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Apple is changing everything for the next big iPhone

Forget aluminium. It's so 2015.

Apple is changing everything for the next big iPhone
18 April 2016

Forget aluminium. It's so 2015. 

Apple is set to overhaul its iPhone design beyond recognition, ditching a metal body design it has stuck with since 2012 in favour of an entirely new handset that employs a reinforced all-glass case and curved AMOLED display (that's geek talk for "bloody gorgeous screen"). 

The leaked details come from the ever-reliable Ming-Chi Kuo - an analyst for Thailand's KGI finance group. Kuo has previously foretold the arrival of the iPad Pro, 12-inch MacBook and iPhone 6, all thanks to his intimate knowledge of the groups that supply the internal tech of Apple's gadgets.

There's some bad news though. Kuo's report, seen by 9to5Mac, suggests that we're going to have to wait until 2017 before Apple seriously shakes up its iPhone range. The iPhone 7 expected to arrive in September this year will use a very similar build to the current iPhone 6S model.

The 'major' redesign, using an all-glass case similar to that employed in the iPhone 4, will coincide with the 10th anniversary of the original iPhone. It's thought switching to a reinforced glass body - which won't be as fragile as the iPhone 4 - will help Apple's iPhone range stand out from a market increasingly crowded with all-metal designs. 

As to whether Apple will call this new model the iPhone '8', or switch to a new naming system, is yet to be revealed.

What do you think of the idea of Apple going back to a glass case design? Let us know your thoughts.