Three new 10th anniversary iPhones to launch this year, report claims

Apple will usher in the 10th anniversary of the iPhone with three new handsets this autumn.

That’s according to Bloomberg, which says that the top-end model will boast a brand new design including a curved screen that covers almost the entirety of the device’s front.

Full edge-to-edge displays are very much coming into their own right now. Not only have mainstream handsets such as the Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG G6 significantly slimmed down their bezels, but Chinese handsets from emerging manufacturers are doing the exact same thing.

Precisely when we’ll get a bezel-less smartphone remains to be seen, but it will almost certainly be in the very near future.

Bloomberg adds, however, that supply constraints may mean that the new-look iPhone could launch some months later than the other new models, although still hopefully before the end of the year.

Of the new handset, the site says that the display is slightly larger than that found on the iPhone 7 Plus, but the small bezel means the device itself is more akin to the iPhone 7 in overall size. In another first, the home button will also be integrated into the homescreen, becoming software based as we see on Android.

While the two other iPhones will use traditional LCD displays, the high-end model apparently uses an OLED display. It will also feature a new camera design, most likely with two sets of twin lenses.

Testing is apparently already underway, using multiple prototypes and manufacturing partners in Asia. One design is said to use symmetrical curved glass on both the front and back, which is surrounded by a steel frame. Manufacturing concerns could lead to a slightly less pronounced curve than originally planned, however. A simpler design with an aluminium back also remains a possibility, the site’s sources added.

Question marks remain over the fingerprint scanner, though. Experiments that include it in the OLED screen are ongoing but have proved challenging, meaning the functionality might be dropped entirely. Many Android handsets have moved the scanner to the back, of course.