iPhone 8

DigiTimes: iPhone 8 with in-screen fingerprint sensor entering mass production in September

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 3, 2017

Rather than use one of the few readily available off-the-shelf fingerprint scanners that can be integrated into a smartphone display, Apple's iPhone 8 will sport biometric fingerprint recognition via a custom-designed sensor, also embedded into the display. In addition, according to DigiTimes' report Friday, the built-in fingerprint sensor inside iPhone 8 will replace Apple's capacitive-based Touch ID fingerprint reader, as previously rumored. The handset is expected to enter mass production in September, claimed industry sources cited in the report.

KGI: All 2017 iPhones to retain Lightning ports while supporting faster charging

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 2, 2017

Contrary to controversial claims made in a recent Wall Street Journal piece alleging Apple would do the unthinkable—ditch the Lightning port on new iPhones in favor of USB-C—KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo shared his thoughts on the topic in the latest notes to clients, obtained by MacRumors. According to Kuo, all three iPhone models released in 2017 will retain Lightning connectors.

This includes the expectedly iterative, LCD-based iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus models, as well as a brand new, OLED-based iPhone 8 model with a radically changed industrial design. However, the underlying technology behind the charging may change with built-in support for USB Power Delivery that should enable a lot faster charging.

Leaked render depicts nearly full-screen Galaxy S8 design with utterly minimal bezels

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 1, 2017

Revered smartphone leakster Evan Blass yesterday leaked out what appears to be a genuine press shot depicting Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S8 flagship.

Not only does the image give us a better look at the device's extra button, said to summon Samsung's new Bixby digital assistant, it's a preview of sorts of the kind of form factor we're expecting from Apple's iPhone 8 when it launches in September.

Do iPhone 8’s supposedly revolutionary VR/AR features sound too good to be true?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

Will iPhone 8 knock our socks off with revolutionary virtual reality and augmented reality capabilities? I'm not sold yet, but that's not stopping some people from making far-fetched speculations based solely on wishful thinking and little evidence. And what evidence has been presented thus far is very flimsy.

In January, blogger Robert Scoble ran a scoop claiming Apple had partnered with German lens specialists Carl Zeiss on a pair of digital glasses that would connect wirelessly to the next iPhone and display images and other information to the wearer.

Following today's research from UBS's Steve Milunovich saying Apple has 1,000 engineers working on a top secret project that would give the next iPhone 3D mapping capability using stereoscopic vision, Scoble told MacRumors that Apple is “readying a three-ounce pair of glasses that pair with iPhone 8 for mixed reality.”

UBS: Apple has 1,000 engineers working on augmented reality, tech to debut in iPhone 8

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 28, 2017

According to analyst Steven Milunovich and his team at UBS, augmented reality (AR) will likely be Apple's next major product innovation.

In a research note seen by Business Insider, Milunovich writes that the Cupertino firm may have well over a thousand engineers working on a project in Israel that could be related to augmented reality.

UBS expects Apple to implement augmented reality in iPhone 8, which could include “moderate 3D mapping using stereoscopic vision” based on a technology called Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) as well as a software development kit for app makers to take advantage of the handset's rumored AR features.

WSJ: iPhone 8 to sport curved OLED screen, supplant Lightning with USB-C

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 28, 2017

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that iPhone will feature a flexible screen based on organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display technology and supplant Lightning with USB-C.

The story corroborates KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi-Kuo's claims that Apple will release three new phones this year in the form of the brand new OLED-based iPhone 8 model with refreshed industrial design and the more iterative LCD-based iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus updates.

TSMC kicking off commercial shipments of 10-nanometer chips next month

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 24, 2017

Semiconductor foundry Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is kicking off commercial shipments of chips built on its new ten-nanometer process technology, ahead of iPhone 8, sources told Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes. TSMC is building iPhone 7's A10 Fusion chip and is said to have landed an exclusive contract to manufacture processors for 2017 iPhone and iPad models.

Samsung to take on iPhone 8 with 6.2″ Galaxy S8+ with eye scanner, Quad HD+ screen & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 1, 2017

Samsung is looking to pre-empt Apple's expected monster upgrade cycle stemming from pent-up demand for a cutting-edge iPhone with a new Plus-branded Galaxy smartphone, as was previously rumored. Likely named Galaxy S8+, it should have an iris scanner and a 6.2-inch AMOLED screen with a Quad HD+ 3,200-by-1,800 pixel resolution.

That's according to prolific leakster Evan Blass.

Among other features, iPhone 8 may support AR and 3D image capture/modeling via an improved FaceTime camera and use two-step biometric authentication combining either an iris scanner or 3D facial recognition and a Touch ID fingerprint reader embedded into the display. It's been inferred from a recent KGI report that iPhone 8's 5.8-inch 521 PPI AMOLED display should feature an active display area of about 5.1 inches with a native resolution of 2,800-by-1,242 pixels and the content area of 2,436-by-1,125 pixels.

Reuters: Apple has at least five different groups working on wireless charging

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 23, 2017

Citing a person with knowledge of the matter, Reuters reported Thursday that there are at least five different groups within Apple working on wireless charging technologies ahead of iPhone 8. As we reported recently, the iPhone maker has joined the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC).

Qualcomm teases new 1.2 Gbps LTE modem chip—will Apple adopt it for future iPhones?

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 21, 2017

Qualcomm and Apple are currently embroiled in a legal spat involving excessive royalties, casting serious doubt on the possibility of a Qualcomm-made LTE modem in a future iPhone. Today, Qualcomm teased a brand new Snapdragon X20 LTE chip, its second-gen Gigabit LTE modem.

It's capable of fiber-like LTE Category 18 downloads of up to 1.2 gigabits per second, or one-fifth faster than the previous X16 chip. Upload speeds go up to a theoretical maximum of 150 megabits per second. It's expected to ship in the first half of 2018.

Only time will tell if Apple plans on dual-sourcing cellular modems from both Qualcomm and Intel, in which case 2018 iPhones could theoretically support faster-than-Gigabit-LTE downlink speeds of up to 150 megabytes per second.

iPhone 8 predicted to have 3 GB RAM and come in 64GB and 256GB flavors

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 21, 2017

Apple's first OLED-based iPhone will have three gigabytes of RAM like the current iPhone 7 Plus models and come in two storage capacities—64GB and 256GB—eliminating the current 32GB SKU as an entry-level option when it comes to storage size. It won't feature a curved display due to production and drop test issues with 3D glass, as per Chinese research firm TrendForce.

KGI: iPhone 8’s FaceTime camera to support 3D sensing, AR, biometric authentication & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 21, 2017

We heard before that Apple might integrate augmented reality features into iPhone 8’s Camera app and now KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has provided fresh details about a “revolutionary” front-facing camera system that will “bring an innovative user experience” to Apple's first OLED iPhone.

In a note to clients, obtained by AppleInsider, the analyst writes that a pair of infrared transmitting and receiving sensors on the FaceTime camera will help the next iPhone provide features ranging from 3D sensing and modeling to advanced biometric authentication combining facial scanning and Touch ID fingerprint recognition.