We’ve seen rumours about wireless charging on the 2017 iPhones. The feature has been available for quite some time now on Android devices, and it looks like Apple is finally ready to implement it onto its iPhones. According to the CEO of Wistron, an iPhone assembler in India, the upcoming iPhones will have waterproof design and wireless charging.
“Assembly process for the previous generations of [iPhones] have not changed much, though new features like waterproof and wireless charging now require some different testing, and waterproof function will alter the assembly process a bit.” – Robert Hwang told reports after the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting.
While Hwang did not mention the specific iPhone to receive these “new features”, it is believed that he is referring to the 5.5” variant. According to Jeff Pu of Yuanta Investment Consulting and Arthur Liao of Fubon Securities, Wistron is splitting orders for the 5.5” iPhone with other manufacturers.
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The current iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are already rated IP67 for water resistant, however, according to Apple’s fine print for the devices, the “splash, water, and dust resistance are not permanent conditions and resistance might decrease as a result of normal wear”. According to previous rumours, the 2017 iPhones will feature improved IP68 water resistance.
Apple is expected to launch three new iPhones this year, two incremental iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus that feature modest updates, and a top-of-the-line iPhone 8, the company’s tenth anniversary for the iPhone that packs all the latest and greatest technologies Apple can get their hands on, as well as a big price tag.
