iPhone 8 Expected to Be Available in 3 Sizes, Made of Glass, and Feature Wireless Charging
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Even before the official release of the iPhone 7, much of the talk online was already focused on the iPhone 8. Although this year’s release of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus was very popular among consumers, there was plenty of talk online about how “disappointing” the release was, with claims that innovation at Apple has stagnated and that the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus lacked any new features to be excited about. Next year’s iPhone 8 release, which will mark the tenth anniversary of the release of the original iPhone, is rumored to embrace a full re-design with some ground-breaking new features.
One of the most prolific rumors surrounding the iPhone 8 is the switch from the LCD display that the iPhone has utilized since its inception to the more energy-efficient and higher quality OLED – possibly even with a curved screen a la the Samsung Galaxy Edge series. Several rumors, including those put out by well-respected KGI Securities Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, indicate that the iPhone 8 will forego the aluminum casing that has been featured on the iPhone since the release of the iPhone 5, opting instead for an all-glass, bezel-free enclosure. The Touch ID sensor and FaceTime camera are rumored to be embedded under the OLED display.
A new report from the Nikkei Asian Review works to corroborate some of these rumors, adding several more in the process. According to the report, Apple will release three sizes of the iPhone 8, adding a 5-inch model to the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models already in the lineup. The report claims that all three models will “have glass backs, departing from metal casings adopted by current iPhones, and [China’s Biel Crystal Manufactory and Lens Technology] are likely to be providing all the glass backs for the new iPhones next year.” Ming-Chi Kuo echoed the return to a glass enclosure last month, when he claimed that the next generation iPhone would return to glass front and back design akin to the iPhone 4 and 4s, noting that the high-gloss finish of the Jet Black iPhone 7 has been so popular, but that the glass would prove more scratch resistant. Kuo’s claim that, also like the iPhone 4s, the glass front and back will likely be combined with aluminum casing around the edges (or with stainless steel for ‘high-end models’) was also echoed by Nikkei’s report, who claims that the “glass front and back will be held together by a metal frame.”
According to Nikkei, Apple is looking to “woo potential customers and nudge its existing fans into buying the new range by coming up with a radically different look after its iPhone 7 devices were criticized for being too similar to previous models and lacking innovative features.” The report made no mention, however, of any other features that we may see on the next generation model aside from a small footnote observing that an analyst at Yuanta Investment Consulting claimed that the iPhone 8 series would feature wireless charging.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
