Metal iPhone 8 Frame Photos Shared, Leak Points To Slow Modem Speed

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We’re still months away from the release of Apple’s next-generation iPhones, but now some images that are said to be of a metal iPhone 8 frame have been leaked. Because this iPhone 8 leak is only a photo of the metal frame, it doesn’t give many details about what most expect to be a special tenth anniversary edition. However, the purported metal iPhone 8 frame does provide a hint at the device’s overall size. The phone’s front is expected to be all or nearly all display.

Meanwhile, another iPhone 8 leak suggests that the phone could lag the Samsung Galaxy S8 in a key area: LTE modem spead

Purported images of metal iPhone 8 frame appear

This iPhone 8 leak comes courtesy of SlashLeaks, and it doesn’t include any details. It does offer a comparison of what the leaker claims is the metal iPhone 8 frame next to a case that fits an iPhone 6. The comparison is an important one because it’s generally believed that the iPhone 8 will have the biggest display ever seen on an iPhone.

Despite the large screen, more than one iPhone 8 leak has indicated that the screen-to-body ratio will be rather large. So if the leaks are true, the iPhone 8’s overall size won’t increase much from the size of the iPhone 7 even though the display is expected to be much larger than that of the iPhone 7. As has been rumored for a long time, the iPhone 8 is expected to be the first iPhone model sporting an OLED screen.

Another iPhone 8 leak suggests it will lag Galaxy S8 in LTE modem speed

Leaks about the iPhone 8 are likely to heat up even further as the summer goes on, and that certainly seems to be the case today. Multiple articles are trying to capture clicks from those interested in what Apple has on tap for the tenth anniversary of the iPhone.

Fans and investors are expecting a lot from Apple’s rumored special edition model, but one area in which it could be lacking is LTE modem speed. Bloomberg reports that the company is planning to use modems from both Intel and Qualcomm in this year’s iPhone models, which runs counter to most U.S. mobile carriers’ desire to highlight the speed of their networks. Verizon, AT&T and other major carriers have been upgrading their networks to offer download speeds of up to 1 gigabit of data in one second, which is 100 times faster than the speeds previously offered.

How Apple’s battle with Qualcomm will impact the iPhone 8

However, Apple is at odds with Qualcomm, which sells a model offering LTE modem speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second in download speeds. Intel is still working on a modem with such high speeds. Apple reportedly doesn’t want to be limited to just one supplier, especially when it is dealing with a court case involving that one supplier. It has accused Qualcomm of running a monopoly in smartphone modems.

According to Bloomberg, even though Apple will be placing some orders with Qualcomm, the company reportedly plans to cap download speeds on the Qualcomm modems so that all of this year’s iPhones offer the same LTE modem speeds, even though Qualcomm’s modems are capable of offering faster speeds. This will not only put the iPhone 8 on par with the iPhone 7s and 7s Plus but also make all of Apple’s iPhones look slow compared to the Samsung Galaxy S8 and other high-end smartphones featuring Qualcomm’s fast LTE modem speeds.

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