Apple will be releasing three new iPhones tomorrow at its special event. Until now, the rumor mill has been referring to the upcoming iPhones as iPhone 8, iPhone 7S, and iPhone 7S Plus. The 10th anniversary model with an OLED display was said to be called iPhone 8, while the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus were the iterative upgrades with LCD panels. Now leaked iOS 11 gold master (GM) firmware reveals that the upcoming phones would be called Apple iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. The names will become official on September 12th.
Apple iPhone X: The dilemma of ’10’ vs ‘ex’
The iOS 11 GM also shed light on the anniversary model’s “notch” design, animated emojis, AirPods update, and the launch of the LTE Apple Watch Series 3. According to 9to5Mac, noted developer Steve Troughton-Smith found evidence of the official names just days before the launch event. 9to5Mac speculates that Apple might have finalized the naming close to the launch.
Just a few days ago, accessories manufacturers indicated that the upcoming iPhones would be called iPhone Edition, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus. It turns out, they were accurate about two models. Steve Troughton-Smith’s searches in iOS 11 GM returned both the Apple iPhone X and iPhone 8 names. It means the tech giant will ditch the iPhone ‘S’ moniker this year, as we reported last month.
iPhone 8
iPhone 8 Plus
iPhone X pic.twitter.com/OVLfhLxTdT— Steve T-S (@stroughtonsmith) September 9, 2017
It makes sense for Apple to change the naming pattern. If the upgrades to current models were named iPhone 7S and 7S Plus and the anniversary model was called iPhone 8, it would have placed Apple in a serious dilemma next year. Then the 2018 lineup would have looked like iPhone 8 (again), iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone 8S. Apple wouldn’t want to launch the regular and ‘S’ versions in the same year.
Skipping the ‘S’ moniker also suggests that the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus would carry large improvements over the current models, even though they will stick to LCD panels. We can expect them to have some newness that lacks in an ‘S’ version. They are said to feature a glass back panel, a faster A11 processor, and inductive wireless charging support via Qi charging technology.
The 10th anniversary Apple iPhone X is expected to be in short supply. Some even speculate that its launch could be delayed by a few weeks due to supply issues. The iPhone X name conveys both “10” as well as “experimental.” However, Apple might not be happy with the “experimental” tag. The OS X software was meant to be called “10”, but users pronounced it as “OS ex” for years. The tech giant eventually renamed the software as macOS last year.
Apple iPhone X features
In case you were living in a cave disconnected from the world for the last several months, the Apple iPhone X is rumored to feature a giant 5.8-inch OLED screen in a form factor similar to the iPhone 7. It will ditch the home button, and many of the home button functions will now be performed using gesture controls. The iPhone X is also expected to get rid of the Touch ID fingerprint sensor in favor of a new facial recognition technology.
The face detection technology will be called Face ID, according to the iOS 11 GM, though it was internally code-named Pearl ID. The feature will rely on 3D infrared sensors. According to recent leaks, the Face ID will be incredibly fast. It will be able to recognize your face and unlock the device in “the millionth of a second.” The device will have minimal bezels on the sides, and a cutout at the top to house the 3D infrared sensor, ear speaker, and front camera.
The Apple iPhone X will have inductive wireless charging, just like the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. It would feature a vertically-oriented dual camera system on the back. Both the wide-angle and telephoto lenses will support optical image stabilization (OIS). The iOS 11 GM also revealed that the iPhone X camera would be able to capture 4K videos at 60 frames per second.
Portrait Lighting, True Tone coming to the iPhone X
The iPhone X camera is also getting a new feature called Portrait Lighting. It will enhance the Portrait Mode by adding different lighting effects. Portrait Lighting is expected to launch in beta. It supports Stage Light, Studio Light, Contour Light, Natural Light, and Stage Light Mono. The 10th anniversary iPhone is also said to feature Animoji, which will use the 3D camera sensors to create emojis that mirror your facial expressions and use your own voice.
The Apple iPhone X display is believed to support True Tone technology similar to the iPad Pro. It will adopt the intensity and color to match the surrounding environment. The 3D sensors on the 10th anniversary iPhone will be able to recognize when the user is looking at the display (‘has attention’) and when they are not. If you are not looking at the screen, it will automatically dim the screen.
If you want to watch tomorrow’s iPhone X unveiling event live, here’s how to do it.
