The Apple iPhone is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and to mark this huge achievement, the Cupertino Company has some interesting plans for the 2017 iPhone 8, at least according to the latest rumors.
In order to keep the competition bars as high as possible, the tech giant will reportedly be introducing some of the features that have propelled the Android world to where it is now. Talk of OLED screens, wireless charging, IP certification and much more. The iPhone 8 has months before it is finally unveiled, but talk of the phone is already boiling up, especially now that that the first mobile tech show of the year is just weeks away. With this in mind, here’s a look at the 8 surprises to look forward to come September 2017.
AMOLED display screen
It has been rumored before that Apple will finally ditch LCD panels in favor of AMOLED screens. Well, the iPhone 8 should be the first to come with this technology. This means that users will enjoy deeper blacks, brighter whites and brilliant colors while at the same time keeping the battery consumption rate as low as possible.
It has been rumored that the iPhone 8 will get a curved screen like the Galaxy S7 Edge, something the latter’s successor will also be coming in with a few weeks from now.
All-new Home button
Unlike in the past where Apple iPhones have featured a physical Home button, there will be something new on the iPhone 8. Apple will completely re-engineer the button and make it part of the display screen. The home button will somehow keep the Touch ID while at the same time work hand-in-hand with a new Taptic Engine, thus giving back precise feedback with each press. Users will also be able to tweak this feature to their own preference.
Dual lens 16MP camera
Apple has always kept its smartphone cameras’ megapixel count as low as possible, with the current iPhone 7 Plus having 12MP+12MP on the back. Well, according to reports, the new iPhone 8 Plus will ship with a 16MP+16MP dual-lens camera on the back with an even better f/1.7 aperture. This snapper will be capable of 4K video recording, same as the standard iPhone 8, but the latter will keep the single-lens setup on the standard iPhone 7.
There will be a third variant known as iPhone 8 Pro. Like the iPhone 8 Plus, the former will also come with a dual-lens camera setup on the back as well as OIS, among other features. Apple is said to be working on including a quad-LED true tone flash on the main camera, but the front snapper might keep the 8MP HD sensor that debuted with last year’s models.
Three models with six color variants
There have been talks of an iPhone Pro model since the days before iPhone 7 was launched. Now, this has once again surfaced, with reports claiming that the 2017 Apple iPhone will come in three models. We’ll have a standard iPhone 8, an iPhone 8 Plus and as noted earlier, a third model known as iPhone 8 Pro. In addition to silver, rose gold and the new jet black color variants, this year’s models will also get a new jet white, space black, and a polished gold finish.
iPhone 8 Pro and Apple Pencil
The introduction of the Apple iPhone 8 Pro is not just for the sake of having more units to sell, but there are some real differences here. Apparently, the new model will be opening into a new world of creativity thanks to the supported Apple Pencil. The phone will be sensitive to pressure to allow users easily come up with a varied set of artistic designs – similar to what happens with conventional pencils – however, this one will give you a pixel-perfect precision.
Apple wants to bring in a device that will make Samsung Galaxy Note 8 sweat for its money when it is eventually unveiled. Samsung has had zero competition with respect to the Galaxy Note series, especially when it comes to the S Pen, but it seems Apple is finally putting together something that can take on the phablet head-to-head. LG has tried getting there with the Stylo series, but it hasn’t managed to hit the same heights as what the Note series from Samsung.
Iris scanner
Samsung launched an iris scanning technology with the Galaxy Note 7. This was amazing, but many did not get a chance to use it as the phone did not last long. Apple may take this direction with the iPhone 8. This is an additional security and privacy layer that promises to work with contact lenses (clear), non-mirrored sunglasses as well as eyeglasses. This feature will let you unlock your phone in a hassle-free manner as well as authorize Apple Pay transactions.
Faster and more efficient USB-C
If the latest rumors are to be believed, Apple iPhone 8 will come with the latest USB-C port. This is faster than microUSB 3.0 and in fact, it can reach 10GB/s when transferring files. When compared to USB 3.0, you get transfer speeds that are 2x faster, but it is 20x faster than USB 2.0.
Wireless charging
Apple did away with the 3.5mm headphone last year and it is expected to continue with the iPhone 8. This means that users have to depend on the USB-C port for audio listening via their earphones. It also means that one cannot listen to music via the wired earphones when charging the phone. Well, there is a way out with the upcoming iPhone 8. As it is, the Cupertino Company will introduce a new wireless charging technology that allows charging of the phone from as far as 3 meters.