What you should expect from the iPhone in 2017

There are three constants in modern life: death, taxes and iPhone leaks.

The rumor mill surrounding Apple's flagship device is constantly churning — speculations hit the blogosphere well in advance of any official announcements, with some prognosticators skipping ahead full model cycles to focus on the next next iteration, if their sources are so inclined.

Every version of the iPhone receives a significant amount of attention and speculation — but the upcoming 2017 model is a special case.

The iPhone turns 10 next year, an anniversary that won't go by unnoticed. In an email to Mashable Chief Correspondent Lance Ulanoff, Apple's Creative Strategies President Tim Bajarin said as much: "The tenth anniversary of the iPhone will be a big thrust going into September of 2017."

Plus, the design of the phone hasn't been overhauled since the 6 back in 2014 — it's long overdue for a change. According to the "tick-tock-tock" refresh cycle floated back in May, that time has come.

Put those two factors together (and add in the potential veracity of even a few of the leaks that have spilled regarding the device), and we're in line for a special release once Tim Cook hits the stage for the big keynote in September 2017.

It's never too early to speculate (no matter what we might say), so let's take a look at what we've heard to guess exactly how that special release might look.

What's in a name?

The most basic question to ask about a flagship smartphone: What do we call it?

If established protocol is followed, we're likely to see the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus in 2017. Since the 4 in 2010, iPhone nomenclature has alternated between the plain numeral and the "S" designation with each new model.

If recent leaks are to be believed, that's what's going to happen — with a twist. Chinese tech site cnBeta floated documentation that claims that two new, updated devices will be named the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus. They won't be a huge departure from the current generation, due to what the translated report calls "consumption of existing inventory components."

Thing is, they likely won't be the only new iPhones dropping in 2017.

Rule of three

A third phone, codenamed "Ferrari" in the documents, is also in development.

The three-phone release is consistent with other reports we've heard throughout the rumor cycle. Some call for two 5.5-inch models and a 4.7-inch model, others claim that a 5-inch iPhone will also hit the market.

The third iPhone wasn't given a name in the leak beyond the Ferrari tag, so what it will be called is anyone's best guess. Maybe Apple will jump to 8, or even skip up to 10 in light of the anniversary. Mashable Apps Reporter Karissa Bell has a theory:

Either way, many of the major breakthroughs we expect to see will be included in that deluxe device.

All glass everything

Back before even the iPhone 7's release in September 2016, the first rumor of the 2017 cycle called for one thing: the return of the glass chassis. In March 2016, information from KGI Securities suggested that the 2017 version would revert back to an all-glass design, which was last seen in the 4S model, from the current aluminum build.

In May, even more noise was made about glass, floating the concept of a curved, edge-to-edge screen (à la the Samsung Galaxy Edge line), with the home button and touch ID functionality integrated into the screen itself.

The glass chassis and curved screen would open up the 2017 iPhone for another exciting new development: a new display.

On display

The switch to OLED displays is one of the more popular rumors — and since Apple might have a secret OLED lab in Taiwan, it's only a matter of time before they show up.

But the rumors are much more substantial leading up to 2017.

Rewind to October of this year. An executive at Japanese electronics maker Sharp reportedly confirmed that the next iPhone will have an OLED display. These are more flexible than the current LCDs, and also allow for brighter colors and more efficient battery consumption since the individual pixels on the screen light up, removing the need for a backlight.

The glass design and OLED display changes have been cited in nearly every leak thus far. If nothing else, you can count on those features showing up in the next iPhone.

Cut those wires

Along with the OLED display, an all-glass chassis would enable another long-desired feature: wireless charging.

Reports from Chinese manufacturing company Foxconn in November suggested Apple is testing wireless charging modules — but this is nothing new. Rumors of wireless charging have followed every release cycle since Samsung introduced the tech. Like the curved glass screen, this may be an area where Apple is playing catch-up.

Under the hood

2017's iPhone is expected to be faster and more efficient inside, just like every new update to the flagship.

Next year, that will likely be done with the addition of a new, 10 nanometer A11 chip as its processor.

Seeing red

To cap off all the other big design changes, there's word of a new red color joining the fold. If the current lineup stays intact, you'll be able to choose from red, jet black, black, silver, rose gold and gold for your next phone.

To close, let's remember the only real guarantees of what will come in 2017's iPhone (and every update for perpetuity), set down by Mashable's former Senior Tech Correspondent Christina Warren during rumor-mongering long past:

• It will be Apple’s fastest iPhone ever

• It will have Apple’s most-advanced optics

• There will be at least one extra feature you can’t get on any other iPhone

• It will come in rose gold

That, or we'll see addition by subtraction until the iPhones of the future are left with nothing but the purest user experience possible — just like Steve was waiting for.