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4.7-Inch iPhone to Feature Wireless Charging Next Year

Tuesday November 29, 2016 4:28 am PST by Joe Rossignol
iphone-4-7-inch-jet-blackApple's next-generation 4.7-inch iPhone will feature glass casing with wireless charging, according to the latest research note from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo obtained by MacRumors.
Our rationale is as follows: (1) the OLED model may trigger replacement demand among high-end users given its completely all-new-design form factor and notably superior specs in comparison to the TFT-LCD models; and (2) the new 4.7” iPhone, featuring glass casing and wireless charging, looks well positioned to tap replacement demand at the entry level.
Kuo previously said all new iPhones are "likely" to support wireless charging next year, so 5.5-inch and all-new OLED models will likely gain the feature as well in addition to the now-confirmed 4.7-inch model.

Kuo believes Apple will switch to glass casing for next year's entire iPhone lineup in order to support wireless charging, with Pegatron being the exclusive supplier of the new 4.7-inch iPhone and a wireless charger expected to be included with at least some models. The wireless charger will allegedly have wider availability by 2018.

The new 4.7-inch iPhone and an OLED model featuring a "completely all-new-design form factor and notably superior specs" are predicted to drive "potentially unprecedented replacement demand" from smartphone users. Kuo forecasts Apple could sell 120-150 million new iPhones in the back half of 2017, topping an iPhone 6 sales record.
To our understanding, while demand visibility in 2H17F is as yet unclear and presumed pull-in demand may change anytime, upstream suppliers may be around now setting ramp-up targets for new iPhone pull-in of somewhere between 120mn and 150mn units in 2H17F, exceeding previous iPhone 6, 6s and 7 cycles of 110-120mn, 100-110mn and 90-100mn units, respectively. In other words, ramp-up for 2H17F pull-in may exceed the previous peak for iPhone 6, and hit a historical high.
Apple will presumably announce its next-generation iPhone lineup in September 2017.

Related Roundups: iPhone 8, iPhone X
Tags: wireless charging, KGI Securities, Ming-Chi Kuo
[ 245 comments ]


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luckydcxx
31 months ago
Hopefully this will be long range wireless charging and not need a puck or dock.
Rating: 36 Votes
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pentidoes
31 months ago
I'm out. My Apple hype is done for. While I do believe that an all-glass phone does make sense. I'm just too frustrated with Apple right now to care anymore.

Good luck, I'm sure it will be nice. Let's just wait what they continue to do wrong in software development (GUI??? Stability anyone?), in lack of pros (there used to be a Mac Pro) and customer support (amazon is way better now, than Apple is, Apple has become frustrating with its computerized standard replies that do not make sense and with customer support that does not even comprehend what I'm saying and that is not for lack of language capabilities but of technical and customer-oriented understanding.)

Again: good luck.
Rating: 29 Votes
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Alenore
31 months ago

Kuo said Pegatron will be the exclusive supplier of the new 4.7-inch iPhone and its wireless charger.

So there will be about 10 available on release day
Rating: 25 Votes
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TheHorrorNerd
31 months ago

I'm too excited for the next iPhone to be this far from release

Apple going round 3 with the IPhone 6 kind of does that to you
Rating: 21 Votes
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ck2875
31 months ago

Our rationale is as follows: (1) the OLED model may trigger replacement demand among high-end users given its completely all-new-design form factor and notably superior specs the new 4.7” iPhone, featuring glass casing and wireless charging, looks well positioned to tap replacement demand at the entry level.


This is one of my issues with Apple at the moment. "Entry-level" and "high-end" should not be terms used to delineate a lineup based on whether you want a large or small screen.
Rating: 15 Votes
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yanksfan114
31 months ago
I'm too excited for the next iPhone to be this far from release
Rating: 10 Votes
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Luap
31 months ago
But is it thinner, and does it only have ports that you can't connect to anything without a multitude of (not included) adaptors?
Rating: 10 Votes
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MentalFloss
31 months ago

Induction Wireless Charging now thats a new thing? And would explain why everybody is overreacting, right? Oh. It's not? Well what's all the fuss? Oh. Glass case. Now that's definitely new surely? Ok. OLED screens on mobiles a first? Yeah. It's the OLED screen. Surely!

I think the new thing will not be the wireless charging, the OLED or the glass, but the fact that it will be a seamless, buttonless design without any holes/outlets whatsoever. One single block of glass.

So in usual Apple fashion, it will not be a single new technology, but putting various state of the art technologies together in a new way that will make it special.
Rating: 9 Votes
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jmgregory1
31 months ago

I hope so. With Apple's long tradition of ditching ports I feel the days of lightning are truly numbered. Dock connector was on iPhone from 2007 to 2012, five years - and 2017 is 5 years after 2012 so it won't be long until it's gone, and I won't be happy if it's replaced with something that requires constant contact to a charging plate to charge.


Wireless charging will, if the reports are correct, become the next wifi-like benefit that public spaces (like airports), retailers and coffee shops can offer to customers. Imagine the benefit of going into Starbucks for a cup of joe, browsing the web and getting a quick charge doing nothing more than hitting accept on-screen as we do now for wifi. No longer needing to carry cables with you, or look for wall outlets to charge.

And once the charging tech is applied to laptops, workspaces can be created out of raw open areas, not requiring wiring be laid for desks / offices, since data and power can both be fed wirelessly. It's a huge change, if it can be accomplished.
Rating: 9 Votes
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MartinAppleGuy
31 months ago

So the Plus users have to wait for 2018 iPhone 8S for wireless charging capabilities? :(


Thats okay as 4.7 inch owners will have to wait the same year for the camera improvements only the Plus gets #fragmentation
Rating: 8 Votes

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