iPhone 7 to be 'thinnest smartphone' ever

Apple also working on fuel cells, but don't expect that in either the iPhone 6s or the iPhone 7

The iPhone 7 - which may or may not be announced at this coming Wednesday's Apple event (probably not...), is set to be the world's thinnest smartphone, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

A new report by Kuo mentions a device thickness of 6.0mm, a clear 0.9mm thinner than the current iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which measure 6.9mm and 7.1mm respectively.

Kuo also says - apparently confirming Force Touch in the forthcoming iPhone 6s and iPhone 6 Plus, which are expected to be unveiled on Wednesday - that the iPhone 7 will feature exactly the same spin on the Force Touch technology as these upcoming devices.

The reasoning, he says, is that so much of Apple's financial investment has gone into adapting Force Touch from the Apple Watch, there is no room for further innovation in this area for the next generation of Apple phone.

Another technology switch Kuo reckons won't take place in the iPhone 7 is the much-rumoured glass-on-glass panel technology.

While this engineering would completely remove the need for a bezel, in its current form the tech would also make it much harder to create smaller, thinner phones. Kuo's logic, therefore, dicates that removing almost a millimetre of thickness would rely on the tried and tested in-cell panel technique.

Another hot topic for a new iPhone is the "fuel cell system", which has been widely-reported over the weekend, suggesting that Apple may choose to include it in the upcoming iPhone.

Apparently providing a solution to the ongoing issue of batteries lasting less and less time as phone technology increases in complexity, this March 2015 patent by Apple would, the company believes, enable phones and laptops to last "days or even weeks".

Already in use by the likes of Toyota and Honda in car batteries, fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen (which is drawn from the air) to produce electrical energy, only emitting heat and water. As well as lasting much longer, the batteries are also far more environmentally friendly than existing batteries.

"Such fuel cells and associated fuels can potentially achieve high energy densities, which can potentially enable continued operation of portable electronic devices for days or even weeks without refueling," reads Apple's patent document.