iPhone 8 rumors: 3D camera sensor for AR and facial recognition, but no curved display

The iPhone 7 you got for the holidays still has that new-iPhone smell, but that won’t stop anyone from speculating about the next iPhone. After all, 2017 marks the iPhone’s 10th birthday, so Apple is reportedly gearing up to make its anniversary edition extra special.

We’ll keep track of the latest rumors and how plausible they are, and we’ll put them in one spot (this one!) so you can bookmark this link and just pop on over when you want to read the latest.

If you passed on the iPhone 7 to wait for the iPhone 8—or the iPhone 7s or whatever name Apple decides to use—it sounds like the next phone could be the design refresh you were waiting for. Just don’t expect the headphone jack to return.

What’s the latest?

The rumor: Early reports about the iPhone 8’s OLED display indicated that Apple was aiming to make a curved screen. It appears that plan may have been squashed after prototypes failed to hold up to drop-testing. According to Chinese research firm TrendForce, the iPhone will have an edge-to-edge 2K-resolution AMOLED display, which will still be a giant shift from the iPhone 7’s LCD screen. Like the iPhone 7 Plus, the new 5.8-inch iPhone 8 will have 3GB of RAM and come in two storage capacity sizes: 64GB and 258GB. TrendForce expects Apple to make 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch upgrades to the 7 and 7 Plus that won’t have the iPhone 8’s top-of-the-line features. The iPhone 8 is also ditching the physical home button, though it’s unclear if Apple is ready to make the move to iris recognition for phone unlocking or if the company will find a way to embed the Touch ID sensor in the display itself.

Plausible? TrendForce’s report reinforces earlier rumors, but news that the OLED display won’t be curved is disappointing, though unsurprising. That change would’ve been a significant departure in design for Apple and a compelling reason to snag the iPhone 8, which is rumored to be priced at north of $1,000. But Apple is already running into constraints finding OLED display suppliers who can make enough panels to build the next-gen iPhone, the prototype issues are just compounding the production yield problems the company is already facing.

Facial recognition?

The rumor: The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus got a rear-facing camera overhaul, the 7 Plus with an extra lens for telephoto shots. Apple is turning its attention to the front-facing camera in the iPhone 8 with facial recognition, a 3D sensor, and infrared transmitter and receiver. The rumor comes from KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and a research note from investment banking firm Cowen and Company published by Business Insider. Apple purchased the facial recognition startup RealFace earlier in February, making it even more likely that the company is experimenting with alternative biometric tools, including iris recognition. That could replace Touch ID as a phone unlocking mechanism.

The front-facing camera's new features would have big implications for games. Players would no longer need avatars—instead, the new camera system would generate a three-dimensional selfie.

Kuo noted that Apple is planning to put a 3D sensor in the iPhone's rear-facing camera next year, which would negate the need for a dual-lens system.

Plausible? This is the first time we’ve heard about Apple incorporating new laser technology and facial recognition, but it wouldn’t come out of nowhere. Apple acquired Primesense and their infrared sensor technology in 2013, and the company just recently integrated facial recognition software in Photos for iOS 10 and macOS Sierra. So it makes sense that the next evolution of this feature is for Apple to develop a camera with sensors that can perform facial recognition in real-time to create augmented reality experiences, similar to Snapchat’s selfie filters.

A $1,000 iPhone?

The rumor: Apple is reportedly making a 10th anniversary edition of the iPhone with all the bells and whistles. According to Fast Company, this very-special iPhone could be called either the iPhone 8 or the iPhone X and will cost more than $1,000. The higher price tag is due to the fact that this new iPhone will boast an OLED display that will cost Apple twice as much as an LCD to manufacture.

The forthcoming iPhone 8/X will also be massive, measuring 5.8 inches, and come with a memory upgrade and a virtual Home button. In addition, Fast Company corroborates previous reports that Apple will release two less-fancy iPhones, the 7s and 7s Plus, with LCDs.

Plausible? Let’s just say that you should start saving up. Considering that Apple is planning to make the iPhone 8/X standout with a bunch of new features, we can definitely see it commanding a higher price tag. And costing more than $1,000 is actually not so ridiculous—the 256GB version of the iPhone 7 Plus is already $969. The iPhone 8/X will reportedly be bigger and have a more expensive OLED display, as well as more memory. So, it makes sense that it will be the most expensive iPhone ever made.

Stainless steel chassis?

The rumor: Apple is returning to a stainless steel chassis for the next iPhone with two glass panes on the front and the back, according to DigiTimes. In addition, Apple is moving to a new forging process for the metal bezel and frame that is expected to reduce manufacturing cost and time. The forging process will reportedly be 30 to 50 percent cheaper than the current unibody machine-precision process. The stainless steel frame will be provided by Foxconn and Jabil, the manufacturers who supplied the same part on the iPhone 4.

Plausible: Yes. This rumor corroborates an earlier report predicting the return of the glass iPhone. Not only that, but we’re also under the impression that Apple is looking to launch several models of the iPhone 8 with different prices and using different materials. And it makes sense that the higher-end iPhone 8 would rely on stainless steel to hold the front-and-back glass panels together, while a cheaper version uses aluminum—that’s the same pattern we see with the Apple Watch.

Curved OLED display?

The rumor: Apple’s revolutionary new iPhone 8 will sport a plastic OLED display that “curves all over,” according to a report published in the Korea Herald and picked up by 9to5Mac. The report corroborates the rumor that Apple will release three iPhone models next year, a premium model with curved OLED display and two with flat LCDs. Furthermore, Apple is hoping to incorporate new “sensing technology” in the curved display to help differentiate the iPhone 8 from other OLED smartphones. According to the Korea Herald, Apple has tapped Samsung Display to make an estimated 70 to 100 million plastic OLED units to use in the iPhone 8.

