iPhone 7: will new iPhone feature the first ever top-to-bottom screen?

New video shows how the iPhone 7 will look if Apple ditches the home button on next year's handset

A designer in the Czech Republic has created a radical new iPhone 7 concept sketch which shows how the phone may look if – as many tech experts believe – Apple gets rid of the home button on its next handset.

A video and accompanying images from Marek Weidlich, a Czech designer, show the device with a top-to-bottom screen, which would be a first for any manufacturer.

"I focused on simple design language which is very important for Apple," explained Weidlich. "I designed a curved display without a bezel, and equipped with a software home button. The back rounded body is designed in an aluminium material supplemented with a plastic strip for better holding."

The body of the phone looks very much like an iPhone 6, with a home screen that appears to be based on an Apple Watch, including the wrist-mounted iPhone accessory's line-up of floating circular apps.

Prior to the launch of each new model iPhone, Apple never releases any information on what the forthcoming phone will look like or be capable of, but in the absence of any official details, concept sketches have become an increasingly useful indicator of what is to come.

Weidlich's concept sketch is largely successful, says tech site BGR, but the inclusion of both the speaker and front-facing 'selfie' camera on the screen seem unlikely.

"The front-facing camera and speaker sticking out from the screen is something that Apple would definitely not make," the site says, "as these elements would significantly disrupt in-app UI and overall experience when it comes to gaming and video playback."

Meanwhile, analysts say the next instalment will see improved battery life and a thinner model. The managing director of Piper Jaffray, Gene Munster, predicts that Apple will concentrate on battery life. "Looking at Macs over the past few years, Apple has close to doubled battery life for its Macbook line up (largely five hour battery to around 10 hours)," he said.

"We believe battery life is one of the biggest areas of potential improvement and one that might be most welcomed by customers."

Previously, analysts claimed said the iPhone 7 handset, expected to launch in September 2016, would be the firm's thinnest handset to date at just 6mm thick.