The iPhone 8 is so close we can almost touch it. Apple's new flagship handset is due to be revealed in September, and over the past few months we've learned huge amounts about its updated design.
Apple's next phone is expected to be a big one. With 2017 marking a decade of the iconic iPhone, the big-A's reportedly got something a bit special up its sleeve. Let's face it, the iPhone 7 didn't look or feel all that different to the iPhone 6, but this next iteration could see a shift in design that is far more dramatic.
The iPhone 8 has already been tipped to boast everything from a radical, curved design and innovative display to an all-new camera and major software tweaks. Wireless charging is also expected to finally make the cut too. Huzzah!
iPhone 8 Release Date: When is it coming?
Ever since the 2011-released iPhone 4S, Apple has unveiled its latest headline handsets at a dedicated launch event in September. As such, we don't expect 2017 and the eagerly-awaited iPhone 8 release date to stray from tradition and be any different.
Though Apple hasn't yet been forthcoming with a reveal date, previous debuts have happened between September 8 and September 13.
iPhone 8 Power
Reports regarding the computational muscle of Apple's new flagship have popped up recently, suggesting that the new A11 chip will power both the iPhone 7S AND the iPhone 8. Apple supplier Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) has apparently begun the process of constructing 50 million chips in time for July.
The iPhone 8 is predicted to include a raft of new features, but if it contains the same chip as the 7S, its benefits won't include more processing oomph than the 7-series upgrade.
iPhone 8 Design
Last time out, Apple ditched its bi-annual design refresh cycle and stretched out the iPhone 6-introduced look and feel for another year – boo. While that's not good if you're almost due a free upgrade, if you're holding out for the iPhone 8, you're in luck.
Display and casing
The core feel and look of an iPhone is dictated by the display and chassis, and this year Apple is shaking things up. If rumours and leaks are to be believed, we'll be receiving a phone slightly larger than the iPhone 6 with an edge-to-edge display much like that of the Samsung Galaxy S8.
MacRumours claims to have acquired a dummy model which shows off the fresh design. Dummy models are usually used to allow third party manufacturers to create accessories of the correct spec in time for the product launch.
Notice the new display, which stretches across almost the entire front face of the handset. In shape it's pretty darn similar to the iPhone 7, but it also looks like the 8 will now also feature a glass back.
Adios home button?
Look closely at the dummy model above and you'll notice the absence of a key feature, namely the home button. Most Android handsets dispensed with this feature yonks ago, but Apple is finally following suit.
The axing of the home button has been rumoured for months. Having cited a "person familiar with the matter", Bloomberg has claimed that, like the 3.5mm headphone jack, the home button's days are numbered as Apple looks to slim down its now oversized screen framing.
What software solution Apple will implement to replace it remains unclear, but it has huge implications. Where, for instance, will the fingerprint scanner go? The ability to scan fingerprints is key to phone security, as well as authorising Apple Pay, and was one of the most popular features introduced in recent years.
Rumours have suggested that the scanner will remain on the front face of the device, but will function through the display. Exciting and impressive tech if it turns out to be true.
Facial biometrics and augmented reality
iPhone cameras already rank among the best in the smartphone market, but with the iPhone 8, it looks like Apple will be adding something extra-special: a 3D scanner.
Rumours of 3D biometric scanning and AR tech for the iPhone 8 have been circulating since early 2017, and now multiple sources have indicated that the features are indeed on the way.
Code for the upcoming HomePod smart speaker was recently released by Apple and dissected coders. The code contains references to facial recognition, as well as images of the phone's shape which seem to have been borne out by leaks like the video above.
The implications for augmented reality application are enormous, as are the security implications. Apple may be challenging Samsung's rumoured development of iris-scanning on the S8 with facial biometrics. Either way, it looks like your face could be the new key to your handset.
Reports have also suggested that facial biometrics could allow the iPhone 8 to authorise payments.
A recent report by Bloomberg has also suggested that Apple has hundreds of engineers working on AR tech, including some taken from Oculus and others from Microsoft's Hololens team.
