New report says Apple's 'iPhone 8' already in mass production, despite recent claims

Apple's assembly partners are already working full-tilt on three new iPhones for this fall, acccording to one report, differing from a recent claim that the "iPhone 8" won't enter mass production until mid-September.

The lineup includes two LCD-based phones and one OLED model, DigiTimes sources said on Wednesday. That would support most rumors about Apple's product slate, which have pointed toward 4.7- and 5.5-inch "iPhone 7s" units, and a more radically altered "iPhone 8" with an edge-to-edge, 5.8-inch OLED display.

The people said that while there won't be shortages of the "7s" models, the "8" could potentially run into problems. A number of reports have echoed that sentiment — most recently one from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said that while the "iPhone 8" will launch at the same time as its counterparts, it won't enter volume production until the middle of next month, leaving it in extremely short supply.

Kuo estimated that as few as 2 to 4 million units could be made in the September quarter. That figure could rapidly escalate to between 45 and 50 million units by the end of the year.

Other "iPhone 8" features may include facial recognition, a virtual home button, laser autofocus, fast cable charging, and/or wireless charging. The "7s" line is rumored to be keeping a physical home button, but may share some of the "8's" additions, like charging upgrades.

It's still unclear what the devices will actually be called. The OLED model has sometimes been referred to as the "iPhone X" or "iPhone Pro," the latter being a possibility in light of the iPad Pro, Mac Pro, MacBook Pro, and upcoming iMac Pro.