Apple hasn’t earned as much profits with iPhone 6S as it did with the iPhone 6, which is why the company really needs to raise the bars for innovation in its next flagship smartphone. Analysts have predicted that the iPhone 7 will bring Apple back in the market with profits and will be an important factor to increase the hype around the next flagship, the iPhone 8.
Though the information on the iPhone 8 is a bit scarce right now, rumors haven’t stopped coming in and a lot of details are being speculated. Predictions are being made that the iPhone 8 will be the best we have seen in years from Apple. So let’s see what the rumors say right now.
iPhone 8 Will Be Powered by 10nm A11 Chipset
A new report by Digitimes suggests that TSMC, world’s biggest chip maker based in Taiwan has already started designing the A11 chip for Apple. It is being said that the processor will be manufactured using a 10nm FinFET manufacturing process, which is more efficient than the A9’s 16nm process. The fact that the 10nm process at TSMC is still under development confirms that it won’t be used in the A10 this year, which will be used in the iPhone 7.
The report suggests that the mass manufacturing of the A11 chipset will not begin before the third quarter of 2017, which lines up well with the September launch timeframe that Apple uses to schedule its iPhone launch every year. Apple’s chipsets are mostly made by TSMC.
Ultrasonic Touch ID Embedded into iPhone 8’s Screen
The iPhone 8 is rumored to come with a fingerprint sensor under the display with a technology similar to Qualcomm’s ultrasonic fingerprint recognition. In case that turns out to be true, then Apple will remove the physical home button completely, thus giving the device and completely plain and futuristic facade. That will go well with the predictions that suggest that the iPhone 8 will get a complete design overhaul.
If the Touch ID gets embedded into the display, then there will be a particular area of the screen where the user will have to place his finger to authenticate the fingerprint. Perhaps it will be done using a smart software method that would indicate that display area where the Touch ID sensor works.
iPhone 8 Will Use an OLED Screen Instead of LCD
As far as the display size is concerned, we don’t think Apple will increase the screen size. But yes, the Cupertino company will surely use OLED displays that are much better in terms of color reproduction and also eat less battery. Samsung has got the best display in the market with its Super AMOLED technology, and it is high time that Apple replaces the ancient LCD screens with the much better OLED screens. Some earlier rumors were saying that Apple might bring in the display from SHARP or LG.
Major Design Changes in the 2017 iPhone
If the recent rumors and leaks are to be believed, then the iPhone 7 will be skipping the 3.5mm headphone jack. If that’s true, then the iPhone 8 might also not have the headphone jack and may use the Lightning Port instead for both audio output and charging. While it has been said that the iPhone 7 might not carry a Smart Connector like the iPad Pro, the iPhone 8 might get it.
Also, the iPhone 8 is touted to get a full-glass body and will be dustproof and waterproof. There is a high chance that the antenna bands might disappear completely. The design is rumored to be completely fluid and futuristic, so it will surely be a great leap for Apple.
Other Rumored Features and Specs
Apart from the major redesign, the iPhone 8 will also boast of better internals. It will be getting the A11 processor that will be much faster and more power efficient. Also, we suspect the iPhone 8 to carry 3GB of RAM, and the illogical 16GB and 32GB storage options might also be phased out. Instead, the iPhone 8 might come in 64GB, 128GB and possibly a 256GB storage option.
The iPhone 8 will get a better camera (perhaps 16MP) along with a dual rear camera setup that the iPhone 7 Plus/Pro is touted to get. The smartphone might also come with wireless Bluetooth earpods manufactured by Beats.
iPhone 8 Release Date and Price
iPhone 8 will be released in September 2017, and even though it is too early to guess the price, we guess it will start at around $749.