We’ve got nine months to go before Apple unveils its 2017 iPhones, but the rumors keep on coming. We already expect the iPhone maker to release three new handsets this fall, including one model that’ll sport a radical new design and brand new features for the iPhone line. But the leaks keep on rolling out, with the latest one coming from a well-known iPhone insider.
Talking to Forbes, Sonny Dickson, who has leaked plenty of iPhone details in the past, revealed two features that are supposedly heading to the 2017 iPhones, and you’re certainly going to like one of them.
According to Dickson’s sources, all three 2017 iPhones will support fast charging thanks to a new “Tristar 3, Hydra” chip that will manage the charging port. It’s unclear what kind of fast-charging technology we’re talking about here, or whether it’s compatible with other standards out there.
Dickson didn’t mention wireless charging, which is a regularly rumored feature for the iPhone 8 at least. Apple is reportedly moving from metal shells to glass to bring wireless charging to the iPhone. Apple is also rumored to be working on a revolutionary wireless charging technology together with Energous, that will let you charge a phone wirelessly from across the room, though it’s unclear if that tech will be ready for this year’s new iPhones.
Dickson also told Forbes that the iPhone 8 is getting an exclusive feature this year: tap-to-wake functionality. The iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus will not get it.
Dickson doesn’t explain why, but if you’re familiar with Apple’s products, then you already know the Apple Watch has this tap-to-wake feature. It’s also the only Apple mobile device that’s fitted with an OLED screen. OLED screens conserve power while in use because only the pixels that display colors other than black need to be powered up. That would make tap-to-wake a feature that would be more battery efficient on a device with an OLED screen than on LCD devices. This is just speculation at this point, however.
On the other hand, Apple recently introduced a raise-to-wake feature on the iPhone, which is also available on the Apple Watch. Once enabled, it lets you view the contents of the lock screen by simply raising the iPhone. You might not be able to wake the phone by tapping the screen, but you can still quickly glance at notifications just by picking it up.
