Foxconn is in the process of building wireless charging modules for at least some of next year’s iPhone models, Nikkei Asian Review reports. An industry source familiar with the matter said Foxconn is building the modules specifically for use with an iPhone, but couldn’t say if the wireless charging feature will be in all the 2017 iPhones or exclusive to certain models. The source also said inclusion of wireless charging will be contingent on Foxconn being able to “boost the yield rate to a satisfactory level later on” — implying that the company is currently struggling to make enough successful units in each batch to make the process profitable.
Wireless charging is one of many features expected to appear in Apple’s next iPhone to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the device’s introduction. Earlier this year, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted a drastic redesign of the iPhone that would include wireless charging, OLED displays and a “completely new form factor design.”