Apple’s next generation of the iPhone will be the first to include wireless charging, according to one of the company’s suppliers.
Wireless charging will allow owners to place the phone on an inductive surface and it will charge without needing to plug the device in. The new smartphone will also have more advanced waterproofing, a feature missing from the iPhone 7, according to the latest leaks.
The iPhone 8 report comes from Taiwanese manufacturing company Wistron, which was recently added to Apple’s list of suppliers to build parts for the iPhone SE in India, according to the Nikkei Asian Review.
“New features like waterproof and wireless charging now require some different testing, and waterproof function will alter the assembly process a bit,” said Robert Hwang, Wistron chief executive, at an annual shareholders meeting on Wednesday.
The report confirms rumours that Apple has been looking at wireless charging for the iPhone. The tech giant joined the industry group Wireless Power Consortium earlier this year. Apple has also previously filed patents looking at how to charge devices using Wi-Fi signals.
The iPhone 8 wouldn’t be the first smartphone with wireless charging and water resistance. Several of Samsung’s flagship phones include the features, such as the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S8.
Apple’s 10th anniversary iPhone is also reported to include an edge-to-edge display and no home button. It is expected to come in two sizes, with 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch versions.
The iPhone 8 will run on iOS 11, Apple’s latest mobile operating system announced at its Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month.
The iPhone tends to go on sale a week or two after IFA, a major technology conference in Germany, with this year’s release anticipated between September 15 and 22. Pre-orders normally open a week before it is released.
