It’s nearly that time again; that time when Apple dim the lights and unveil their new flagship iPhone. The internet has been buzzing with rumours ranging from mediocre to bat shit crazy and I’ve been pretty slow in gathering these together. But here you are reading a post that aims to do just that.
What we know for sure about the iPhone 8
Let’s face it, nobody really knows what the new iPhone will include on the web (anyone who does is probably telling fibs or braking an NDA) but a few things that are likely;
- Apple will bring out at least one new phone this year based on the fact they’ve done this for the past 9 years (several models came out last year).
- It’s definitely going to have new features, with some predicting groundbreaking specs due to this being the 10th anniversary of the iPhone
- it’ll come in various colours, sizes and have multiple storage options – again based on the tried and tested formula
- People will queue up like crazed bellends to get one – me included, probably.
Release date
It’ll be some time in early September that we first see the iPhone 8 in the shops; judging by past releases. Some rumours have suggested that it might be later in the year, but sticking with the rule of averages you’d be safe to assume for a September release date – just remember that the UK tend to get it a little later than the USA. Others have been a little more brazen in their predictions;
- Trusted Reviews pin their tail on 22nd September
- CNET (via other sources) are less optimistic and are suggesting a late year release, drawing on reports that Apple are facing issues with the manufacturing process.
Specifications
It’ll be faster, have a better camera, better battery, screen and be all-round better than the iPhone 7 before it. But you knew all that already; so just how much better might it be?
OLED is supposedly coming to the iPhone 8, which means it’ll have it’s own light source and will not need to be backlit. This should mean, amongst other things, less battery drain. BGR even reckons the iPhone 7s will have OLED too – which is a big deal because Apple have not used this tech in their phones before. What’s more Apple may offer the iPhone 8 with three different screen size options; 4.7inch, 5.5 inches and 5.8 inches.
Apple tends to adopt the same naming convention for their processors; the current iPhone 7 has the A10 chip and an educated guess would mean the iPhone 8 will include an A11 chip. Specs are pretty hard to come by, but the chip will likely be quicker and more efficient. 9 to 5 mac supports this theory and suggests the handset might feature the 3GB of ram.
The iPhone 8 will probably maintain dual lenses on the back. Apparently both of these will include optical image stabilisation – an upgrade on the current model.
Other rumoured specs include;
- the possible inclusion of AR. Bloomberg suggest recent hires could mean augmented reality might be coming to the iPhone 8
- the front camera will get a big upgrade; potentially able to capture 3D images and support AR. Hologram iMessages or FaceTime anyone?
- Wireless charging is looking ever more likely. Apple applied and joined the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC); this would suggest they needed the standard for an upcoming project, or projects.
- The lighting port will be removed and replaced with USB-C. This will mean faster charging; but would Apple dump lightning so readily? I think not. More likely they will release a compatible cable with lightning end still in tact. Merch much :-).
Form Factor
This year it’s all about screen to bezel ratio – essentially the bezel of the most popular smartphone’s this year are as thin as 90s supermodels. Naturally it’s expected that the iPhone 8 will follow suit with a iPhone 7 Plus sized screen within a body not much larger than a standard iPhone 7. This might mean the home button will need to go, a rumour supported by Apple Rumours.
Various leaks have suggested that the body will be slightly taller than that of the iPhone 7, that the camera lenses (both of them) will be vertically aligned instead of horizontal and will be waterproof. This time Apple will likely want to match the IP68 according to Trusted reviews.
It may also sport;
- a curved screen (although recent reports contradict this)
- a virtual home button
- touch sensors on the back
Price
It’ll be shit loads, that’s the easiest way of putting it – you heard it here first and can quote me. For the last couple of years their flagship phone has started at £599 – so it should be around this much, or a lot more if you like storing stuff on your phone. One thing that will likely remain is that the UK will pay more than the USA do for their phones, as this is a trend that has always existed and probably always will.
Things I hope the iPhone 8 will do
Please get involved on this one in the comments below;
- Hey Apple, how about functionality to close all apps. Like Android
- That the battery will last a whole day (forget what the specs say on previous generations; they aren’t true)
- Keep the home button – it, well, pushes my buttons and I like it
- A much slicker way to store stuff in the cloud – so i can buy a bog-standard iPhone and avoid a 256GB purchase 😉
- Avoid too much on phone ’10th birthday’ branding – ideally none. IMO it would cheapen the brand.
I’ll update this whenever I find something of substance. The iPhone 8 is coming; what do you want to see from the 10th anniversary edition?
