We’re still over nine months from the unveiling of the iPhone 8 (or 7S, or just plain iPhone, or whatever Apple decides to call the next one), but the rumor mill is churning at nearly full power.
So far, reports have told us the newest model line will likely have a curved OLED screen, come in three variants and could debut a hot new red color.
The latest rumor? Apple is hard at work on a luxe new version of the phone, codenamed “Ferrari.”
According to Chinese tech blog cnBeta in a post first surfaced in the U.S. by AppleInsider, leaked documents suggests three iPhone models are in development for 2017, with working designations of D20, D21 and D22. According to the report, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus were developed as D10 and, for some reason, D20.
The translated report claims that the newer D20 and D21 models will be the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus, with no huge upgrades due to the “consumption of existing inventory components.”
But the real star of this leak (and really the only interesting new information here) is the D22, which is being referred to internally at Apple as “Ferrari.” According to the report, it will have an AMOLED screen and a new design, along with reconfigured internals to keep the device thin.
The logic board will be broken into two parts, and the SIM card will be moved into the bottom half of the device. The report cites the internals of the current iPad as a model for the layout.
Most of these rumors fall in line with other leaks, so they’re a bit easier to believe as consensus builds within the rumor cycle. The most interesting thing here, then, is the naming designations.
Could this be the first iPhone generation to mix the S line with a brand new numeral? Or will the Ferrari turn into a deluxe model on its own tier, with less substantial updates to slightly less powerful secondary handsets each cycle?
We’ll see come September. Whatever its name, a newly redesigned iPhone will surely become the hottest smartphone on the market.
