Robert Newman
Jul 10, 2017 · 3 min read

Will an Upcoming Premium Tier iPhone have LiquidMetal Sides?

Rumers concerning an unannounced premium tier iPhone (so called iPhone 8) have long suggested that the device will have a glass back and polished stainless steel sides.

This combination of glass and stainless steel seems plausible for a premium Apple product. Today, the Apple Watch range offers stainless steel in a more premium tier than the aluminum models. The glass back will likely have a highly reflective finish and this will work well with polished stainless steel. We might expect such a premium tier phone to look and feel more premium with richer materials and a shinier and more lustrous finish than the lower tier offerings.

Chance Miller reporting at 9to5Mac on claims made by Benjamin Geskin of four color options including a new mirror-like finish.

In the past, we’ve seen alleged iPhone 8 images emerge showing the device in black and white. If Geksin’s claim of a mirror option is true, it’s unclear what the fourth iPhone 8 color option would be, with gold and rose gold both potential options.

Existing iPhones all have an anodized aluminum finish. This takes the aluminum and enhances it’s natural properties and results in a finish that is unique to aluminum. I would not expect the glass back of a premium iPhone to imitate the anodized aluminum finish of existing phones.

If the back of this new phone is glass, it will be glossy and highly reflective — to some degree mirror-like. Some color options might enhance this mirror-like quality of glass.

I do not expect Apple to offer this premium phone with a white bezel. My reasons for this prediction are:

1) The deep black OLED display will enable a highly desirable illusion of a bezel-less display. This is because in black, the rumored cutout and thin bezels will be almost indistinguishable from the black display.

2) The bezels at the sides and bottom of the rumors device are so thin that presenting such a very small line of white would not look good and at the same time the cutout for the camera and speaker would look very top heavy. iPhones have always been symmetrical and looked balanced.

3) There is no Apple Watch with a white bezel. The black bezel blends in seamlessly with the display. Even the white ceramic edition model does not have a white glass bezel just a white ceramic case.

What colors will Apple offer? I would expect a glossy black option that will look just like the display cover glass. I’d be surprised if there are as many as four color options for a lower volume product. If there are, the other three colors could be anything and would not necessarily be metallic. Personally, I would also like to see the option of a glossy white glass back. I think a white back would look very Apple-ly.

Whilst the sides of the phone are said to be stainless steel some rumors have said the sides will be “glass” and others that the phone would be “all glass”. If these expressions came from the supply chain, I have a theory that might account for them.

LiquidMetal. Many people are familiar with this trademark, however few people are aware of how this material is referred to by engineers. The manufacturer of this material and engineers working with it, refer to it as “Bulk Metallic Glass”. Despite being a metal alloy, the material is in fact “glass” in terms of molecular structure. The material has a high gloss silver finish that could be easily mistaken for polished stainless steel.

There are serious technical restrictions with the injection process that would make it difficult for Apple to make a BMG part the size of an iPhone, especially one that has the details and thinness of an existing iPhone casing. However, it might just be possible with some technical innovation to produce a BMG frame that could form the four sides of the device.

Since BMG is heavy, blocks radio waves and can’t be machined, it would be undesirable as a direct replacement for an existing style phone case. However, it’s high durability and luxurious finish would make it perfect for the four sides of a premium tier phone.