Rumors about the iPhone 8 have been running rampant for so long that some of the features the phone is said to have are being seen as near-guarantees. However, many of those features now seem to be up in the air based on fresh rumors that suggest much lower levels of certainty. Analysts may have set Apple up for a huge fall by promising the world to consumers and investors.
Will the iPhone 8 be as great as promised?
Most analysts have based at least part of their thesis on the so-called iPhone 8 “super cycle” based on preconceptions of a massive iPhone with no Home button, wireless charging and an OLED display. But some of these features might not end up in the final product, while others might be in it but just not as good as currently being billed. First we started hearing that the OLED display might not be a given, but now there are more.
In a research note dated March 27, Susquehanna analyst Christopher Rolland summarized his recent trip to Asia, which included some interesting tidbits about the iPhone 8. He corroborated the long-running rumor that there will be three iPhone models this year: a 4.7-inch iPhone 7s, a 5.5-inch iPhone 7s Plus and a 5.8-inch iPhone 8 with an OLED display. He said his sources claim that all three models will feature wireless charging with Pegatron and Foxconn manufacturing the transmit pads. However, those sources also expressed “skepticism” about the efficiency of the wireless charging feature with some estimating that it could take three hours to fully charge the iPhone.
What about that Home button?
Another long-running rumor is that the iPhone 8 won’t have a physical Home button, and this is one feature that most are considering to be a near guarantee. Rolland himself doesn’t expect a physical Home button on it, but he said that some of Apple’s suppliers feel that this isn’t a guarantee. He explained that the iPhone maker “has had some technical issues validating the technology,” but he didn’t go into a lot of detail on what that means exactly.
He also said the OLED iPhone model might feature “an unusual L-shaped battery” which would provider greater design flexibility. His sources told him that the two iPhone 7s models will go into production in June, but the iPhone 8 won’t enter production until two months after that.
More detail on that USB-C rumor
The analyst also added some interesting color to the rumor regarding USB-C and Lightning ports on the iPhone 8. Recently we heard conflicting stories about whether the smartphone would have one or both types of ports, but the matter seemed settled with a report that the 8 would still have Apple’s proprietary Lightning port but that it would also support USB-C via an adaptor.
Now, however, Rolland said USB-C won’t replace the Lightning port in the iPhone 8, but Apple is considering doing that for next year’s iPhone models. He added that his sources believe the iPhone maker could be developing “an interoperable hybrid that mixes the best of both technologies.”
