Foxconn Developing Glass Casing and OLED Displays Ahead of Tenth-Anniversary iPhone

iPhone-4-back-glassTaiwanese manufacturer Foxconn is developing glass casings and OLED displays for smartphones in an attempt to secure orders for the tenth-anniversary iPhone next year, according to Japanese website Nikkei.

The report claims Foxconn has been developing glass chassis for at least one year, and developing its own OLED display technologies through its Sharp acquisition. It would be competing with Samsung, and China's Biel Crystal and Lens Technology, to win orders.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple will switch to non-aluminum casing, with glass being the most likely candidate, for the majority of new iPhone models in 2017. Kuo and multiple other sources also expect next year's iPhone to have a thinner and lighter OLED display in a move away from LCDs. Earlier reports said Samsung would be a primary supplier of OLED panels for future iPhones.

Samsung's Galaxy S7 sets the benchmark for OLED-based smartphones, and makes a strong case for Apple's rumored shift towards the display technology. iPhones have used various LCD display technologies since the original model launched in 2007, but OLED panels are often thinner, brighter, and more energy efficient than their LCD counterparts. The technology, however, can be more expensive to produce.

Apple's tenth-anniversary iPhone is shaping up to be a significant upgrade, compared to the relatively incremental refresh expected from this year's iPhone 7. The rumored switch to glass casing and OLED display will mark the first major overhaul of Apple's smartphone since the iPhone 6 launched in late 2014, given that this year's iPhone is expected to retain an iPhone 6s-like design.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
govee floor lamp

CES 2026: Govee Announces New Matter-Connected Ceiling and Floor Lights

Sunday January 4, 2026 5:00 am PST by
Govee today introduced three new HomeKit-compatible lighting products, including the Govee Floor Lamp 3, the Govee Ceiling Light Ultra, and the Govee Sky Ceiling Light. The Govee Floor Lamp 3 is the successor to the Floor Lamp 2, and it offers Matter integration with the option to connect to HomeKit. The Floor Lamp 3 offers an upgraded LuminBlend+ lighting system that can reproduce 281...
airpods pro 3 glitter

AirPods New Year's Deals Include Up to $99 Off AirPods Max, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Sunday January 4, 2026 8:04 am PST by
Now that the calendar has flipped over into January, steep discounts on popular Apple products have become more rare after the holidays. However, if you didn't get a new pair of AirPods recently and are looking for a model on sale, Amazon does have a few solid second-best prices this week. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a...
Belkin 25W Battery magnetic

CES 2026: Belkin Announces Magnetic Ring Power Bank, Modular Dock, and More

Sunday January 4, 2026 3:02 pm PST by
Belkin today announced a range of new charging and connectivity accessories at CES 2026, expanding its portfolio of products aimed at Apple device users. UltraCharge Pro Power Bank 10K with Magnetic Ring The lineup includes new Qi2 and Qi2.2 wireless chargers, magnetic power banks, a high-capacity laptop battery, and USB-C productivity accessories, with an emphasis on higher charging...
m4 macbook air blue 2

iPadOS and macOS 26.2 Double 5GHz Wi-Fi Bandwidth for Wi-Fi 6E Devices

Monday January 5, 2026 1:57 pm PST by
With the release of iPadOS 26.2 and macOS Tahoe 26.2, Apple has improved the Wi-Fi speeds for select Macs and iPads that support Wi-Fi 6E. Updated Wi-Fi connectivity specifications are listed in Apple's platform deployment guide. The M4 iPad Pro models, M3 iPad Air models, A17 Pro iPad mini, M2 to M5 MacBook Pro models, M2, M3, and M4 MacBook Air models, and other Wi-Fi 6E Macs and iPads now ...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

Friday January 2, 2026 9:08 am PST by
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce. In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing." TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...

Top Rated Comments

drewyboy Avatar
123 months ago
iPhone 4 2.0? I will say, iPhone 4 was my first iphone and honestly, it has been my favorite so far.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cougarcat Avatar
123 months ago
One month before the iPhone 7 launches...Apple must be hating these rumors: "Here are a bunch of reasons why you should skip this year's."

What if all the current design leaks were fake and this is going to be iPhone 7?
Why would they redesign an S model?
They are moving away from the two-year cycle. It won't be called the 7S. Maybe 8, X, or just "iPhone."
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
John Mcgregor Avatar
123 months ago
Here we go with this ******** again. SO ****ING WHAT? Is this an excuse to be lazy this year? No, it's not.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
otternonsense Avatar
123 months ago
Too bad it couldn't be this year. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cosmic68 Avatar
123 months ago
Feeling sorry for this years iphone. It'll be the ginger cousin you never liked :)
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
576316 Avatar
123 months ago
iPhone 4 2.0? I will say, iPhone 4 was my first iphone and honestly, it has been my favorite so far.
I have to agree, it was my first iPhone too. I was about 14 years old and I'd saved all the money I had to buy one. Walking out of the Apple Store with one of those boxes in my hand is something I'd dreamed of for ages.

When that thing got announced, the world gasped. It was unlike anything we'd seen before with a totally new way of designing and constructing mobile devices out of premium materials. Regardless of antenna-gate, that thing was amazing. Not to mention it was the first smartphone with a display of the resolution, everyone was talking about how 'crystal clear' Retina was. I can hear Steve Jobs right now saying, "You cannot see the pixels!"

I'm looking forward to next year's iPhone to see what they have in store for us after the snore fest of the past 3 years.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)