14 DAY TRIAL // The rumor mill previously hinted that the next-year iPhone could come with a revolutionary wireless charging system that would allow you to charge the device from across the room, but according to KGI analysts, this won’t be the case.
While Apple is indeed planning to offer wireless charging on the next iPhone, this won’t be a long-range system, but a traditional approach similar to the one that Samsung is using for its flagship models.
This means that the iPhone 8 will support wireless charging with a charging plate that needs to be plugged into a power source.
Furthermore, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that only the top-of-the-range iPhone 8 models will include the charging accessories in the box, while those who purchase the entry-level SKUs will have to get them separately.
Three iPhone models, one with OLED
According to the analyst, Apple plans to launch three different iPhone models, two with design and size similar to the existing generation, plus a third version that would adopt an OLED screen and a bezel-less form factor.
The OLED iPhone is possible to be 5.8 inches in size, but given the fact that Apple plans to completely remove the bezels, this could have the dimensions of a 5.2-inch phone.
All iPhones will be made from glass and it’s believed that the screen would also incorporate some front-facing parts, including the Home button. It’s not yet clear if this approach would be exclusive to the OLED version or not.
Foxconn will be in charge of manufacturing iPhone’s wireless charging system, but the next-year model will be only the company’s first step in the adoption of this new feature. Apple is expected to market it more aggressively in 2018 when wireless charging could become more widely adopted, but we’re being told that Apple is still exploring ways to make this feature a little bit more innovative.
It’s very clear that Apple doesn’t want its wireless charging system to be similar to rivals’, so expect the company to come up with something unique - although it’s still too early to tell if this is a good or a bad thing.