It's been rumored for a while that the 2017 iPhone will be an "all-glass" enclosure with AMOLED screen.
Apple just recently unveiled the new Apple Watch Edition in white ceramic:
Uniquely elegant. Brilliantly scratch-resistant. Sleek, light, and extremely durable, ceramic is more than four times as hard as stainless steel — with a pearly, lustrous finish that won’t scratch or tarnish.
The craftsmanship behind the case. The process of creating the Apple Watch Edition case begins with a high-strength zirconia powder that’s combined with alumina to achieve its rich, white color. Each case is then compression molded, sintered, and polished using a diamond slurry, which results in a remarkably smooth surface and an exquisite shine. With this precise level of workmanship, every Apple Watch Edition case takes days to make.
Active Quora user, Brian Roemmele, theorizes Apple has pushed Aluminum to its limits and is now looking to master Zirconian Ceramics at scale:
Why is Apple moving to Zirconia Ceramics?
- Strength
- Radio Transparency
- Heat Dissipation
- Scratch resistance
- Ease of manufacturing
With that said, here is his theory:
In September 2017, Apple will be releasing the 10th Anniversary iPhone 8. It is my view Apple will use this moment to present a completely new iPhone design that will be revolutionary in many ways. I assert the design language will be based on a more organic shape and design. There will be ergonomic curves that will mold into the new AMOLED display being driven by video chips that simply could not have thermally operated in such a small space [without] heat efficiency of Zirconia ceramics. The iPhone 8 will not just be water resistant but water proof and dust proof to a level never seen before on a smartphone. The lightning port will look more like the Mag-Safe system used on the MacBook Pro devices and mostly use inductive charging. Of course there will be no 3.5mm audio jack.
While critics will be too busy shouting, "Android's had AMOLED and wireless charging for years!" Apple will be putting their industry-leading customized chips into devices that are stronger, lighter, and more durable than everyone else's glass and aluminum-based devices.