By Jen Glennon

Apple supplier Foxconn is currently developing a glass case for a future incarnation of the iPhone, claims Japanese publication Nikkei. The report lends credence to speculation Apple’s 2017 iPhone will see more dramatic design changes than expected for the upcoming iPhone 7.

Nikkei claims Foxconn has been developing the glass chassis for more than a year, alongside OLED display technology following its acquisition of Sharp. It’s still possible, however, that Apple could use Samsung OLED displays for the 2017 iPhone.

KGI Securities Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted Apple would switch to non-aluminum casings back in April. In his report, he argued, “If iPhone 7 still uses an aluminum casing in 2016, it will be the fifth year in a row that iPhone has done so, which means there is no longer a feeling of freshness to appeal to consumers. Also, a lot of Apple’s (US) competitors are also adopting aluminum casings, which means iPhone no longer has a clear edge due to a lack of differentiation.

On expectations that iPhone shipments will decline in 2016, we believe Apple will be more strongly motivated to use non-aluminum casings in 2017 in a bid to enhance the competitiveness of iPhone by offering an all-new form-factor design.”