TOKYO – Apple might make a habit of coming out with surprise phone releases, dubbed ‘S’ in the March to April period.
According to reports that cites Apple’s Taiwanese supply chain, the next iPhone dubbed iPhone 7S might come in a flashy red colour. Japanese blog Mac Otakara also claimed that the phones might get a hardware refresh.
“Basic design etc does not change, it seems that it will be only updates such as loading A11 chip, and it says that it does not seem to be wireless charging or glass chassis,” the blog explained adding that the new phones will be an update to the 7 and the 7 Plus — and will be called 7S and 7S Plus.
Otakara also said that the only update will come in the form of a faster CPU — the A11 chipset and the phones will also not support wireless charging.
This, however, is in contrast to KGI Securities’ Apple analyst Ming-Chi, Kuo who had earlier predicted that Apple’s next iPhone models to incorporate an all glass chassis design with integrated wireless charging. Mac Otakara’s source said both standout features are unlikely to debut in 2017, at least for the “iPhone 7s” series. The feature might be reserved for the 10th anniversary edition — iPhone 8 — expected to be launched later in 2017.
Kuo and other experts also believe that Apple is primed to debut a third model alongside its usual 4.7- and 5.5-inch smartphone offerings. The special edition variant will be positioned at a price point above the “iPhone 7s” series and feature a 5.1- or 5.2-inch OLED display with “invisible” home button, all-glass housing, wireless charging and other exotic technologies.
Mac Otakara has a strong track record when it comes to iPhone predictions. The Japanese blog was first to report on iPhone 7’s 3.5mm headphone jack deletion, as well as this year’s Jet Black colour option.