Apple will launch three new iPhones this year, including the redesigned iPhone 8 and “S” versions of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The iPhone 8 is expected to introduce a few exciting new features, like an all-screen design, a fingerprint sensor placed under the glass, and an even faster 10nm A-series processor. Meanwhile, the iPhone 7s models are expected to retain the same basic design of their predecessors, including the old home button. Now, multiple independent reports say the more “boring” 2017 iPhones will be missing another key iPhone 8 feature.
Foxconn employees took to Reddit over the weekend to share various details about Apple’s upcoming products, including the iPhone 8 and iPhone 7s, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, the HomePod speaker and Apple’s AR glasses. Some of those predictions already turned out to be accurate — Apple on Monday unveiled exactly the iMac Pro design that Foxconn employees described — while others have proved to be false.
The leakers have now said the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus will not be made of glass, and instead have metal enclosures just like their predecessors. They said the phones will have aluminum unibody designs, and they will not support wireless charging. One of the reasons for making the iPhone 8 back out of glass is to enable wireless charging. The leakers did say the iPhone 8, which they refer to as iPhone X, will have a glass body.
A new report from Digitimes on Tuesday reinforced this idea. The iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s will likely have aluminum shells, the report suggests. Specifically, Catcher has supposedly been awarded the contract for two of the new iPhones set to launch in the second half of the year, which should help with its bottom line during the period.
Aluminum cases will not work with wireless charging, so you’ll have to buy the more expensive iPhone 8 for that feature. At least if these reports pan out, we’ll get to hear Jony Ive say the word “aluminum” for one more year.
