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According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a good track record when it comes to Apple related product rumors, Apple is planning to launch a redesigned iPhone in 2017, including the adoption of an all-new curved glass casing paired with a curved 5.8-inch AMOLED display.


He expects Apple to use glass on both the front and back sides, and a metal frame surrounded the edges like the iPhone 4 and 4s. But it will sport a curved design and will come with a curved screen and curved glass casing.


    We expect the 2017 new iPhone model to adopt a structural design similar to that of iPhone 4/ 4s, meaning it will be equipped with glass on both the front and back sides, and a metal frame surrounded the edges. The difference is that the new model will likely come with a curved screen and curved glass casing, with other important features including a 5.8-inch AMOLED display, wireless charging, and more biometric recognitions (facial or iris). Given the curved design, the new model may look smaller than an existing 5.5-inch iPhone.

Kuo expects Apple to launch a 5.8-inch iPhone with an AMOLED display with a 4.7-inch iPhone with a LCD display in 2017 if there is sufficient supply of AMOLED display. Otherwise, it will launch 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch LCD iPhones, with the 5.8-inch AMOLED iPhone as the high-end model.

Apple follows a two-year design cycle so we are expecting Apple to launch a redesigned iPhone 7 later this year, followed by iPhone 7s next year which wouldn’t come with any major design changes. But based on rumors we’ve heard so far, iPhone 7 may come with minor design changes such as a cleaner back with repositioned antenna lines and slightly thinner body than iPhone 6s.

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.