iPhone 8

iPhone 8 concept imagines rumored “function area” replacing Touch ID and Home button

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 15, 2017

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, along with other analysts, told clients that iPhone 8 would most likely feature a 5.8-inch OLED screen with an active display area of 5.1 inches.

It's now becoming clear that Apple's upcoming handset will probably adopt an almost bezel-less full-screen front face design by ditching the physical Home and Touch ID button.

Its function would be supplanted by a set of dynamic virtual controls sitting in a new “function area” at the bottom of the display. That, in turn, would allow for a range of time-saving shortcuts without degrading the experience, as evidenced in a batch of nicely done renderings created by a MacRumors Forum member “deuxani”.

How iPhone 8’s rumored biometric facial scanning could supplant Touch ID

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 23, 2017

Renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities predicted that iPhone 8 would supplant Touch ID with advanced sensors capable of recognizing one's face with very high accuracy. JPMorgan analyst Rod Hall corroborated Kuo's report, speculating that facial recognition would utilize a front-facing 3D sensor.

For many people, this has been one of the tougher iPhone 8 rumors to swallow. For starters, how would iPhone 8 authenticate the user in the middle of the night? Or in complete darkness? Touch ID lets you unlock your iPhone without looking whereas facial recognition would require you to face the sensor, a major inconvenience.

A few reports have attempted to shed some light on the subject, explaining the basics of 3D motion and object scanning and how Apple might leverage 3D sensors in iPhone 8.

iPhone 8 to boost Retina resolution to 2436×1125 at 521 PPI

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 16, 2017

The next iPhone's OLED display should boost Retina resolution to a whopping 2,436-by-1,125 pixels, or almost twice that of the iPhone 6/6s/7 series, giving the upcoming phone a screen density of a crisp 521 pixels per inch (PPI). That's what KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote in a note issued to clients, a copy of which was obtained by 9to5Mac.

The numbers would give iPhone 8 a screen of 21:9 versus a 16:9 screen ration on current models. By contrast, the current 4.7-inch iPhone 7 has a screen resolution of 1,334-by-750 pixels at 326 PPI—enough to support 720p video content without rescaling.

JPMorgan predicts iPhone 8 would replace fingerprint scanning with facial recognition

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 18, 2017

Touch ID is a core technology that supports a number of Apple services, including Apple Pay. If JPMorgan analyst Rod Hall is to be believed, the next iPhone might ditch Apple's fingerprint reader in favor of facial recognition, CNBC reports. iPhone 8 is thought to sport a front-facing 3D scanner sensor that could replace Apple's Touch ID-enabled Home button. Hall wrote in a research note this week that Touch ID could be phased out if Apple goes with a full-glass front for the next iPhone.

KGI: iPhone 8 to feature 5.8-inch OLED display with virtual buttons

Cody Lee ∙ February 15, 2017

This year's flagship iPhone, often referred to as the 'iPhone 8' or 'iPhone X,' will feature a 5.8-inch display reports KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo. In his latest research note, shared by MacRumors, the analyst says 5.15-inches of the display will be usable, with the rest of it reserved at the bottom for "virtual buttons."

As has been previously rumored, Kuo says the display will take up the entire front of the phone, meaning no bezels or physical Home button. This also means that although the handset will have a display roughly the size of the current iPhone 7 Plus, its body may not be much bigger than the 4.7-inch iPhone 7.

Apple evaluating Chinese display maker BOE’s AMOLED panels for future iPhones

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 15, 2017

Samsung Display is said to be the lone supplier of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels for future iPhones, at least until Foxconn-owned Sharp, Japan Display and LG Display ramp up production of the sophisticated foldable display panels. That said, Apple is looking to address a global shortage of OLEDs by negotiating a deal with yet anther supplier.

That company has been identified as the Chinese display maker BOE, which is expected to supply active matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) display panels for future iPhone models. According to Bloomberg News, Apple’s been evaluating BOE’s AMOLED screens for months now.

Apple’s stock surges to its highest price ever amid growing optimism over iPhone 8

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 14, 2017

Apple is breaking records—the company's stock price has surged to an all-time intraday high, trading as high as $134.88 today and having surpassed the previous all-time intraday high of $134.54 set on April 28, 2015. The current stock price gives the Cupertino company a market capitalization of nearly $710 billion, the largest market valuation for a publicly traded American company.

According to MarketWatch, just yesterday the stock had closed at a record $133.00, passing the previous record set two years earlier.

DigiTimes: iPhone 8 will sport glass chassis, 4.7″ iPhone 7s to continue using aluminum body

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 23, 2017

Apple is widely expected to release three new iPhones this year: the largely iterative 4.7-inch iPhone 7s and 5.5-inch iPhone 7s Plus upgrades and an all-new premium handset model with a wraparound OLED display measuring 5.8 inches diagonally (with an active display area between 5.1 and 5.2 inches).

According to Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes on Tuesday, only the flagship iPhone 8 model will feature a brand new industrial design with an all-glass chassis while the 4.7-inch phone should continue using an aluminum-alloy chassis like prior iPhones.

KGI: iPhone 8 will squeeze a Plus-sized battery into a smaller form factor

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 13, 2017

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo issued a note to clients this morning, obtained by MacRumors, in which he predicted that Apple's upcoming iPhone 8 would manage to squeeze a Plus-sized battery into a smaller 4.7-inch form factor, possibly having even better battery life than a 5.5-inch LCD iPhone.

This will be achieved by utilizing a pricier stacked logic board design—also known as a substrate-like PCB (SLP) mainboard—that would create additional space inside the device to accommodate a significantly larger battery.

Apple reportedly orders 160 million OLED panels for iPhone 8 from Samsung Display

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 23, 2017

Apple has apparently signed a deal with Samsung Display, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, to build an additional 60 million organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels for iPhone 8, The Korea Herald newspaper reported Monday. The deal is worth five trillion Korean won, or about a $4.3 billion.

The deal is in addition to an agreement that Apple and Samsung signed last year to supply 100 million OLED display panels for iPhone 8.

Rumor: iPhone 8 won’t ship with wireless charger, USB-C cable or headphone jack adapter

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 11, 2017

Japanese blog Mac Otakara claimed Saturday that iPhone 8's rumored wireless charging feature may require a dedicated wireless charger accessory that customers would need to purchase separately. Citing reliable sources within Apple's supply chain, the story goes on to say that iPhone 8 also won't ship with the 3.5mm headphone jack adapter found in the iPhone 7 box nor will it come with a Lightning to USB-C cable as some have hoped.

iPhone 8 again rumored to sport iris scanning and wireless charging

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 10, 2017

Apple's iPhone 8 is (again) rumored to feature wireless charging and iris scanning to permit users to authenticate themselves securely with their eyes, DigiTimes reported Friday. The report, citing sources from Apple's supply chain, adds that the Cupertino company has moved up iPhone 8 production earlier than the schedule in previous years.

According to the report, suppliers are scheduled to begin delivering parts and components for Apple's tenth anniversary handset later in the first quarter of this year.