Apple iPhone 8 New Design: Is This The Real Deal?

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It appears the waterfall of Apple leaks from the last few weeks isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. Forbes contributor, Gordon Kelly, recently got his hands on some CAD files for the iPhone 8. By rendering these files, he was able to create what is likely the most accurate visual of the iPhone 8 new design that we have seen to date. Of course, that’s assuming that the CAD files he has are actually from the iPhone 8 and not some fan project.

The renderings reveal the much-anticipated iPhone 8 new design. Many industry watchers have long been talking about a major change in the design of the iPhone for the 10th anniversary model but this is truly a whole new direction for Apple. Check out the rendered images below:

There’s a lot to take in with this iPhone 8 new design so let’s break it down feature by feature and how they connect with some of the popular rumors from the past few weeks.

Goodbye Home Button!

One of the most popular iPhone 8 rumors has been about the loss of the home button and how Apple would incorporate secure unlocking on their new device. This rumor has been the source of the iPhone 8 delay talk that has dogged the company leading up to their expected announcement this fall. These renders seems to suggest the home button is gone from the bottom-center of the device. There is, however, a new button on the right-hand side in this rumored iPhone 8 new design. This will likely act as a lock and unlock key, similar to what we find on many Android devices.

If you have been soaking in the juicy iPhone 8 rumors then you know that Apple has been facing a major problem with their Touch ID sensor. Talk has been that Apple was looking to embed the Touch ID fingerprint sensor underneath the OLED screen. If these renders are accurate, then it would appear Apple has gone that route. Or have they? Some rumors were suggesting that Apple was struggling to get the Touch ID sensor to work quickly and reliably after being moved to its new location. There was a rumor that suggested Apple could be facing a shipment delay because of the Touch ID sensor. The alternative was to launch without Touch ID at all. Of course, we can’t tell from renders whether a Touch ID sensor is present underneath the screen. It still remains up in the air if the iPhone 8 will carry the feature but we do know, according to these images, that the home button (as we know it) is dead.

iPhone 8 New Design
Image source: Gordon Kelly/Forbes

Hello 3D Face Scanner!… Maybe

I don’t claim to know what a 3D face scanner looks like. However, I do know that this render has 4 camera-like sensors on the front of the device. It seems to me that you would need more than a regular, old camera sensor in order to do 3D face scanning. So what is the purpose of a 3D face scanner?

Apple wanted to give iPhone 8 users a new, secure way to unlock their device. Enter: 3D face scanning. The idea was that front-facing sensors could be used to unlock the iPhone 8, authorize payments through Apple Pay, and unlock certain secure apps. However, this feature was also the source of many rumors. Some suspected that there were issues with making 3D face scanning work reliably due to a software issue. Of course, this wouldn’t have been as big of a deal if there weren’t also rumored problems with Touch ID. If 3D face scanning is supposed to replace Touch ID, but it doesn’t work properly, then Apple could be facing a very rough launch.

It would probably be safe to assume that Apple has solved the 3D face scanning issues with the iPhone 8. However, Apple Maps was also a thing so it’s never safe to make any assumptions when it comes to iPhone launches.

New Dual Camera Sensor

Of course, the iPhone 7 featured a dual camera sensor but the alignment has been changed, according to these iPhone 8 new design renders. This move would make sense with more and more emphasis being put on augmented reality (AR). AR tends to work better in landscape mode which would mean that vertically-aligned camera sensors would offer a better viewing experience. This also raises the question about what kind of play in the AR space that Apple could have up their sleeve. There is an ARKit in iOS 11 so it’s not like this information is coming out of left field. A lot of analysts are expecting AR to be the next big thing in mobile computing and if Apple can be there first major player to offer a widespread consumer offering then they could be swimming in even more money than they already have.

Announcement Coming Soon

If the rumors of delays and missing features prove to be untrue then it would be expected that Apple announces the iPhone 8 in the coming weeks or months with a fall launch date in the works. This would be in line with Apple’s usual release schedule of their iPhone lineup and, of course, get the iPhone 8 to market just in time for the holiday shopping season. Hopefully we won’t have to wait much longer to get a real look at what the iPhone 8 new design has in store this fall.

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