Apple announced the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus last September. They were beautiful, but not without controversy. No headphone jack — and no wireless charging. And that edge-to-edge display? Everyone has to wait. Apple will unveil the forthcoming major iPhone update, presumably named the iPhone 8, is already burdened with big on September 12 at 1 p.m. EST, but the internet is already speculating what the iPhone 8 will be like. Here’s what we know so far.
Apple is expected to announce three new iPhones: two with LCD displays and one with a high-end OLED display. The two LCD display models will likely be updates on iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, and could be called the iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus. These two devices will likely come in 4.7- and 5.5-inch models and boast incremental improvements over the the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, such as improved camera systems and faster processors.
The most exciting of the three, naturally, is Apple’s next-generation high-end iPhone with an OLED display. For background: most high-end smartphones, like the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and LG V30, are switching to OLED because they produce more vivid colors and have better contrast than LCD displays; they’re also more energy efficient. There’s a lot of speculation about this smartphone’s name. It could simply be the “iPhone 8”; some speculate it could be the “iPhone X,” as it’s the iPhone’s 10-year anniversary. Or it could be called the “iPhone Edition” (fancy!).
As for specs, here’s what we expect from the pro-edition iPhone 8:
Infinity screen. The iPhone 8 would look vastly different from its predecessors. Its bezel would be all-but-naught, replaced by a glimmering edge-to-edge display.
No more Home button. With the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, Apple significantly altered the home button, replacing it with a pressure-sensitive fingerprint sensor. With the iPhone 8, Apple could remove the home button altogether, instead building it directly into the display. Expect the camera to be built into the display as well.
Touch ID might be gone. Apple will reportedly ditch the fingerprint sensor on the iPhone 8. If this is the case, you may rely heavily on facial recognition to open your unlocked smartphone. Or you’ll have to plug in an old-fashioned pass code.
