Apple and chipset manufacturer TSMC are reportedly working together on a 10-nanometer A11 processor design, tipped to go into production later in 2017. These chips will use TSMC’s InFO (integrated fan-out) and WLP (water-level packaging) technology. While in May, it was also reported that A11’s design is already being worked on that’ll be used in 2017 iPhones. Small-scale production of the chip is expected to begin in Q2 2017, with TSMC to get two-thirds of all orders, and the rest expected to go to Samsung. Currently, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus make use of the 14-nanometer and 16-nanometer chip designs from the two companies.
Several reports suggest Apple’s 2017 iPhones, iPhone 8 are to get a major design overhaul, sporting edge-to-edge OLED and AMOLED displays that might even get integrated with Touch ID and camera components.
In comparison, upcoming “iPhone 7” and iPhone 7s Plus expected to go on sale in September are rumored to be just modest interim updates, equipped with faster A10 processors, improved cameras, and a higher storage capacity. Apple is also expected to retain the same 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screen sizes found on the current gen iPhones. Hence, the excitement surrounding the launch of a new iPhone is remarkably less this time, which makes sense given the fact that there isn’t much to look forward to, except for the replacement of the 3.5mm jack which will feature USB Type-C. Besides, the iPhone 7 “Plus” is also expected to feature a dual-lens primary camera setup, with both lenses having a 12MP resolution.
While a new report that recently surfaced suggests, the upcoming iPhone’s Home button will not depress when pushed. The new static home button will allow Apple to shave off certain millimeters on an iPhone. The expected thickness of the upcoming iPhone 7 will be around 6mm, which is significantly less than the current 7.1mm thickness of the iPhone 6s.
We can expect the next-gen iPhone 7 to go on sale in September. According to Evan Blass aka @evleaks, the retail launch of the iPhone 7 is slated for September 16.
Besides the iPhone 7, we can also expect Apple to announce its other products which include the MacBook range and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, both of which are due for an upgrade. Even reports of the rumored iPad Mini 5 have been pouring in thick and fast. It is expected to be thinner than its earlier generation, reportedly at just 5mm in thickness compared to last year’s iPad Mini 4 which was 6.1mm in thickness. We can expect the device to be launched in September alongside the iPhone 7, just like last year when iPhone 6S was unveiled alongside the iPad Mini 4.
