After the keynote speech at the 2017 WWDC, Apple fans finally have first-hand information on iOS 11. Sadly, there still isn’t any confirmation from the tech company about the highly anticipated iPhone 8. But thanks to iPhone 8 leaks from three alleged employees of Foxconn (the giant contract manufacturer of Apple in China), there is a clearer picture of what the new iPhone will look like.
Subreddit’s moderators have confirmed that their identities have been verified, but aren’t too sure of how true the leaked information is.
In a thread on Reddit, these three individuals shared information on an upcoming iPhone set for release in 2017, as well as on other Apple products. The product referred to as “iPhone X” by the posters is believed to be the much talked about iPhone 8. Leaked images and the thread revealed a radical redesign of the iPhone.
What is the iPhone Going to Look Like?
The Front
There are images of the new dummy model and phone schematics making rounds, and these show that the front will hold a large display. The only place not covered with glass is a small area on the top.
This will contain the front-facing camera, which is designed for facial recognition purposes. It will also house the microphone and ambient light sensors.
This means that there will be significantly fewer bezels, particularly on the right, left, and bottom areas. And that users can enjoy an almost edge-to-edge display. This also means that rumors of embedding a front-facing camera under the glass panel of the display aren’t true. Or maybe Apple just hasn’t perfected the formula for that yet.
Touch ID is said to be under the glass display, but test units seem to still have problems with this feature as “performance and yield rates were not good”. If test results improve, we could soon be bidding farewell to AuthenTec’s capacitive touch model.
The Back
The newly leaked schematics show the rear with a vertical dual-lens camera system towards the upper left corner. The iPhone 7 Plus had a horizontal dual-lens camera system. There is a circular area located above the center part of the back. It has been rumored that this spot is for the rear Touch ID sensor.
However, the Foxconn informants said they didn’t see that in the designs. In addition, the new iPhone will apparently use retina and facial recognition using the front-facing camera instead of a finger scanner. So, some have speculated that the circular area will just contain the Apple logo.
Body
It seems that the aluminum unibody will be replaced with glass. If this is true, it confirms rumors that Apple is moving towards re-adopting the glass-backed body designs in an effort to differentiate the iPhone from other devices. The glass body was last used for the iPhone 4s. It is also believed that the frame will use stainless steel, as was the case with the glass-backed iPhone 4s. This will make the new phone even sturdier and more high-end.
Other Features from the iPhone 8 Leaks
- It will still be water resistant, with some speculating a higher rating of IP68.
- Rumors of Apple switching to USB-C may not be true, as the leaked designs show Lightning ports.
- There will be 3GB of RAM, the same as the iPhone 7 Plus.
- The processor will use Apple’s A11 chip, which is expected to significantly improve battery life and speed up performance.
- The iPhone 8 will use an inductive type of wireless charging technology via the rear panel. This could mean that future owners of the new iPhone might have to buy a separate charger.
- With the announcement of ARKit and iOS 11, tech experts are now speculating that augmented reality will be the biggest feature of the iPhone 8. This is because Apple is encouraging developers to create new software and apps using this AR technology kit. The company also stated that ARKit will become the “biggest AR platform in the world” because all Apple devices using iOS 11 will run on this technology.
All these iPhone 8 leaks and speculations can’t be confirmed until Apple formally announces the launch. But it may be safe to say that the tech giant is developing a smartphone that is set to be a premium device. And even if it is said to cost at least $1,000, iOS fans and tech lovers around the world continue to highly anticipate its arrival.