Photos show alleged display assembly, flex cables for Apple's 'iPhone 8'

The photos first appeared on Chinese social networking site Weibo, and suggest anticipated details like an edge-to-edge OLED display with a sensor "notch." Their authenticity is otherwise difficult to determine, but parts leaks have become relatively common whenever an iPhone enters production.

It's uncertain whether or not the "iPhone 8" is already in mass production. Typically Apple begins iPhone assembly by July to better satisfy demand, but problems with the "8's" OLED display could mean that full-scale output won't happen until mid-September — around the same time as the company's usual fall press event. That could mean the phone will ship later in the season.

Two other products, the "iPhone 7s" and "7s Plus," should arrive in Apple's normal September launch window. Those devices are expected to use 4.7- and 5.5-inch LCDs, but include some features of the "8," such as wireless charging and a faster "A11" processor.

Many aspects of the "iPhone 8" are all but confirmed, in part because Apple's own HomePod firmware revealed the phone's general shape along with features like facial recognition. Still unknown is whether or not that technology will completely replace Touch ID.