Respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities has released a new report further claiming that the 2017 iPhone will adopt an all glass front and back design, similar to the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s.
As the Jet Black iPhone 7 has proven to extremely popular, moving the phone to glass makes it less prone to scratches. The color even comes with a warning from Apple, recommending customers to use a case to avoid ‘micro abrasions’ on the glossy aluminum finish.
Specifically, the firm says “30-35% and 45-50% of the pre-orders around the world and in China” opted for the Jet Black iPhone 7 model. If KGI is right here, Apple could potentially make all the iPhone colors glossy depending on Apple handles its design.
KGI also believes that Apple will move to ‘2.5D glass’ over what it calls ‘3D glass’ with the difference being the curvature of the cut. It believes that 2.5D would lead to more durable glass than with a 3D rounded piece of glass.
The report also points to the low yield rates with the Jet Black iPhone 7, noting that having a glossy aluminum has proven to be difficult to manufacture at such a large scale. Moving to glass would alleviate the issue.
Finally, KGI says that the new iPhone models will rely on either stainless steel or aluminum metal casing. Though, the stainless steel could be reserved for higher end models.
