iPhone 8 Rumors

It’s almost September. In the consumer technology world, that almost always means Apple is close to unveiling a new iPhone. The leaks and rumors have gone from a steady trickle to almost a rushing torrent as we inch closer to the new iPhone unveilings. In June, an internal memo about combating leaks was ironically leaked itself. Still, if the latest rumors and leaks are to be believed, this looks to be the most radical redesign of the iPhone in some time. One of the earliest rumors were that Apple would release no less than three new iPhones this year: an iPhone 7S, 7S Plus, and a premium version. The 7S and 7S Plus will largely resemble the current iPhone 7 and 7 Plus with the big exception being the rear being made of glass. This leads many to believe that all three iPhones will finally support wireless charging. This rumor seemed to be confirmed by the leaks of the wireless charging components used. Most of the iPhone rumors have been centered around the premium version (dubbed by most as iPhone 8).

Being that this is the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, Apple seems to be going all out this year. Early case leaks, dummy models, and renders seem to confirm that adopt the 2017 trend of edge to edge screens with minimal bezels on the front panel. Like the Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+, LG G6, and even the newly released Essential Phone, the new iPhone will eschew the physical home button in favor of a software home button. This virtual home button will apparently be resizable. The removal of the physical home button fueled speculation as to whether Apple would keep the Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Some people said it Apple would place the sensor on the back while other hoped Apple would find a way to embed the sensor into the screen itself.

Developers have been finding tidbits of information concerning the next iPhone based on accidentally released firmware found on the HomePod. Just recently, developer Steve Troughton-Smith seemed to confirm the existence of facial unlock when he found mentions of “BKFaceDetect” and references to an infrared camera. The firmware also seemed to confirm the final design of the device itself.

Now, even more details have leaked as a result of examining the HomePod firmware. Troughton-Smith along with developer Guilherme Rambo have been tweeting their findings. Apparently, the new iPhone will include a tap to wake function, facial expression and attention detection, and a virtual home button; the latter of which confirms that Apple is removing the physical home button as expected. The references to facial expression detection might hint at the ability to recognize faces in the dark using infrared or even halt notifications if the phone knows you’re looking at it. The mention of facial details such as “mouthsmile”, “mouthpucker”, or “mouthfrown” could also mean that you could unlock the phone using a certain facial action such as smiling or frowning.

So we have a premium iPhone that’s physically smaller than the Plus model but has a bigger screen. The screen itself will fill the entire front of the iPhone with a small cutout at the top for the various sensors. The physical home button is gone with Touch ID being replaced with facial recognition. Apple’s focus on augmented reality (AR) during WWDC this year likely means the new iPhone will have enhanced AR capabilities. It also goes without saying that all three new iPhones will have the latest and greatest A-series processors which are rumored to blow away all current Android phones in terms of performance.

Unfortunately, if these rumors and leaks are true, that also means the premium version of the iPhone will likely be very expensive. Current rumors peg the premium iPhone to around $1000. On the other hand, that price tag may be worth it if these features are polished and well implemented. One thing is clear, this will undoubtedly be one of the most popular phones of 2017 and the most radical change to the iPhone since it was first released 10 years ago.