"One of the features Apple is exploring is the ability to take a picture and then change the depth of the photograph or the depth of specific objects in the picture later; another would isolate an object in the image, such as a person's head, and allow it to be tilted 180 degrees. A different feature in development would use augmented reality to place virtual effects and objects on a person, much the way Snapchat works."
iPhone 8 Specs
As well as the innovations and the excitement, the groundbreaking and the revolutionary, a new iPhone means all the typical specs bumps. Expect the iPhone 8 to be quicker than past models, with more RAM, a slightly improved battery life and, potentially, increased storage.
While it's currently unclear exactly how powerful the new phone will be, you can bet that the inbound A11 chipset will offer more grunt than you're ever likely to need.
Current rumours suggest that at last Apple will only be offering the new iPhone in 128GB or 256GB models. Anyone who has experienced a 16GB model in recent years knows how woefully insufficient that much on-board memory is.
What we all really care about is charging times, though. Work is being done on slimmer smartphone batteries to extend the iPhone 8's staying power, and this could be paired with another welcome addition, one that's to date been omitted from Apple's iPhone efforts – wireless charging. Letting you rejuice without the clutter of cables, wireless charging would be a major boon, and build on the foundations laid out by the Apple Watch. This won't just be standard wireless charging either. Super speedy, next-generation wireless charging will reportedly make an appearance.
iPhone 8 Screen
Screen quality is one area where Apple has fallen behind the crowd in recent years. That could be about to change though.
The iPhone 8 though looks set to have something far more special in store – because who doesn't love market-leading image quality and curves in all the right places?
While we've covered off the curved design expectations of the iPhone 8 and its screen, it's the OLED panel that will really catch the eye. The same tech used in the best of the best high-end TVs, an OLED iPhone screen would provide unrivalled colours, unparalleled brightness and blacks so deep and immersive you'll think you've fallen into the depths of space.
Want more? Well, OLED displays have another benefit – they're more power-efficient. This is key if Apple's ever going to achieve that week-long battery life we all covet. OK, we'd settle for two full days in a single charge, but you've got to dream big, right?
iPhone 8 Camera
Much has been claimed about the iPhone 8's camera, with all early reports pointing in the direction of Apple making sweeping changes to improve its overall image quality. Claims range from larger sensors and new lenses to higher megapixel counts and even the possibility of a dual sensor snapper.
What looks likely, however, is that a larger sensor will drop to aid low-light shooting – the more light the sensor can take in, the less grainy and noisy the images – and this will be joined by a dual lens configuration, on both models, not just the larger unit this time. This would allow Apple to capture both colour and monochrome images simultaneously, combining the two to create deeper, more detailed and immersive shots.
What's more, past Apple patents have suggested the company is working on DSLR-style interchangeable lenses for its future phones, but we don't expect to see this in time for the iPhone 8. Sorry.
iPhone 8 Software: Major iOS updates expected
A smartphone refresh this comprehensive deserves changes beneath the surface too, and that's where Apple's latest iOS update will come in. By the time the iPhone 8 rolls around, it will be three years since the last major iOS redesign, and that means it's time for change. Whoo!
Exactly what form this overarching refresh will take, however, is still unclear. There are claims of a ground-up redesign, as well as of more subtle changes. One new feature that looks set to be heading to the iPhone 8, though, is improved security options. Not by adding another digit to your number-based passcode, but with serious software smarts.
It's been suggested that the iPhone 8 could hunt out phone thieves by monitoring their fingerprints and looking at their faces – creepy. If your phone's pinched, the future phone could use biometric indicators, not just to block unwanted access, but to alert the po-po as to who's been a little too light-fingered.
iPhone 8 Colours: Not exactly a rainbow
It seems that this year Apple will be releasing the iPhone 8 in three colours: black, white and bronze. Don't go expecting the multicoloured delights of the iPhone 5C.
iPhone 8 Price: It might be time to remortgage
We all know that Apple's newest, shiniest kit doesn't come cheap, so while the exact iPhone 8 price hasn't yet been confirmed, we know it's going to be expensive.
The top-end, 256GB iPhone 7 Plus already costs £919, and if the iPhone 8 adds the curved screens, OLED panels and all manner of new innards, things are only going to go up on the price front.
A report from Forbes has suggested that higher-end models could cost as much as $1,200 (£932). Given the poor exchange rates due to Brexit, we could be looking at a £1,000+ iPhone model here.
