We’ve heard a ton about what might be coming in the next iPhone — but until now, none of the sources leaking potential design specs have gone so far as to call the upcoming device “yuge.”
But if the phone actually hits the market with a wraparound screen, facial sensor technology, wireless charging capabilities and a name like “iPhone X,” yuge could be an understatement.
In a research note for his company’s investors, Cowen and Company analyst Timothy Arcuri apparently used one of the president-elect’s favorite descriptors to project the impact of Apple’s next flagship, which he refers to using the iPhone X moniker.
The note was later provided to both Apple Insider and Business Insider.
Citing information from sources within Apple’s supply chain (and not much else), Arcuri claimed 2017 will have a “feature-rich launch” highlighted by a new 5.8-inch model, the iPhone X.
It could include that curved OLED display using the same fixed flex screen tech found on some Samsung devices — which makes sense, because Samsung will reportedly be the exclusive supplier of the new displays.
To make room for even more space for a true edge-to-edge screen like the Xiaomi Mi Mix, the earpiece, front-facing camera and fingerprint sensor could be embedded directly into the display.
Rounding out the new features is an unspecified form of facial and/or gesture recognition tech, which Arcuri speculated to be “supported by a new laser sensor and an infrared sensor mounted near the front-facing camera,” and wireless charging. As exciting as those specs might be, this report has no new evidence to back up the claim.
The other details are old news. Two other handsets could be released this year: a 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 7S and 7S Plus, which will have small internal improvements from 2016’s iPhone 7. We’ve heard this before from a Chinese leak, but the luxe version of the device was then going by the codename Ferrari.
Even though Arcuri’s note was long on speculation and short on any real documented information, many of its claims fit in with the rest of the rumor cycle. The specs point in the direction it feels like Apple should take for the next flagship, too — the iPhone has been stuck in the boring-but-dependable role in the smartphone market for too long now, leaving its challengers to sink or swim with exciting new features and eye-catching designs.
By making the move from LCD to OLED, curving its edges and ditching bezels, which is the least of what might come this year, the iPhone can take the first step toward a bold new redesign.