It's never too early to start talking about the next iPhone.
Though we're expecting Apple to debut its iPhone 6 successors at its media event next week, we're already seeing reports about the 2016 iPhone, presumably called the "iPhone 7."
According to Digitimes, which spoke with sources familiar with Apple's supply chains, next year's iPhone 7 might use the same touchscreen technology as the original iPhone from 2007.
Apparently, Apple is receiving samples of G/G touch panels, as the in-cell touch panels used since the iPhone 5 have too many limitations like in-screen resolution. These displays have also faced production issues, sources say.
In-cell touch panels have faced problems regarding touch sensitivity around the screen's edges, which has resulted in these phones' needing relatively wide bezels. G/G displays are better to able to register finger taps and swipes around edges, which allows phone makers more freedom to reduce bezel sizes.
One of the benefits of the current in-cell touch panel technology is that it's thinner than older the G/G touch panels, as the touch sensors can be built into the display itself. For G/G touch panels, the sensors are behind a glass panel, which results in a thicker display and a thicker phone.
According to the report, G/G touch panel manufacturers are working to make panels as thin as in-cell technology.
That said, take this news with a grain of salt. Digitimes has a decent track record with leaks and rumors, but its reports have been inaccurate on occasion. And even if this report is true, it doesn't mean the iPhone 7 will be built with G/G touch panels — there's still a long ways to go before next September, and Apple has been known to change and even entirely scrap plans at the last minute.
