Iphone 7 Pictures Leaked
iPhone 7: concept sketch suggests 'liquidmetal' handset could charge wirelessly
Designer imagines new phone with full-screen gaming, wireless charging and full water resistance
Concept sketches for upcoming iPhones tend to come in two distinct flavours: those that try to imagine what the next generation will actually be and those that simply investigate what it could potentially be.Designer Herman Haidin's drawings definitely fall into the latter category.In a series of sketches published on Behance.net, the Ukrainian imagines an iPhone constructed from "liquidmetal" – for which Apple acquired the patent in 2010 and could potentially make the handset completely waterproof and pave the way for wireless charging.
So what is liquidmetal? Many of us already own a piece of it - every iPhone box sold today comes with a small piece of the material in it: the small prong SIM ejector.
Liquidmetal is an alloy with "an amorphous atomic structure and a multi-component chemical composition", tech site BGR says. "The special metal has high tensile strength, corrosion resistance, water resistance and better elasticity."
In his concept sketch, Haidin imagines the iPhone 7 with a layer of liquidmetal incorporated just beneath the screen to act as the cooling system for the new handset and help its internal components stay dry.
His drawing proposes that the handset will also have a five-inch display but be only three millimetres thick, half that of the iPhone 6S. A little fanciful, but it is within the realms of possibility according to some leaks, which suggest Apple is pushing to make its next devices slimmer than ever.
The concept also adds wireless charging to the new phone and full-screen gaming, both of which would certainly be eye-catching features.
Previous rumours suggested Apple is interested in making the upcoming versions of its flagship handset waterproof and the liquidmetal design studies are not the only whispers so far suggesting an exotic material could be used to construct the chassis of the phone.
The design of the soon-to-be outgoing 6S – particularly the rear of the handset – has divided critics due to its protruding camera module and exposed antenna bands breaking up what would otherwise be a completely flush surface.
Previously, it was hinted that a new anodised metal could be used to make the phone in the future, meaning the antenna bands would no longer be exposed on the exterior casing. Now, though, a new report by Business Korea says Apple could be looking at incorporating ceramic materials into the design of the iPhone as part of its drive to remove the bands.
Alphr says the material would be used on the back of the device – the area in need of a tidy up. It notes that rival handsets, such as the OnePlus X, use ceramic materials to give the phone a "premium feel" and that using ceramics would be a good place to start if Apple wished to make its iPhone 7 more stylish than the 6 models. However, it says the likelihood of ceramic iPhones is "a mixed bag", regardless of strong rumours indicating the handset will look different.
"While the source for the rumour seems to be nothing more than a prediction, it does raise an interesting possibility. Handsets such as the OnePlus X have shown that ceramic materials offer a higher level of premium feel – the sort of feel you'd associate with Apple products. If Apple wants to do something new and make the iPhone 7 even more stylish than its predecessor, giving it a ceramic finish would be a good place to start."
More likely, says Alphr, are the rumours that the iPhone 7 will feature a waterproof design and ditch protruding cameras and the device's rear antenna lines.
The idea that the iPhone might be waterproof gathered momentum after Apple filed patents for ports that can eject water.
Titled "Electronic Device With Hidden Connector", the patent "shows a connector covered by a self-healing elastomer," Alphr says. "Diagrams included in the patent show the elastomer allowing the penetration of a probe, and self-sealing once the probe is removed. The port is shielded from the elements at all times, but still allows quick and easy access for charging, headphones or anything else."
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