In the past few week, iPhone 8 leaks have gone from a gentle drip to a full on fire hose mishap. The leaks are coming about as fast as my little fingers can type. You may remember the rendered iPhone 8 images leak from yesterday. Now, BGR has a an exclusive look using animated image renders of the iPhone 8.
This iPhone 8 images leak is a bit more substantial than the one we got yesterday. First, the rotating, animated image gives us a better feel for how the phone looks at all angles. Of course there are elements of the classic iPhone design but there are also some major changes in the works. Once again, we see no home button in its usual location. The new button on the right hand side of the phone will likely serve as a home/lock/unlock button. Some reports are even suggesting that Touch ID may be present in the right-hand side home button. There have been rumors that Apple wanted to embed the Touch ID sensor underneath the screen but was having trouble with reliability. If Apple was unable to solve that issue then it would make sense to move Touch ID to a physical location and ensure that the iPhone 8 can ship on time.
We also see what looks like 4 camera sensors at the top of the display. This is just like the previous leak and would seem to confirm the rumor that Apple is moving ahead with a 3D face scanner. It has long been rumored that Apple wanted to include 3D face scanning technology in the iPhone 8 that allows users to perform tasks that previously required fingerprint or PIN verification. If the newest iPhone 8 images leak is correct, it would appear that iPhone 8 owners will be able to unlock their device, authorize Apple Pay purchases, and open secure apps simply by scanning their face. Of course, one of the rumors dogging Apple for the past few weeks has been about the supposed unreliability of 3D face scanning. With the Touch ID functionality in limbo as well, Apple can’t afford to have one, or both, of those features incomplete or faulty at launch.
On the back of the device we also see the vertically aligned dual camera sensor. We know Apple is looking ahead to augmented reality (AR) and has included an ARKit in iOS 11. AR works best in landscape mode so the vertically mounted sensors make sense for when users turn their phone sideways to experience AR on their device.
Probably one of the more exciting parts of this iPhone 8 images leak is that we get a chance to see what the screen looks like. Of course, these are just rendered images courtesy of a case manufacturer and the display could prove to be slightly different. Probably the strangest part of the display is the portion that stretches around the front camera sensors. Based on yesterday’s leak I have expected the display to stop somewhere below that bar rather then stretch to the very top of the device. I’m not sure how I feel about the display if this render does turn out to be accurate. One one hand, less bezel is more awesome. On the other hand, the cutout for the sensors and speaker looks awkward. It looks like it took a bite out of the screen. If the iPhone 8 does ship with a display like this then it will surely elicit a love/hate reaction from consumers this fall.
UnboxTherapy on Twitter also posted some iPhone 8 images. Check them out below:
Keep in mind that the iOS 11 preview for the iPhone 8 dummy unit shown in these photos is a printed design on a screen protector from a graphic designer showing their expectations. The appearance of the screen should be taken with a grain of salt. I, for one, am hoping that this is not what the iPhone 8 screen layout looks like. The virtual home button looks like garbage and it doesn’t even make sense as to why they would include a virtual home button when they have, allegedly, moved the home button to the side. It doesn’t look clean or modern at all and I can’t imagine this layout is actually what Apple is moving ahead with on their biggest design change in recent years. Hopefully we see a much more well-designed layout once the iPhone 8 launch arrives.
Nonetheless, it’s nice to have more iPhone 8 images leak for us to analyze. The high resolution photos of the shape of this dummy unit are definitely in line with the renders we have seen over the last few days. It looks like leak season has officially kicked into top gear. What do you think of the newest iPhone 8 images leak from BGR and UnboxTherapy? Love it? Hate it? Still trying to decide?
