Apple’s next iPhone could have some big design tweaks in store, if a recently leaked schematic is any indication.
Sonny Dickson, a serial leaker who has in the past revealed features about Apple products prior to their release, published on Wednesday a schematic he says depicts Apple’s next iPhone update. The schematic looks at the inside of the back panel and appears to show an area where dual rear-facing camera lenses are arranged vertically. There’s also a hole in the back that Dickson says could be used for the handset’s fingerprint sensor.
Apple (AAPL) has for the last several months been rumored to be working on three new iPhones for this year. Two of those handsets, believed to be called the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus, could feature only minor upgrades over last year’s iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, respectively. The third model—which could be called the iPhone 8, iPhone X, or iPhone Edition—is also believed to be in the works.
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The rumors suggest the iPhone 8, which Dickson refers to in his leak, could come with a screen that nearly entirely covers the face of the device. Apple is also reportedly planning a glass backplate that would be separated from the glass face with a steel spine.
While it’s unknown whether the schematic Dickson published is the real thing or a fake, it follows some of the rumors surrounding Apple’s handset. Most notably, Apple is said to be considering modifying its dual rear camera layout by shifting from the horizontal orientation it used in the iPhone 7 Plus to a vertical one in the next handset.
IPhone 8 looks to be taking a new direction pic.twitter.com/mG19bcDYiC
— Sonny Dickson (@SonnyDickson) April 19, 2017
Additionally, Apple’s rumored design choice to reduce the size of the bezels around the iPhone’s screen would mean there would no longer be room for a physical home button under the display. Apple is reportedly considering a virtual fingerprint sensor that would be baked into the device’s screen, allowing users to press their fingers to the display to unlock the device. However, some reports have suggested Apple might opt for a physical fingerprint sensor. The hole in the back of the panel in the schematic could be that feature.
But as with anything else Apple-related, the schematic needs to be taken with a proverbial grain of salt. Apple hasn’t even said it’s working on a new iPhone, let alone features that would be coming to such a device.
Apple is rumored to be planning to unveil its next iPhone in late summer.
