Apple has taken the wraps off the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. However, a large number of Apple fans are waiting for the next year’s iPhone 8 because the iPhone 7 has the same design as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S. The 2017 iPhone is rumored to have an entirely new design, besides other major upgrades. However, a famous Apple analyst believes that the dual-camera system will be included only in the ‘high-end’ model of the iPhone 8.
Dual-camera not a ‘mass-market killer’ yet
KGI Securities analyst Ming-chi Kuo said in a research note to investors (via MacRumors) that the dual-camera will be exclusive to the high-end version because of product differentiation concerns and cost issues. It means if you want the dual-camera on a regular iPhone, you may have to wait until 2018. That doesn’t mean the regular iPhone 8 won’t have any camera improvements, though.
Kuo said the dual-camera is not a “mass-market killer application yet.” It costs roughly $30-$40, and Apple has this habit of adding more value to the high-end models to differentiate them. As for other improvements, Kuo believes Apple would add Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) to the telephoto camera as well. In the iPhone 7 Plus, OIS is included only in the wide-angle camera.
iPhone 8 home button to be embedded in the display
Notably, 2017 marks the 10th anniversary of the iPhone and Apple is reportedly preparing for a major design overhaul. The iPhone 8 is said to feature a dual-edge curved OLED display that will make the front of the device look like a single sheet of glass. The home button and other sensors could be incorporated into the display itself. Barclays analysts believe that it will be such a huge upgrade that Apple would skip the ‘iPhone 7S’ moniker and call it iPhone 8.
The 2017 iPhone is also rumored to feature wireless charging and iris scanner. The iris recognition chips will reportedly be supplied by Taiwan-based Xintec, which plans to start production next year to secure orders from Apple and other vendors.
