Curved, Bezel-Free iPhones Slated For Release In 2017? Component Suppliers Reportedly Confirmed OLED Technology For Plus Line Iteration

It is not surprising that Apple is already working on its next iPhones that are going to be released as the special 10th anniversary handsets of the Cupertino giant. As the year 2016 is nearing its end, more consumers are excited and eagerly awaiting information about the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. This week, Barclays Research published a research note that reveals new details about the upcoming iOS-running smartphones.

According to AppleInsider, Barclays analysts have stated in the report that Apple fans can expect a 5-inch iPhone and a 5.8-inch variant to arrive next year. Just like earlier reports claiming the next iPhones are going to feature a major redesign compared to this year’s iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, the analysts have indicated that the new smartphones are going to come with a “bezel-less design.” Even more interesting is the claim that the larger displays of the new iPhones are going to have “curved edges.”

Barclays Research analysts Blayne Curtis, Christopher Hemmelgarn, Jerry Zhang and Thomas O’Malley — the people responsible for the report — reportedly got their information from the discussions they made with Apple’s component suppliers when they made a trip to Asia this week. They have indicated in their report that supply chain sources have said that there are other differences between the two iPhones aside from the sizes of their displays.

Comparing the two upcoming Apple handsets, the larger 5.8-inch iPhone is said to feature OLED display technology. This means that the screen of the more premium device is going to be sharper, brighter and more energy efficient than the 5-inch display that will stick with LCD technology, as per MacRumors. The report stated that aside from Samsung and LG, Apple will also order its OLED display panels from Foxconn-owned Sharp, but the latter will only start fulfilling orders from Apple by 2018.

Unfortunately, this new report trumped earlier rumors claiming that Apple is going to get rid of its iPhone’s trademark Home button. The analysts wrote that the casing of the new iPhones is going to “extend vertically as well as horizontally” to overlap the Home button.

Barclays’ report comes two months after it was revealed back in September that Apple’s working on its upcoming iPhone 8 handsets in its Herzlia, Israel offices. At the time, it was also revealed that a more advanced camera technology is arriving to the 10th anniversary iPhones.