After years of accusing Samsung of cribbing its designs and ideas, Apple seems to be looking to its smartphone rival for inspiration for the next iPhone.
The Wall Street Journal dropped a big report on Tuesday about what to expect from the next iPhone — and a lot of the new features are things that have become defining elements of a Samsung device.
Let's break it down:
A curved screen. The Journal's report says the iPhone will have a curved screen. This was a feature that Samsung introduced in 2014 with the Galaxy Note Edge and streamlined a few months later with the Galaxy S6. Samsung's next phone, the Galaxy S8, is also expected to come with a curved screen — there won't be a "flat" screen option.
OLED display. The report backs up several other claims that the next iPhone will use a new type of screen technology called OLED. OLED is more power-efficient and shows color better than the LCD screens Apple has used since the first iPhone. Samsung specializes in OLED displays and has been using them for several years in its phones.
USB-C. This would be Apple's most shocking move. According to The Journal's report, Apple will ditch its proprietary Lightning connector in favor of USB-C, a new standard plug found in all kinds of devices, especially premium Android phones like the ones Samsung makes. This would be a huge reversal for Apple, which usually prefers to use its own connectors to keep users locked into an ecosystem of Apple-approved accessories. USB-C on the next iPhone would theoretically open the device up to a slew of other third-party accessories. This would be the most Samsung-y move Apple has ever made.
Other stuff. This wasn't in The Journal's report, but it has been widely rumored that the next iPhone will have wireless charging, which Samsung has been pushing for years. Apple recently joined the Wireless Power Consortium, an industry group that works on wireless-charging standards. That fueled speculation that the next iPhone will be able to charge wirelessly. Apple is also said to have removed the home button in favor of digital keys — something Samsung will beat Apple to with the launch of the Galaxy S8.
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