backed design used for the iPhone 4 and 4s "to the next level" in building the 2017 iPhone.Kuo lays out two scenarios for Apple's 2017 lineup, depending on availability of the AMOLED displays needed for the new phone. If supplies are sufficient, Apple would launch a 4.7-inch LCD-based iPhone paired with the new 5.8-inch AMOLED iPhone as a larger option. But if AMOLED display production is unable to meet the entire large-screen demand, Kuo believes Apple will launch 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch LCD iPhones similar to today's lineup, with the 5.8-inch AMOLED model being a third option at the high end.
Such a major change in 2017 would be part of a significant departure from Apple's usual pattern of keeping the same general body style for two years before making major changes. The current iPhone 6s and 6s Plus represent the second year of the current body style, and normally this year's iPhone 7 would be expected to see a significant external redesign to freshen up the look. Leaks and rumors have, however, suggested changes could be fairly minor in the iPhone 7.
Previous rumors have suggested Apple is looking to launch a 5.8-inch OLED iPhone in 2017 or 2018, with Apple rumored to be working with several different OLED display manufacturers.
Article Link: Apple May Launch 5.8-Inch OLED iPhone With Curved Glass Casing and Screen in 2017
If Apple is really planning a 10th anniversary phone with major changes and it won't be ready until 2017, it makes all the sense in the world to get these leaks out now.
iPhone sales are the economic engine that drive Apple. Wall Street expects sales growth every single year. If Apple is releasing a tweak of the previous model this fall, they have to show something REALLY big is coming in 2017. Apple is obviously one of the few companies financially secure enough to 'wait an extra year' on launching their major scheduled product...but it's still a risk.
I wonder if the timing would change as well. Waiting another 18 months to make a major release is an eternity in the tech world. Almost seems like you'd go 'all hands on deck' and look for a June '10th anniversary' launch. That would match the June 2007 launch of the original iPhone.
iPhone sales are the economic engine that drive Apple. Wall Street expects sales growth every single year. If Apple is releasing a tweak of the previous model this fall, they have to show something REALLY big is coming in 2017. Apple is obviously one of the few companies financially secure enough to 'wait an extra year' on launching their major scheduled product...but it's still a risk.
I wonder if the timing would change as well. Waiting another 18 months to make a major release is an eternity in the tech world. Almost seems like you'd go 'all hands on deck' and look for a June '10th anniversary' launch. That would match the June 2007 launch of the original iPhone.
So you agree the edge is pointless.
Actually that is factually incorrect.
That's why all current smartphones are 64 bit.
Apple was just there first.
That would be the opposite of pointless.
A totaly black iPhone with a seamless OLED screen? Please, take my money! Cant wait to see a moving wallpaper on a device like that!
Edit:
I couldn't resist to make a quick mock-up about my idea of a totaly black OLED iPhone. Would love to see it blacker than black.
Edit 2: Attempt #2
What was the software you've used?
I see this style phone as very easy to damage or break.
Apple is planning a major overhaul of the iPhone for 2017, including the adoption of an all-new curved glass casing paired with a curved 5.8-inch AMOLED display, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Seeking to move away from the metal casing designs that are no longer unique, Apple will reportedly take the glass-backed design used for the iPhone 4 and 4s "to the next level" in building the 2017 iPhone.Kuo lays out two scenarios for Apple's 2017 lineup, depending on availability of the AMOLED displays needed for the new phone. If supplies are sufficient, Apple would launch a 4.7-inch LCD-based iPhone paired with the new 5.8-inch AMOLED iPhone as a larger option. But if AMOLED display production is unable to meet the entire large-screen demand, Kuo believes Apple will launch 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch LCD iPhones similar to today's lineup, with the 5.8-inch AMOLED model being a third option at the high end.
Such a major change in 2017 would be part of a significant departure from Apple's usual pattern of keeping the same general body style for two years before making major changes. The current iPhone 6s and 6s Plus represent the second year of the current body style, and normally this year's iPhone 7 would be expected to see a significant external redesign to freshen up the look. Leaks and rumors have, however, suggested changes could be fairly minor in the iPhone 7.
Previous rumors have suggested Apple is looking to launch a 5.8-inch OLED iPhone in 2017 or 2018, with Apple rumored to be working with several different OLED display manufacturers.
Article Link: Apple May Launch 5.8-Inch OLED iPhone With Curved Glass Casing and Screen in 2017
They look nice sure.
But don't bump them much or you will be holding a broken one.
You don't know much about ArmV8 architecture, right? Do you think this is Intel and Windows? Do you think it's all about memory addressing?
Wrong
2017??? Shouldn't this be in the 2016 iphone 7? This is the kinda upgrade I would pay to buy a new iphone. If not, don't release a new model until 2017. Remove headphone jack/slight spec upgrade/make thinner then calling it a day isn't good enough anymore. Sorry Tim.
So you would rather them not update anything in 2016? The tech isn't ready for a 2016 release (if the rumor is even true) so I would rather them release a 6ss this year to remain current and to allow more development on the redesign.
I would rather them not remove the headphone jack than release a gimped product. Apple is degrading the iphone 7 as far as I'm concerned.
How would the 7 at all be gimped? The removal of the headphone jack is a perfect design decision. Frees up internal space and would allow for easier waterproofing (if Apple chooses). Providing a lighting to 3.5 adapter is no different to me then having a deticated 3.5 port? I don't see why removing the 3.5 port is so big of an issue for some.....