When it leaks, it pours. The iPhone 8 has been very prone to leaks this summer. Even Apple has gotten in on the leaking themselves when they accidentally revealed iPhone 8 details through their HomePod firmware. Now, we are graced with even more leaks as Dutch website, Techtastic, has shown off the best photos of the iPhone 8 we have seen to date. Not only do we get photos of the iPhone 8 but we also get a look at some cases for Apple’s upcoming devices as well. So, without wasting any more time, let’s jump in!
Clear photos of the front and the back of the iPhone 8 – or at least what we believe is the iPhone 8. It seems to have a lot of the rumored characteristics that have been discussed all summer long. For example, in the photo of the rear of the iPhone 8 we see that long-rumored dual camera sensor. What’s the big deal, right? The iPhone 7 Plus had a dual camera sensor. The big difference between the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 7 Plus is that the iPhone 8 is expected to sport a vertically aligned dual camera sensor. A vertically aligned sensor much like the one we see in these new photos of the iPhone 8. Why the vertical alignment? Well, Apple is likely making a big play in the augmented reality space this fall and AR works best in a landscape environment. Turn the iPhone 8 onto its side and now you have dual camera sensors operating in landscape mode.
Of course, there’s more to suggest that Apple cares about AR than just dual camera sensors aligned in a certain fashion. Tim Cook recently lead the company’s earning call with talk about AR. It wasn’t a last minute thing to discuss or a random question brought up by someone on the call. No. Tim Cook opened this incredibly important earnings call for one of the most profitable companies in the world with talk about AR. Also, iOS 11 has an ARKit included in the software. Need any more evidence Apple is taking AR seriously this fall? You’ll probably get all the evidence you need when they finally make an official announcement about the iPhone 8.
One thing we notice on the back side of the device is no fingerprint sensor. This seems to fly in the face of the photos we saw yesterday. Of course, those photos could be for a different version of the iPhone. We know Apple is planning to launch an iPhone 7S and 7S Plus alongside the iPhone 8 so it’s possible those devices could have a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. It’s also possible that the photos showing the fingerprint sensor on the back are an attempt to get people excited over nothing. It does add some mystery to everything. Which photos are accurate?
Looking to the front of the device we see the same style that was leaked in the HomePod firmware. That new OLED screen stretches from edge to edge and the home button is dead and gone. Of course, with the home button gone that means that TouchID has moved somewhere on the device. A lot of rumors suggest that the fingerprint sensor has been integrated into the power/lock button on the right-hand side. These photos of the iPhone 8 don’t give us the answer to that question, they just further support the news about the iPhone 8 design that we have been hearing all summer.
Techtastic also has an image of a rumored iPhone 8 case. You can see it placed between an iPhone 7 Plus case (left) and an iPhone 7 case (right). The case clearly shows the new dual camera sensor alignment. Strangely, there is a cutout where the Apple logo should be that shows a fingerprint pattern. This could be some kind of error. A circular cutout like that would likely be to show off the Apple logo. I suppose there is the possibility that the Apple logo could also act as a fingerprint sensor in the iPhone 8. That seems doubtful and we haven’t heard anything to back that up so I have to assume that the fingerprint pattern is an error of some sort.
Using the case images we can also see that the iPhone 8 seems to be a little smaller than the iPhone 7 Plus. This makes sense. If the home button has been removed and the iPhone 8 is moving ahead with a nearly bezel-less display; the device should have a similar amount of screen real estate in a smaller form factor.
There you have it. New photos of the iPhone 8 to chew on until the next big iPhone leak. Of course, as always, these leaks are meant to be taken with a grain of salt. Nothing is official until you see Tim Cook announce it on stage. Do these latest photos of the iPhone 8 get you more excited for the launch of Apple’s upcoming flagship or will you be looking elsewhere for your next device?
