The iPhone 7 will be a very interesting device, no matter what you hear about it being boring. But if you want a completely redesigned iPhone, you’ll have to keep waiting until 2017, when Apple is expected to launch a new iPhone design, the first radical change since 2014. The handset will feature exciting new technology, previous reports said, and a new leak from Asia mentions the kind of new chips and screens that are in the making for the 2017 iPhone.
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According to Digitimes’ sources, long-time iPhone chipmaker TSCM have entered the supply chain for Apple’s 2017 iPhone series, alongside other companies, including Chipbond Technology and MJC Probe.
The report notes that TSMC will provide A11 processors for the 2017 iPhones. No surprises there. But the report says the A11 chip will be built on 10nm process technology. That means the 2017 iPhone should be even faster and efficient than the iPhone 7.
A recent report from a trusted Apple insider revealed that Apple’s A10X chips, supposed to go inside next year’s iPads, will also be built on 10nm tech, with TSMC hired for the job.
TSMC will also provide its backend integrated fan-out (InFO) wafer-level packaging) for the A11.
The report also contains one important detail about next year’s iPhone: evidence that at least one device will feature an OLED display. It’s the same TSMC that will make OLED driver ICs for Apple, the sources said.
The OLED displays will be provided by Korea-based panel vendors, Digitimes says, which is code for Samsung and LG, two companies already rumored to looking to manufacture OLED screens for the iPhone of the future. But the OLED driver ICs will be developed in-house, the report notes.
Next year, Apple will celebrate the iPhone’s 10-year anniversary, which explains why the company may have decided not to go for a radical redesign this year. In fact, some reports even say that the iPhone 7 name will be reserved for the 2017 family, with this year’s series to be included in the iPhone 6 family.
Apple is going to unveil the 2016 iPhone on September 7th, with sales set to start on September 23rd, according to the most recent leaks.
