Reports from last week said that all of Apple’s three upcoming iPhones will support wireless charging out of the box, even if that means you’ll have to buy additional hardware to actually use the new feature. That suggested the iPhone 8, iPhone 7s, and iPhone 7s Plus will all feature a glass sandwich design to accommodate wireless charging. But a new report out of China now seems to indicate that the phones won’t share the same design at all, which could mean iPhone 7s and 7s Plus buyers won’t get one of Apple’s most hotly anticipated new features.
According to Digitimes’ sources, only the 5.8-inch 2017 iPhone will feature a glass and stainless steel design, while the 4.7-inch iPhone will have an aluminum housing just like this year’s iPhones. The 5.8-inch iPhone is believed to be the iPhone 8, which is expected to feature a steel frame that will hold the internal components, covered by glass front and rear panels. Apple used similar designs in the past for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S.
The 4.7-inch iPhone would be Apple’s iPhone 7s, likely the successor of the iPhone 7. The report says the design for the 5.5-inch model’s chassis is yet to be confirmed. It’s likely that the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus will share the same design, just as every other pair of new iPhones Apple has launched since 2014.
Digitimes says that Foxconn and Jabil Circuit will provide stainless steel frames for the iPhone 8, while Catcher will make the aluminum cases for the iPhone 7s. Additionally, Pegatron Technology Casetek is also “aggressively” looking to obtain orders from Apple.
Catcher did not comment on the story but did say that its revenues will see significant year-on-year growth thanks to mobile device customers and an increase in adoption of metal chassis for notebooks.
