iPhone 8

In this week’s top stories: The verdict on Apple’s new 10.5-inch iPad Pro as reviews arrive, the latest iPhone 8 reports, hands-on with some new iOS 11 features, and much more.

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Image: Newly leaked iPhone 8 parts give glimpse into rumored design

As we move closer to the unveiling of the next generation iPhones, more manufacturers are talking about device details. This time CEO Robert Hwang of Wistron, Apple’s primary iPhone manufacturer in India, has confirmed that the upcoming iPhone will be waterproof and feature wireless charging (Nikkei).

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A well-known Apple supplier, Largan Precision, has announced that it is shipping 3D depth-sensing lenses in the second half of 2017 (via Nikkei). Although it didn’t identify brands by name, industry experts believe that these camera components are for the iPhone 8.

The special sensors will enable face recognition functionality, allowing users of the high-end iPhone to unlock their device just by looking at the screen. Largan already supplies most of the rear camera lenses used in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

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A series of apparent iPhone 8 leaks still haven’t answered one of the biggest questions about this year’s flagship iPhone: will the fingerprint sensor be embedded into the display?

We know that Apple has numerous patents for this type of embedded fingerprint technology, and it also appears clear that the display will occupy almost the entire front face of the device, but some claimed leaks do show a fingerprint sensor on the back of the case. I’ve discussed a third option, where a Touch Bar element appears to be part of the display, and a patent published today raises a fourth possibility …

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We may have just gotten another glimpse at the rumored upcoming iPhone 8’s design. A redditor shared some images from what they say is “a friend in the industry,” and what manufacturers have been receiving over the last week, and they do line up with some previous rumors…

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iPhone 8 owners may not be able to take advantage of the faster data speeds expected to be available later this year in the USA, says a Bloomberg report, and Apple’s dispute with Qualcomm may be the reason.

AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and other carriers have promised to introduce a new generation of wireless data later in the year, offering speeds as high as a gigabit per second – some fifty times faster than typically available today. But it appears that this speed won’t be supported in the iPhone 8, even if the modems it contains are compatible …

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Apple suppliers are reportedly mass producing components for the upcoming next-generation 2017 iPhones, via Digitimes. Corroborating the consensus rumors, Apple will introduce two ‘iPhone 7s’ phones, iterative updates to the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 7 models with a ‘reinforced glass’ chassis and aluminium frame.

Apple will also debut a major redesign ‘iPhone 8’ with 5.8-inch AMOLED display, metal frame (believed to be stainless steel) and the same reinforced glass chassis. Samsung will apparently supply 80 million panels for the iPhone 8 in 2017 alone.

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Apple earlier this week unveiled the next major software release for iPhone and iPad, iOS 11. The iPhone 8 this fall will almost certainly be the first device to ship with iOS 11, and now a new set of renders imagine the upcoming flagship device running Apple’s latest operating system. Furthermore, the report adds a few additional details about the iPhone 8…

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One of the charts within an influential presentation on the state of the tech union at last week’s Code conference illustrated a ‘problem’ with Apple’s apparent plans for the iPhone 8. The company is believed to be aiming to sell the first ever $1000+ iPhone at a time when global smartphone shipments are essentially flat.

Business Insider argues that the problem shown in the chart by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers analyst Mary Meeker is this. Apple has historically taken around 15% of the smartphone market. When the market as a whole was growing, Apple could happily take its premium slice and see continued growth. But when the market is stagnant, growth can only be achieved by either growing its share, or boosting the overall smartphone market.

Can the company really do this, asks the piece, while trying to push its prices even higher … ?

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An interesting thread appeared on Reddit this morning from a supposed Foxconn insider who apparently has knowledge about various Apple products in the pipeline as they have seen prototypes pass through the factory. There are various tidbits about the iPhone 8, the Siri Speaker, future iMac design changes and dynamic e-ink keyboards for future MacBooks.

While we would usually ignore these anonymous claims, the Reddit mods have apparently verified the poster’s identity. We’ve rounded up the interesting information below …

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A handful of images have emerged this morning claiming to show the upcoming iPhone 8 with rear-placed Touch ID. The images come from Chinese site iPhoneros and are the clearest look yet at a design that has seemingly been at least prototyped by Apple…

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When the Essential Phone was revealed yesterday, all eyes were on one particular design feature: a display that extended right to the top of the phone, with a small cutout for the camera.

We asked whether Apple should take a similar approach with the iPhone 8, and the majority of readers were opposed. Just 22% of you thought it was a good idea, while a full 60% didn’t like it.

But what we’ve seen since then is that Apple may indeed be planning a similar approach with the iPhone 8 …

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Over the weekend we saw a handful of iPhone 8 leaks further indicate an all-new chassis design for the device. A new report today from iDrop News offers some of the most specific information yet on just how big the iPhone 8 will be. The report claims that the iPhone 8 will be “much heftier” than the iPhone 7, acting as a sort of middle-ground between the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in terms of size…

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While Samsung appears set to be the sole supplier of OLED displays for the iPhone 8, LG is reportedly hoping to get in on the action from next year …

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Several iPhone 8 related leaks surfaced over the weekend, backing up a radical new chassis design first seen in April. The new schematics include the various characteristics we’ve seen reported for the OLED iPhone in the past including the elongated power button, vertical dual camera and lack of a physical home button.

Most notably, an orange outline traces the purported screen area of the iPhone 8. Based on this schematic, the screen will be effectively bezel-less on left, right and bottom sides whilst the top edge will cut inwards to accommodate the front camera, earpiece and sensors. More pictures after the jump …

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The latest in a long line of will-they/won’t-they reports on Touch ID embedded into the display of the iPhone 8 says yes – but there have been so many conflicting reports, it remains an unknown for now.

Conflicting reports have suggested that Touch ID could be moved to the back of the iPhone or even dropped altogether in favor of face-recognition.

Some have suggested that Apple could move Touch ID to the power button, but it seems unlikely this would offer sufficient surface area for the type of sophisticated sensor used in existing iPhones …

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A new report from Economic Daily News, via Digitimes, indicates that the iPhone 8 will use a new optical fingerprint sensor technology to enable users to place their fingers directly on the OLED display and have the phone scan the print, as an elegant replacement for the existing Touch ID home button.

The screen ratio will change from 16:9 on iPhone 7 to 18.5:9 (corroborating many other sources) and ‘invisible’ Infrared sensors will unlock enhanced camera and augmented reality features. Apparently, TSMC discussed these upcoming flagship iPhone features at a Taipei symposium.

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Over the weekend, we saw a purported iPhone 8 mold compared to molds of the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus, offering a look at how the iPhone 8’s bezel-less design will lend itself to a smaller form factor. Now, Japanese blog Macotakara has gotten its hands on a purported iPhone 8 case and compared it side-by-side to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus..

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Two new sets of images claiming to show the upcoming design of the so-called iPhone 8 due out later this year have shown up in Chinese social media today. Both show the edge-to-edge display and vertical dual camera design as seen in previous schematics and dummy units, and the latest images show how the iPhone 8 could look in various colors…