As more leaks and rumors pop up regarding this year's iPhone 17 lineup, it's sounding more and more like the next generation Apple device will change things up from the last six years of design.
The latest design rumor popped up on Weibo from poster Fixed Focus Digital (spotted by MacRumors). They claim that suppliers are adopting a "process overhaul" for building the iPhone 17 with new manufacturing techniques that should make for more seamless transitions between different materials like aluminum and glass.
According to a translation, FFD says it may use "a top-to-bottom splicing material." From that description, it appears this will be noticeable around the camera bump with a smoother transition between the camera array and the back panel.
"The key point is that the connection area between the body's deco [camera bump] and the back cover is a slope rather than step," they wrote.
Their posts do not specify if this just for the iPhone 17 Pro models or the entire family.
That said, It was suggested in November, that Apple is looking to ditch titanium in the Pro models in a return to aluminum. That change would also include a half-aluminum/half-glass rear panel, rather than the current all-glass panel. The top of the phone would be metal, while the bottom would remain glass to better support wireless charging.
Reportedly, Apple is planning on ditching the square camera array format for a more rectangular look, which some argue might be a mistake on Apple's part. The leaked designs suggest the array will be more oval than rectangular, but Apple may be looking to make the transition between the camera and the back panel smoother feeling.
Assuming Apple sticks to its traditional window, we'll see the potentially radically redesigned phone in mid-September, later this year.
