As well as the usual 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch flavors, Apple plans a 5-inch version of the iPhone 8, which will likely feature a glass back across the whole line-up, Nikkei Asian Review claims.
“Apple has tentatively decided that all the 5.5-inch, 5-inch and 4.7-inch models will have glass backs, departing from metal casings adopted by current iPhones,” an industry source is said to have told the news outlet.
Nikkei further reports that a metal frame will hold together the glass front and back, in line with a prediction by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo last month. However, mention of a new 5-inch version of the iPhone suggests that Apple could be intending the 4.7-inch model to replace the 4-inch iPhone SE as a low-end handset nonetheless with modern components.
The iPhone 4S, released in 2011 and pictured above, was the last iPhone with a glass enclosure – though that, too, was framed by metal edges. Those edges were similar to those of the following year’s iPhone 5, though that device did come with an aluminum back.