Roger Fingas
This year's top-of-the-line iPhone — typically nicknamed the "iPhone 8" — will sport a 5.8-inch OLED screen, Japan's Nikkei said on Sunday as it switched course and backed up similar rumors.
Apple will also release two LCD-based phones, the business publication noted. That matches with previous reports supporting the existence of "iPhone 7s" models with 4.7- and 5.5-inch screens like the iPhone 7.
Previously, Nikkei had suggested the likelihood of a 5-inch iPhone in addition to 4.7- and 5.5-inch models, even implying that the 5.5-inch phone might be the OLED option.
Most current reports are pointing to the "iPhone 8" using an edge-to-edge 5.8-inch OLED panel, but with the practical portion of that being limited to about 5.1 to 5.15 inches. The rest of the space should be reserved for a "function area" replacing the home button found on every other iPhone since the 2007 original.
The bigger display is intended to further hike the average sales price of the iPhone, which is already sitting at about $700, Nikkei said. Though various versions of the iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 7 are available below the $700 mark, many people opt for more expensive configurations.
Some reports have hinted that the "iPhone 8" will cost over $1,000, likely putting it out of range for most shoppers. Some other features may include 3D facial recognition and/or iris scanning.
All three new iPhones should gain wireless charging, and "Type-C" cable charging, though Apple is expected to stick to its proprietary Lightning port rather than adopt the multi-platform USB-C standard.
Malcolm Owen
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10 Comments
Isn't this "report" based on other rumors that have said the same thing? Reading over it, they offered no sources for their claims, not even the nebulous "anonymous supply chain sources."
i don't think a rumor echo counts as a form of corroboration for that rumor.
...that makes the 8 a full-face screen (phys. dimensions remaining the same as 6/7)
I think it's dangerous/foolish/mistaken to mix full-face and 'classic' models in the same product line-up: barring a complete crash'n'burn of the phone itself, 'classic' sales will fall off a cliff...i imagine Phone/Pad will convert to USB-C after everything else, given that the mobiles led the lightning conversion.
I see no reason why Apple would meaninglessly inflate the price of the next phone by 60% (conspiracy theories to the contrary notwithstanding). They are fond of their categories, and keep to them, mostly. The so-called 'anniversary effect' in which Apple will do something lavish or foolish, or meaningless, to one of their cherished products because "ANNIVERSARY!" has run out of steam. If they go to full-face screens & buttonless, that will be big enough w/ the usual refinements/evolutions/etc.
Curious: back in early 2016 did rumors peg the yet-to-be-announced iPhone SE to be called iPhone 7 because it came after the 6S?
I'm having a real hard time imagining Apple calling the 10th anniversary model "iPhone 8." What a marketing nightmare if Apple released an iPhone 7s and 8 simultaneously.
The 10th anniversary model is a special edition, not a successor to the 7s. Duh, right?
And Cook will announce;" And one more thing. We have an iPhone 8 this year..."