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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.

iPhone 7

Apple Is Now planning To launch a 5.8-inch iPhone with OLED display in 2017 or 2018

According to a pre-publication report from DigiTimes, which was surfaced by The Motley Fool, Apple is planning a huge iPhone model with a 5.8-inch screen based on the superior AMOLED display technology. That would make it the biggest iPhone, surpassing Apple’s current leader with the 5.5-inch iPhone 6s Plus.

    Apple is reportedly rumored to “have plans to launch a 5.8-inch iPhone featuring rigid AMOLED display panels in 2018 or even earlier in 2017,” reads the note.


According to the report, Samsung is to be the main source for the OLED panels, with LG and Japan Display “joining in later.” Recently, Samsung was reported to be on the verge of investing over $7 billion into supplying OLED displays for future iPhones, following rumors last year that 2018 would mark Apple’s official shift from LCD to OLED displays in its popular smartphone line. More recent reports suggest that OLED timeline could be moved up to 2017.


Through estimations put together by the original report, OLED displays would see a significant output within the first 12 months. However, at the same time, those would still just be a fraction of the 200 million iPhones the company has sold recently:

    “Per the note, DIGITIMES’ supply chain sources believe that 50 million of these AMOLED-equipped iPhones will make it out to customers in the first year of availability”.

The company’s upcoming March media event is rumored to showcase the launch of a new 4-inch “iPhone SE“, but as of yet there have been few rumors suggesting the company has looked into expanding the already-large screen of the iPhone 6s Plus. With the rumored launch dates of 2017 or 2018, if it becomes a reality, the 5.8-inch OLED iPhone could arrive as either an “iPhone 7s” or more likely an “iPhone 8” generation.

AMOLED screen technology offers deeper blacks, more vivid colors, better contrast and higher color saturation while consuming a fraction of the power of the traditional LCD IPS panels traditionally used in iOS devices.