2017 iPhone to Feature “All-Glass” Casing with Metal Frame: KGI

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is ‘back at it again’ with another report on what Apple has planned for the 2017 iPhone.

The latest note issued to investors, obtained by MacRumors, reiterates a previous rumour from this spring, when he said next year’s iPhone would have an all-glass design, similar to the days of the iPhone 4/4S, but have slightly curved displays.

He notes a metal frame, either stainless steel (for a high-end model) or aluminum, will be employed along the edges to help reinforce new glass front and backs:

Metal frame can be stainless steel or aluminum, with former more likely for high-end models. As all-glass casing is not possible at present given technological bottlenecks, a metal frame surrounding the edge is necessary for reinforced structure design. As stainless steel has a better look than aluminum and costs more, we expect only high-end new iPhone models to come with a stainless steel frame next year.

This spring, Kuo issued a similar note, where he explained next year’s iPhone would have a 5.8-inch AMOLED curved glass display, on top of existing 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models.

A separate report from Nikkei earlier this year, cited CEO of Catcher Technology, an Apple supplier, saying at least one iPhone model next year would have an all-glass body. Earlier this month, the New York Times said next year’s iPhone would have a “full screen face” with embedded Home button.

Kuo said in his report “we see glass casing as the only option” for Apple, as a way to differentiate itself from competitors next year and for better production yield rates, citing the “unsatisfactory” Jet Black finish, which has been the cause of iPhone 7 delays.

If Kuo is accurate–which he has been consistently–we could be heading back to the iPhone days of all-glass everything (errthang). Better have a case, folks.

Update: For those inquiring, here are some ‘predictions’ by Kuo this year, which turned out to be eerily accurate:

• Jan. 2016: iPhone 7 Plus to have dual-lens camera system
• April 2016: Dual-lens camera to be limited to 5.5-inch iPhone 7
• Sept. 2016: iPhone 7 to come in ‘glossy black’ and ‘dark black’, A10 chip, IPX7 water resistance rating, Space Grey to retire, 2GB/3GB of RAM, no headphone jack, 32GB/128GB/256GB