The most awaited smartphone of the year is just a few months away. As the iPhone 8 release date draws closer, more and more leaks have been suggesting a radical design overhaul and exciting new features. A new iPhone 8 screen protector listing has confirmed the 10th anniversary iPhone’s design changes. The leak comes from reliable accessories maker MobileFun.
iPhone 8 screen protector listed on MobileFun for $31.99
MobileFun is the same company that accurately leaked the Galaxy S8 design months before Samsung unveiled its flagship phone. The accessories maker was also one of the first to confirm the iPhone 7 design and the removal of the headphone jack. This time, MobileFun has officially listed an “Olixar iPhone 8 Full Cover Tempered Glass Screen Protector” priced at $31.99.
The iPhone 8 screen protector listing confirms the design overhaul. The device has a huge 5.8-inch edge-to-edge display. There is a cutout in the top bezel, which houses the front camera, an iris scanner, ear speaker, and other sensors. The screen on both sides of the cutout has been utilized to show icons for battery, time, WiFi and signal strength. It’s similar to recent concept images created by iDropNews.
Fingerprint sensor to be embedded in display or power button?
The iPhone 8 screen protector also confirms the lack of a physical home button and fingerprint sensor. Apple was rumored to integrate the fingerprint scanner into the phone’s OLED display. A Foxconn insider revealed earlier this month that Apple had tested iPhone 8 prototypes with in-display fingerprint sensor, but the yield rates were not satisfactory. Apple also owns patent for a technology to integrate Touch ID into the power button, allowing users to unlock it by placing their finger on the power button.
MobileFun claims its new iPhone 8 screen protector offers “toughness, high visibility and sensitivity all in one package.” It is 3D Touch compatible, meaning the screen protector would not affect the 3D Touch function. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had told investors in February that the iPhone 8 would have a “function area” at the bottom to offer dynamic controls similar to the Touch Bar on MacBook Pro. Given slim bezels and the lack of physical home button, the iPhone 8 may indeed house a function area.
iPhone 8 to bring AR applications
Apple and other vendors provide dimensions of their upcoming devices to accessories makers such as MobileFun to ensure that accessories are available to users in time for launch. MobileFun manages to list its accessories months before a phone’s launch. Noted graphic designer and tipster Benjamin Geskin has also obtained a similar iPhone 8 front panel.
Last week, a Reddit user posted a picture of the iPhone 8 front and back panels, which they had obtained from a “friend in the industry.” The front panel looks identical to the screen protector listed on MobileFun. The back panel has a vertically arranged dual camera system. There is no sign of a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. The LED flash sits between the two camera lenses.
The vertical dual camera is said to support the augmented reality applications. Ming-Chi Kuo predicted earlier this year that Apple would introduce augmented reality with the 10th anniversary iPhone 8. At its WWDC event, the Cupertino company announced a new ARKit to allow app developers to build AR experiences into their apps. The company has a team of more than 1,000 experts working on various AR hardware and software sets.
It would have lower LTE modem speeds than Galaxy S8
Recently, Korean site The Investor reported that Samsung Display would start mass production of OLED panels intended for the 10th anniversary iPhone later this month. Apple has already approved the prototype panels, which indicates that the company has finalized the phone’s design. The Investor claims Samsung will be supplying 10 million OLED panels every month this year.
Other rumored features of the iPhone 8 include wireless charging, IP68 water- and dust-resistance, and a faster A11 chip. A report from Bloomberg claims that the 10th anniversary iPhone would have a lower LTE modem speed than Samsung’s Galaxy S8. That’s because Apple will be sourcing LTE modems from both Intel and Qualcomm to diversify its supplier base. While Qualcomm modems offer an LTE speed of up to 1Gbps, Intel modems are not quite there yet. Apple is said to restrict the speed of Qualcomm modems to ensure that there is no difference between the two versions. Samsung uses Qualcomm modems in Galaxy S8.
iPhone 7S to have a glass back?
Apple will launch two other phones, the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus, along with the iPhone 8 in September. The 7S and 7S Plus would be minor upgrades over the current flagship models. Some reports claim that these phones would have a unibody aluminum chassis, meaning they would not offer wireless charging. But a Reddit user reported that the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus would also sport a glass back to facilitate wireless charging.
The iPhone 8 is said to be the most expensive iPhone ever. It would cost upward of $1,000 for the 256GB version, though the lower storage variant is expected to cost less than $1,000.
