iPhone 8

A report out of Korea claims that Samsung will not only be manufacturing the OLED screens for the iPhone 8, but also playing a key role in the supply chain management for related components.

Samsung Display, the display-making unit of Samsung Electronics, is the only panel maker globally that mass-produces OLED panels for smartphones. Its market share stands at a whopping 95 percent currently. Because Apple is still less experienced in OLED, the display maker is said to be playing a key role in the overall supply chain management that consists of its own key parts suppliers …

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A sketchy series of images has been circulating this morning, supposedly showing an iPhone 8 prototype design with mockup renders and technical measurement drawings.

The drawing is impressive, depicting an iPhone front dominated by screen with just 4mm of bezels on every side. However, the original sourcing is unclear and the details are pretty questionable …

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Earlier today, leaked schematics depicted the possibility of the iPhone 8 featuring the Touch ID sensor on the back as Apple faces difficulty integrating it into the display. Now, however, an unverified report from iDropNews claims that Apple is testing two different prototypes: one with Touch ID on the front and another with the sensor on the back. The report also offers up a few additional details…

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The last time a sketchy report suggested that Apple was planning to move the Touch ID sensor to the rear of the iPhone 8, I wrote an opinion piece saying that I didn’t believe Apple was dumb enough to do it. I set out the four reasons I didn’t expect it to happen.

Alongside multiple reports of a Touch ID sensor embedded in the screen, and supporting patents for the required technology, I felt there were two reasons in particular to doubt the idea …

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In what is the first supposed leak of ‘real’ iPhone 8 technical schematics, an image posted to Weibo today claims to show technical drawings for the next-generation iPhone straight from Foxconn. The drawings depict an iPhone 8 front and back with minimal bezels on the left and right sides of the screen. Compared to an iPhone 7, the top and bottom bezels are also significantly smaller.

On the back, the dual camera system and rear flash is stacked vertically in the top-left corner, with a gap for a Touch ID fingerprint sensor below the Apple logo. The image is labelled with dimensions for the chassis, which are comparable to the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 — despite the significantly larger screen …

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According to one analyst, Apple is facing a significant bottleneck in the production of the bezel-less iPhone 8. As the device’s front is expected to be mostly screen (and almost no bezel), the Touch ID sensor is being re-engineered.

Cowen and Company’s Timothy Arcuri is claiming that yields of a new fingerprint sensor that would be integrated into the iPhone 8 screen are low (via AppleInsider) and that Apple may consider other less-exciting designs if the production problems cannot be solved.

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Trendforce data seen by us suggests that Samsung overtook Apple in Q1 smartphone sales even before the company’s new flagship Galaxy S8 landed in stores in Q2. Most of the gains made by the company were, however, thanks to lower-end devices.

Samsung’s sales results for its high-end smartphones fell short of expectations in the first quarter as consumers’ confidence in the brand had yet to fully recover from the recall of Galaxy Note 7. Nevertheless, Samsung continued to do very well in the mid-range and low-end segments of the market. The economically priced, high-performing Galaxy J series sustained Samsung’s shipments and contributed significantly to the expansion of the brand’s overall smartphone production volume. Samsung was the only brand that saw positive growth in production volume during the off season of the first quarter.

Trendforce also predicts that Samsung and other Android manufacturers will already start to see weak sales in Q2 as consumers wait for the iPhone 8 …

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An unverified rumor from Israeli blog The Verifier claims the next iPhone will feature Apple’s special Smart Connector for inductive ‘wireless’ charging and VR/AR accessories. Apple currently only uses the Smart Connector on the iPad Pro line…

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Following a report earlier this week claiming that the launch of Apple’s next-generation iPhone may be pushed to October or November, another report today adds more weight to a possible delay for the device versus the usual early to mid September launch dates of previous generations.