Plausible? If Apple is considering releasing an iPhone 8 with a curved display, then plastic OLED is the way to go, as glass OLED works best for flat displays. And now that we’ve seen Apple reserving certain features like a dual-camera for the more expensive iPhone models, we wouldn’t be surprised if the curved iPhone 8 comes at a premium, too. Next year, we could very well see an iPhone 7s and 7s Plus with LCDs, as well as a brand-new iPhone 8 with OLED. 

New red color?

The rumor: Reports that Apple has three new iPhones in the works for 2017: iterative iPhone 7s and 7s Plus updates and a completely redesigned all-glass iPhone 8. Conflicting rumors have different features in each phone, but here’s a new one: The 7s and 7s Plus will come in a brand new crimson color. According to Japanese Apple-centric site Macotakara, the S-model phones will be available in red in addition to the standard black, jet black, rose gold, gold, and silver.

Plausible? Could be. Macotakara has a decent track record with Apple product rumors, predicting the phase-out of the iPhone headphone jack ahead of the pack. The blog cites Taiwanese suppliers who also say the 7s and 7s Plus will look the same as the 7 and 7 Plus, though KGI Securities says the opposite: that each of the 2017 models will be all-glass and have wireless charging.

Wireless charging?

The rumor: We’re beginning to hear corroborations of earlier rumors. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is doubling-down on his prediction that the 2017 iPhone will have all-glass casing. According to Kuo, Apple is switching to glass in order to facilitate wireless charging. Even though some metal and plastic smartphones have wireless charging, using glass is faster and there are fewer frequency disruptions.

Good news: Kuo now expects Apple to put wireless charging in all of its 2017 iPhones, including the next-generation 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch versions of the 7 and 7 Plus. Apple could decide to limit the feature to its anticipated 5.8-inch bezel-less iPhone 8, but with the 7s and 7s Plus expected to be remade with all-glass casing, the addition of wireless charging might encourage more people to upgrade.

Kuo is counting on it. According to supply chain rumors, more iPhones are expected to be produced in the latter half of 2017 than ever before. Suppliers are reportedly getting ready to churn out 120-150 million iPhones, beating out the 110-120 million iPhone 6 models produced in late 2014.

Plausible? Yes. The addition of wireless charging was one of the first reliable rumors we heard about the forthcoming iPhone 8, and we’ll undoubtedly keep hearing about it until the device is released next year. If Apple is really committed to wireless charging, then switching to an all-glass casing also makes sense. It explains why Apple would choose to switch to glass in the first place. While the smaller iPhones might lack OLED due to production constraints, putting wireless charging in each model would go a long way toward making the next iPhone a must-buy.

Folds like a book?

The rumor: You may be able to bend the next iPhone, similar to how you fold to close a book. Apple has just been granted a patent for a book-like iPhone design that used an OLED display that can fold in half.

USPTO

Plausible? Just because Apple has the patent for this, doesn’t necessarily mean that it will become a real product. Besides, Apple is already running into issues with OLED display supply, so there may not be enough time or resources to incorporate a bendable, foldable display on the iPhone 8.

3 new models?

The rumor: Apple will launch three models of the iPhone 8 in 2017, according to a new report from KGI Securities analysts. One model will sport a 5.5-inch OLED screen and a dual camera. One will have a 5.5-inch LCD screen, also with a dual camera. The third will be a 4.7-inch iPhone with an LCD screen and a single camera system, much like the current iPhone 7 model. 

Plausible? KGI Securities is usually spot-on when it comes to iPhone hardware predictions, and for a while these supply chain analysts have been predicting that Apple will switch to OLED displays in 2017. Apple has already been using OLED displays on the Apple Watch and the MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar, so using this type of display on the iPhone seems like a logical next step. Previously, Bloomberg reported that Apple is in talks with Sharp to be its OLED display supplier.

OLED offers a lot of benefits over LCD. Besides being more responsive, OLED gives Apple the option to create a bezel-less iPhone with a curved or bendable display, which would certainly boost the iPhone 8’s wow-factor. This time around, the iPhone 8 is rumored to be “revolutionary.”

Return to all-glass?

The rumor: Apple may take a page from its own book and release an iPhone 8 with a glass front and back, similar to the iPhone 4 and 4s. The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus will, of course, be larger than those models, which were 3.5 inches. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who always has deep insight into Apple’s supply chain, predicted that Apple will make lower-priced models with aluminum casing and more expensive versions with stainless steel. The glass would give the phone a glossy look, like the popular jet black iPhone 7, but be less prone to knicks and scratches than the brushed aluminum.

Plausible? Yes. It’s all about the sourcing: KGI’s Ming-Chi Kuo is typically spot-on when it comes to Apple hardware changes. It’s possible that Apple is basing future design decisions on the success of the jet black iPhone 7, which is currently sold out through December. According to the KGI report, 30–35 percent of preorders were for the jet black model worldwide, and in China that percentage was higher—45–50 percent.

An OLED display at last?

The rumor: So far, Apple has held on to LCD displays, which isn’t a bad thing—the LCD display on the iPhone 7 is just as good as the competition’s OLED screens. But Apple is reportedly in talks with Sharp to be one of its main suppliers of OLED displays to use in next year’s iPhones. According to Bloomberg, Apple wants to diversify its OLED sourcing so it has multiple options. Sharp is investing $566 million in OLED production factories which will start churning out displays by next June.

Plausible? Yep. The future is OLED, because the technology is more flexible than LCD and would allow Apple to make the iPhone bezel razor-thin and move the home button to the display itself. There are other applications made possible by switching to OLED screens, and we’re sure Apple is exploring those for a future phone.

source:http://www.macworld.com