Apple might launch a curved-screen iPhone in 2017

With September's (unconfirmed but very probable) iPhone event right around the corner, the iPhone rumor mill is in its penultimate stage, and this means anything is possible.

A report from the Nikkei Asian Review, citing a source familiar with the company's plans, claims Apple will launch three new iPhones in 2017, one of which will be a 5.5-inch device or larger with both sides curved, similar to Samsung's Galaxy Note7 or the Galaxy S7 Edge. 

SEE ALSO: The iPhone's Retina display isn't good enough anymore

The source predicted the other two phones will be flat-screened 4.7 and 5.5 inches in size — the sizes of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus — which would mean Apple is about to replicate Samsung's strategy, which first launched the Galaxy Note Edge in 2014 as a high-end, slightly experimental alternative to the classic Galaxy S and Note devices.

While the report does not explicitly state it, this would also mean Apple would have to switch to an OLED display (instead of an LCD) for the curvy iPhone, and that's been rumored for quite some time as well.  

The rumor has no other details about the 2017 iPhones, and it should definitely be taken with a grain of salt, as we've yet to learn what this year's iPhone lineup looks like. 

There's a couple of facts that make this particular rumor quite plausible, though. First, Apple has been granted several patents for a curved-screen phone. And this would not be the first time the Cupertino giant trailed a significant amount of time behind Samsung — remember Samsung's Gear smartwatches, which predated the Apple Watch by a full year? Finally, there's been a lot of talk that this year's iPhone lineup — likely the iPhone 7, the 7 Plus and possibly a third model — will be quite similar to the current iPhones, with Apple looking into more radical design for next year. 

What would this mean for the iPhone? The consensus these days, especially after Samsung launched its excellent Galaxy Note7, is that curved screens are not just a gimmick. If Apple can take the concept and make it better than Samsung's implementation — like it (arguably) did with the Apple Watch — it could be great news for the iPhone faithful. But let's focus on the iPhone 7 first — it'll arrive in a few weeks, and even though it's very unlikely to have a curved screen (or a headphone jack), it should bring a dual camera, a sleeker design and processor/memory/storage upgrades.