iPhone 8 leaks: This is what we know about the most anticipated smartphone of 2017
With each passing day, as we get closer to the iPhone 8, more and more rumours start taking shape. The latest “tip” about the most coveted Apple product of this year comes from Benjamin Geskin, a tech journalist and noted tipster, on his Twitter account. Geskin posted photos of the supposed “iPhone 8 dummy”.
According to the images posted by Geskin, the design is somewhat like that of the Apple Watch - two layers of glass sandwiched between a stainless steel frame. The dummy is supposedly a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) model from Hon Hai Precision Industry, also known as Foxconn Technology Group, and it comes with the volume and ringer switch on the left and two cut-outs - for the power button and SIM tray - on the right.
As can be seen in the dummy, there is no physical home button on the front and there also seems to be a cut-out for the rumoured vertical mounted dual camera setup on the back. This is something that has been one of the more consistent rumours about the new iPhone.
According to an old report, Apple had earlier filed a patent on USPTO that reads, "A capacitive fingerprint sensor, including: a dielectric structure having a contact surface and a sensor surface; an array of capacitive sensing elements held on or near the sensor surface of the dielectric structure; and an electrostatic lens formed within the dielectric structure."
What this means is that the home button will still be there at the bottom of the display; however, it will not be clickable or, for that matter, visible. This does imply that the entirety of the front panel might be the display.
The company is also expected to embed the fingerprint sensor underneath the screen in order to free up space for the new display.
But that’s not all that Geskin tipped people about. The tipster also leaked schematics of the smartphone giving people a sneak peek into what the iPhone looks like on the inside. The schematic leak points to a vertical dual camera setup on the iPhone 8, something that has been widely anticipated already. Curiously, the flash is situated in between the two camera sensors.
Geskin further adds that the iPhone 8 will have long range wireless charging up to 5 metres. This too, is something has been a consistent speculation. Early in 2016, KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple might be adding wireless technology to its range of smartphones.
According to a Nikkei report, Foxconn Technology Group is making wireless charging modules to go with the iPhone's 10th anniversary range slated for release in 2017. The report also adds that Foxconn is making modules that will be incorporated into the handsets, but it is unclear whether all iPhone models slated for release in 2017 will come with the new function.
So far the only Apple product that has wireless charging capabilities is the Apple Watch. But a report from The Verge, suggests that Apple has been hiring more and more engineers. This would seem like a pretty good indication of what is to come.
Apart from this, the speculation regarding the iPhone includes that of it having 3 GB of RAM. It is also anticipated that the iPhone 8 will have two variants in terms of storage: 64 GB and 256 GB. Additionally, the new iPhone is supposed to have a curved OLED display.
In November 2016, the CEO of Sharp Corporation, a Japanese company involved in the manufacturing and sales of telecommunications equipment, confirmed that the iPhone 8 will feature an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diodes) screen.
Sharp CEO Jeng-wu Tai, speaking at Tatung University in Taiwan had said, "The iPhone has been evolving and now it is switching from LTPS to OLED panels. We don't know whether Apple's OLED iPhones will be a hit, but if Apple doesn't walk down this path and transform itself, there will be no innovation. It is a crisis but it is also an opportunity".
At present, Apple uses LTPS (Low-Temperature Poly-Silicon) panels in iPhones. The advantage of switching to OLED display is increased sharpness and brightness, and decreased power consumption.
According to a report in Nikkei, the premium model among the three proposed iPhones will sport a curved organic light-emitting diode screen, while the other two models will stick with existing flat LTPS display.
But with features this ambitious, the chances of the iPhone 8 being one of the most expensive Apple products also looms ahead. In fact, according to a Fast Company report from February, the iPhone 8 may have a price tag way north of $1,000 (Rs 67,000 roughly).
Also read - iPhone 8 may release faster, but will cost a bomb