The craze for Apple’s 10th anniversary iPhone 8 is unlikely to subside this year. The device is still a few months away, but we have come across all kinds of leaks and rumors about it. These leaks have given concept designers enough details needed to imagine what the phone would look like in reality. ValueWalk brings one such Apple iPhone 8 concept inspired by supply chain leaks and rumors.
An Apple iPhone 8 concept based on leaks
This concept has a 5.8-inch bezel-less display, in line with recent leaks. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo told investors earlier this year that the iPhone 8 would feature a 5.8-inch display, which would house a function area at the bottom. The top and bottom bezels have almost vanished. The Apple iPhone 8 concept has no physical home button on the front panel.
Leaked iPhone 8 CAD drawings have revealed that the fingerprint sensor would be integrated into the display. The front panel looks like a single piece of glass. The ear speaker, front camera, iris scanner, and other sensors are placed under the display panel. It would be rather difficult for Apple to integrate these sensors beneath the display. There have been contradictory reports about the placement of front camera and other sensors.
Some leaks claim that these features would be sitting beneath the display. But many others including a screen protector listing by MobileFun indicate that there would be a cutout near the top bezel to house the front camera and other features. In either case, Apple has utilized the screen space on both sides, as this concept shows, of the camera to include icons for signal strength, battery, and time.
The concept has a vertical dual camera on the back
On the rear panel, the dual camera system is positioned vertically rather than horizontally. The LED flash is positioned between the two cameras, essentially becoming a part of the camera bump. The vertical arrangement of the dual camera is said to facilitate augmented reality that Apple will reportedly introduce with the iPhone 8. The tech giant has made a set of tools called ARKit available to developers to build AR experiences into their iOS 11 apps.
There is no sign of Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the back panel. The feature is likely to be integrated into the OLED display panel. Earlier this month, a Foxconn insider said in a Reddit thread that Apple had tested a few prototypes with in-display fingerprint solution, but the yield rates were below expectations. The Foxconn insider added that Apple was focusing on improving the yield rate rather than moving Touch ID to the rear panel.
The concept imagines the 10th anniversary iPhone 8 with a glass back. Apple is switching from unibody aluminum design to a glass sandwich design where the front and rear glass panels would be supported by a metal frame. The glass back panel would facilitate wireless charging. The concept iPhone 8 has IP68 waterproofing capabilities.
iPhone 8 launch timing
Almost all analysts and leaks have suggested a delay in the iPhone 8 launch. Though Apple may announce the device with the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus in September, it would start shipping in October/November. The delay is caused by implementation of and yield issues with new features. Now an Apple supplier has hinted that the iPhone 8 would hit the store shelves in October.
Finisar, which is responsible for laser sensors in the iPhone 8, said during its earnings call that “one company” would be buying tens of millions of laser sensors later this year. The only company that Finisar is said to be doing business at such a large scale is none other than Apple. Based on Finisar’s production schedule, Loup Ventures analyst Gene Munster estimates that the iPhone 8 shipments would begin in October.
