We’re about a week away from the much-anticipated iPhone 8 launch event. It feels like this summer has been the summer of leaks with no end in sight. Of course, it makes sense that people are craving leaks this summer. The iPhone 8 launch promises to be the biggest iPhone event since the launch of the original iPhone. The tech world is going crazy over what Apple could potentially have up their sleeve. Plus, with the Galaxy Note 8 now launched, the LG V30 revealed, and the Google Pixel XL coming later this fall; smartphone fans are itching to know every single detail in order to make an informed decision.
In case you haven’t had enough leaks, we’ve got another one for you today. This leaked iPhone 8 video claims to show Apple’s upcoming flagship powered on and working. Before you get too excited and think that this is a full, hands on video that shows every single aspect of the iPhone 8; let me temper your expectations. This short leaked iPhone 8 video, shown on Reddit, is more of a peek at the iPhone 8 than a major dive into the device and its capabilities. Check it out for yourself and then we can discuss afterward:
I told you not to get too excited… This video has sparked a big discussion in the Reddit thread where it was shared. A lot of users seem to be questioning the authenticity of the video. While I’m not prepared to come out and say whether this is definitively fake or real – there are a few issues I have with this leaked iPhone 8 video.
First, the room is pitch black other than the display. We don’t get a good look at the body of the device. While the display certainly matches the rumored size and shape of the iPhone 8’s OLED screen, there are a variety of ways someone could have faked this with some other smartphone and case combination. Again, not exactly slam dunk evidence of a fake but it does make me raise my eyebrows a bit. Also, the leaked iPhone 8 video is very, very short. Granted, if this was taken in secret at a Foxconn factory then the person taking the video likely had very little time to work with. Still, the short length of the video really doesn’t tell us a whole lot. We see the home screen and one blurred app. If the video had been a minute and showed off more features or aspects of the device then I may be more inclined to believe it was real. However, it’s much easier to fake an 8 second video than it is to fake something much longer and more detailed.
You will also notice that none of the new, rumored features of the iPhone 8 were shown. For example, the leaked iPhone 8 video doesn’t show any of the gestures that are supposed to replace the home button. There’s no prompt to unlock with a face scan, which is rumored to be one of the major new features in the iPhone 8. We also don’t see any of the new Siri or Apple Maps features – although those are baked into iOS 11 and could easily be shown on any updated iOS device. Still, something other than just a basic app opening animation would have given this video much more credibility.
Again, I’m not going to come out and declare this video as 100% real or 100% fake. I will let you make that decision for yourself. However, there are some red flags that I can’t ignore. Luckily, we won’t have to wait much longer to see the iPhone 8 in action. On September 12th, Apple is having a major event where it’s expected we will see the iPhone 8 revealed to the world along with many of the new rumored features we have discussed all summer long. Plus, the iPhone 8 isn’t the only rumored device to be launched on September 12th. There are plenty of rumors pointing to the launch of the Apple Watch Series 3 as well as a new, 4K-ready Apple TV. We’re also hoping to see some more features of iOS 11 that haven’t been available in the beta – most notably, the peer to peer Apple Pay feature. There has been a lot of talk about Apple Pay allowing user to user payments through iMessage but the feature has yet to be enabled for users. Perhaps Apple is still working out some bugs or maybe they want that to be part of their big event next week. Only time will tell.
What do you think of this leaked iPhone 8 video? Is it for real or is this someone’s attempt to get a bunch of YouTube views and subscriptions during the feverish lead up to the iPhone 8 launch event next week? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!