The report from Drexel Hamilton analyst Brian White (via CNBC), claims that Apple’s expected high-end 5.8-inch model in the new iPhone 8 could be delayed beyond September due to difficulties related to the 3D sensing technology rumored to debut on the device:

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An alleged schematic of the iPhone 8 (or iPhone X) is getting some play today – but it isn’t quite what it appears. However, it’s not necessarily completely bogus either …

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With the iPhone 8 rumored to have a near-bezel-free design, it’s no surprise that most of the concept images and renders have focused on the front of the device. But the key element of Martin Hajek’s concept images (which he names the iPhone X) is on the rear of the phone.

Hajek imagines Apple celebrating the 10th anniversary of the iPhone with a retro look that takes us back to the very first iPhone …

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Apple is preparing its supply chain for the onslaught of next-generation iPhone sales in the fall, expected to be a bumper year with much anticipation for the radical ‘iPhone 8’ redesign. According to ETNews, via Digitimes, Apple has agreed a two year contract with Samsung Display to supply curved iPhone OLED panels.

Samsung is apparently upping capacity to as much as 92 million units in 2017, as demand from Apple rises. Apple uses OLED in Apple Watch and the MacBook Pro Touch Bar already, but the iPhone 8 represents the first time the company will use the display technology in the iPhone, it’s biggest product.

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We’ve been hearing conflicting reports about the likely retail cost of the iPhone 8. Some reports have suggested that the price could exceed $1,000, the price reflecting its premium positioning in the line-up thanks to features like an OLED screen and augmented reality.

A report yesterday contradicted this, suggesting that the price will actually remain in three figures, somewhere around the $850-900 range.

Does this kind of difference matter … ?

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The iPhone 8 may debut later than we have been used to, according to a new report. For the last few years, Apple has announced its new iPhone lineup at a September event in the fall with a release date a couple weeks later. For example, the iPhone 7 was announced on September 7th and released on September 16th.

This year, Economic Daily News (via Digitimes) is suggesting that the launch may be pushed back to October or November, as production of the radical new iPhone has faced challenges …

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It has been widely reported that the upcoming iPhone 8 will cost consumers over $1000 at retail because of new features such as the OLED display and new 3D sensors. A new investor note from UBS analyst Steven Milunovich, however, disputes earlier reports and says the iPhone 8 will come in for less than $1000.

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As we inch closer to the release of the iPhone 8 later this year, Apple is starting to solidify its plans for the device. According to a report from Nikkei, Apple has placed an order for 70 million “bendable” OLED displays from Samsung for use in the iPhone 8…

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According to a new investor note from Barclays, Apple currently plans to bring its True Tone display technology to all three of this year’s new iPhones. The note explains that the iPhone 7s, iPhone 7s Plus, and iPhone 8 will all feature the True Tone technology, which was first introduced with the iPad Pro 9.7-inch.

The report also offers new information regarding the 3D sensors that Apple is expected to include in the iPhone 8 for facial recognition and augmented reality features.

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Today in a note to clients, JP Morgan analyst Rod Hall offered his latest analysis on Apple’s supply chain, giving us a look at his predictions for iPhone 8 sales as well as details on specs and pricing. Following Samsung’s introduction of the Galaxy S8 yesterday, the report notes that based on current supply chain intel Apple’s OLED is expected to be less curved than the S8 and therefore less of a so-called edge-to-edge “infinity” display:

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Today was an exciting day over at 9to5Google as Samsung unveiled a suite of new features coming to their new Galaxy S8 and S8+ devices. What made today’s announcements uncanny was just how many features Samsung unveiled in their new Galaxy S8 that we’ve already heard reported for the upcoming iPhone 8. The Galaxy S8 may not be iPhone fans want today, but it surely prepares them for what we may be seeing later this year.

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Apple surely has lots of whiz-bang new features planned for the new flagship iPhone this fall, but the number one feature on my wish list this year is a radical new design. Given the choice between a new iPhone with the same design plus new features like wireless charging and facial recognition or a new iPhone with a new design and no new features, I’d absolutely choose the new design.

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