Historically, Apple is notoriously hush-hush about its new products, especially its iPhone. Leaks promising new features on a given Apple product are rare, vague, and probably false.
Information regarding the iPhone 8, iPhone 7S, and iPhone 7S Plus, however, has been leaking profusely over the past two weeks or so.
Famed iPhone insiders Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities and Mark Gurman have just produced the leak to end all leaks, delineating 25 new features of all three iPhone models, which are expected to release this autumn.
The screen on the 7S will measure 4.7 inches, making it almost a full inch narrower than the 5.5 inch screen on the 7S Plus. The iPhone 8 boasts a 5.8 inch screen, and the highest screen-to-body ratio of any phone in history (screen-to-body ratios express screen size as a percentage of total phone size, so a high screen-to-body ratio means the screen constitutes most of the phone’s body).
The two augmented iPhone 7 models will bear LCD displays similar to the one found on the current iPhone 7, although improvements in contrast ratio and/or resolution are not out of the question.
The iPhone 8 will be the first iPhone to feature an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display. Whereas pixels in LCD displays are all illuminated by a single backlight, each pixel in an OLED display illuminates itself. The contrast ratio of an OLED display far exceeds that of an LCD.
The iPhone 8 may employ ProMotion display technology, which allows for variable refresh rates, so that a user can can choose between improved graphics performance and economic battery usage. A vaguely defined “Apple Neural Engine” will handle ProMotion and perform AI tasks.
The physical home button is absent from the iPhone 8, as is the Touch ID system which allows iPhone 7 users to unlock their phones and access secure applications and functions using their fingerprint. In lieu of Touch ID, iPhone 8 will use a 3D scanning front camera to verify a user’s identity by way of facial recognition.
The new iPhone 7 models will retain touch ID, but lack facial recognition.
The iPhone 7S will have just one rear camera, while the 7S Plus and the 8 will pack dual rear cameras. The rear cameras on the 8 may improve upon those of the 7S Plus.
The 7S will have 2GB of RAM (Random Access Memory), while the 7S Plus and the 8 will have 3.
For all three models, Apple will offer just two storage capacity options: 64 or 256 GB.
The Lightning port found on every iPhone since 2012’s iPhone 5 will remain on all three new models. The standard charging cable sold with all three phones will be USB-A to lightning, but speculation is that all of the phones will support faster USB-C power delivery. USB-C to lightning cables will likely be sold as optional extras.
All models will sport glass chassis and metal frames to support wireless charging, which will probably require an optional accessory
The headphone jack has been removed from all three models, but stereo separation in the iPhone 8’s internal speakers will be enhanced.
The three new members of the iPhone family will boast DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) speeds 10-15% faster than those of the iPhone 7. The DRAM increase will give the new phones improved Augmented Reality (think Pokemon Go) performance.
The new phones are expected to be officially announced simultaneously, but the iPhone 7 augmentations are projected to release in August or September, while the iPhone 8 release is anticipated in October or November.
Many believe the iPhone 8 will mark the Apple smartphone’s greatest leap forward since the iPhone 5 hit the market in 2012. Experts expect the phone to break sales records, and nobody expects Apple investors to part with their shares.
Featured image via PixaBay.
Comment Template