CNC blank of 'iPhone 8' appears on Twitter, likely based on previous questionable diagrams

By Mike Wuerthele

A purported Foxconn CNC model of the "iPhone 8" has surfaced online -- but as with the diagrams leaked over the last two weeks, there is no way to tell how accurate the model is, or if it is even close to what Apple will ship.

Shared by twitter user VenyaGeskin1, the alleged "CNC model" shows the purported "iPhone 8" sporting an edge-to-edge screen with 2.5-D glass front and back. The publisher claims that there are dual-front cameras, a 4-millimeter bezel, the previously rumored vertical camera array, and a metal frame.

While the angles of the shot make it difficult to get any sense of dimensions, Geskin claims that it is 7.1 millimeters thick. In a follow-up tweet, he claims that the camera protrusion still exists, but this is not shown on the earlier photo of the "CNC model."

There is no obvious Touch ID sensor on the back of the unit pictured. Yet another Tweet suggests that the design is "even more merged than S8" and "not like iPhone 4."

Geskin's Twitter biography notes that he makes "realistic renders based on rumors and leaks," casting even more doubt on the alleged leak.

While at this point in 2016 the final, external design of the iPhone 7 was one of several rumors being bandied about, the veracity of this model clearly cannot be authenticated.

On April 13, a sketchy diagram clearly labeled as an EVT, or Engineering Validation Test, appeared, featuring a device thicker than that of the iPhone SE, currently the thickest iPhone that Apple produces.

Later, on April 19, a schematic with the flash in the position that it is seen on on Friday's renders appeared. The measurements showed a phone with equal dimensions to the leak earlier in the week.

It is unclear if any of the "leaks" in the past two weeks are genuine product diagrams, fabrications from whole cloth, or engineering samples. Multiple reports have indicated that the company is still testing a variety of external case designs before fabrication begins, ahead of an anticipated September product unveiling.

The "iPhone 8" is predicted to sport an edge-to-edge OLED panel with a 5.1-inch user space -- the rest dedicated to virtual buttons. Slimming or removing the bezels would allow Apple to cram a larger battery into a form factor similar in size to the 4.7-inch iPhone 7. Also expected is a new 3D facial scanner .

With a complete redesign said to be forthcoming in the device implementing a curved glass back with wireless charging, some reports have pegged the starting price of the "iPhone 8" at more than $1,000.