iPhone 7 could be followed by a complete overhaul of Apple's line-up, including a handset with a curved screen

The new premium phone could feature an entirely new design, screen technology and place in Apple’s line-up

Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller announces the new iPhone 6 during an Apple special event at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts on September 9, 2014 in Cupertino, California (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The iPhone 7 could be followed by an entirely new, premium phone that will feature completely new design and technology.

Apple could entirely revamp its product lineup in 2017, according to a new report from reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Next year, the company will release a new phone with a curved screen and special display technology, the report claims. The new phone could come into the iPhone line-up as a special premium model that will sit above the existing normal iPhone models, which are currently seen as the top-of-the-line Apple phones and see yearly refreshes.

The report is just the latest to suggest that Apple’s product line-up is to undergo a huge change. Previous reports have suggested that the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus might be joined by an iPhone 7 Pro, a premium version of the large phone that will feature new camera technology.

Many of the rumours about the iPhone 7 have suggested that it will feature a form factor largely similar to the iPhone 6, though it will drop the headphone port and slim down slightly. It may be that Apple chooses to leave its bigger innovations for 2017, as suggested by the new analyst report.

If true, that could bring an end to the "tick tock" cycle that Apple's phones have followed since the 3G, the second ever iPhone. Under that schedule, Apple would be expected to release the iPhone 7 this September and follow it up with an iPhone 7s in 2017, featuring the same design but improved internals.

The new 2017 phone will feature a “completely new form factor design”, according to the note sent to clients. That will include much reduced bezels around the side of the screen.

The phone could even come in a 5.8-inch screen size — bigger than the existing 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. And that screen could be made using AMOLED technology, a newer kind of screen that can produce richer colours and uses less battery.