Apple‘s iPhone 6S launch is just a few days away, but the generally reliable Ming-Chi Kuo has already dropped a bombshell on its successor, the iPhone 7. In a note to investors, the KGI Securities analyst has predicted that the next iPhone is going to be between 6.0 and 6.5 millimeters thick.
If Kuo’s prediction turns out to be true, that would make the iPhone 7 potentially as thin as the current iPod Touch and the iPad Air 2 that are currently 6.1 millimeters thick right now. The current iPhone 6 is 6.9 millimeters thick, and new 7000 series aluminum on the “iPhone 6s” are expected to make that device just over 7 millimeters thick.
The thinness of the next-generation iPhone will likely leave Apple using the same technology to power Force Touch in its 2016 iPhone upgrade, according to Kuo. The “iPhone 6s” is expected to enable pressure sensitive input on its display via flexible printed circuit board technology.
In the long run, Kuo believes Apple would like to switch to a glass-on-glass solution for Force Touch sensing, especially if iPhone displays become even higher resolution. But that may not be in the cards within the next few years, as current glass-on-glass solutions would not allow Apple to achieve a 6-millimeter-thin iPhone, he said on Sunday.
“Apple and its suppliers have invested heavily in iPhone Force Touch in 2015 and we believe 2016 new models will stick with a similar Force Touch structure as used in 2015,” he wrote.
Kuo said nothing else on Apple’s anticipated “iPhone 7,” though it’s widely expected that next year’s update will introduce a new chassis to differentiate from the iPhone 6 series. Apple has historically redesigned its iPhone every two years, and introduced an “s” upgrade with largely identical appearance to its predecessor in the years in between.
But for now, the cynosure of all eyes will be the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus at Apple’s next event. Whilst maintaining the same exterior appearance, the phones will feature significant internal updates — faster processor, upgraded cameras, pressure sensitive display and more. We also expect the revamped Apple TV and iPad Pro to feature in the announcements as well, in one of Apple’s biggest product events ever.
Source: AppleInsider
