8 iPhone 8 (iPhone X) Rumours That Are Probably True
After ten years of iPhone, Apple is set to take the biggest leap forward in design, specs and price. Here are eight of the rumours that I’m pretty sure will be a reality.
On Tuesday 12th September, Apple CEO Tim Cook will take to the stage at the Steve Jobs Theatre and introduce the next generation iPhone. Naturally, the rumour mill has been running at high speed, and we have seen plenty of leaks from inside the company that once said they would “double down” on secrecy.
While some of these rumours are a little outlandish, there are plenty that has been confirmed by leaked iOS builds and production factory photos. Here are 8 features you can expect Apple to talk about.
The new iPhone is to be named iPhone X and released sometime in October
Not much special here, just a pair of observant eyes in the source code and a solid prediction. Developer Steve Troughton Smith has found references to an ‘iPhone 8,’ ‘iPhone 8 Plus’ and (most importantly) an ‘iPhone X’ in the latest leaked firmware.
And while many pundits are predicting a pre-order window beginning September 15th and a launch day of September 22nd, the (Japanese Language) tech site Macotakara predicts the tenth-anniversary phone will not go on sale until October due to hardware shortages.
A new, bezel-free design
Thanks to a HomePod leak way back and a few more OS images here and there, the iPhone looks set to get the biggest design change since the original iPhone. Wave goodbye to the bezel and home button, as Apple is going for a dramatic front that is practically 100% screen (OLED) except for a top bar.
A camera that is capable of 4K at 60FPS
Fellow camera nerds are probably as excited about this as me. iPhones have always had great cameras, but this would be a killer feature, to capture 4K footage at a silky, smooth 60FPS. But yet, this is what a build of Apple’s iOS tells us about BOTH the front and back camera. This may become an essential camera for vloggers.
Code proof that there will be 4K 60FPS video recording on the front and rear cameras
Wireless Charging
I look forward to Apple touting this as innovative, while many companies have beaten them to the post by a fair few years now. Another leak directly from Apple confirmed inductive charging, built into the glass back of the device. Not only this, but high-speed charging is also coded into the OS too.
Apple's wireless charging coil for the next gen iPhone
A face-scanning front camera
There seems to be quite the kerfuffle with Touch ID. Some sources are saying since there is no home button, the sensor will actually be under the screen (amazing), while others say it will be on the back (not-so-amazing). My idea is different - namely, they will get rid of it altogether.
There’s been the talk of Face ID, where the iPhone will take a 3D scan of your face and use that for all the security-based features (payments, phone unlocking, etc). Since it’s a 3D scan, the hope is you will not have to hold it up directly in front of you or pull any silly faces to achieve the desired effect.
Portrait Lighting
Have you had a chance to mess about with the portrait mode on an iPhone 7 yet? If not, it’s a really nifty digital way to create a shallow depth of focus around your subject (view it only on your phone, though, because the effect is easy to spot on bigger screens/prints). Well, in another move for the photography nerds, the Gold Master edition of iOS11 leaked a feature called Portrait Lighting.
“This feature appears to be an enhancement of the iPhone’s Portrait mode effect for creating DSLR-like shots using depth by simulating different lighting effects,” 9to5Mac explains.
Look forward to using one of five effects: Natural Light, Stage Light Mono, Studio Light, Stage Light or Contour Light.
A big push into Augmented Reality
AR Kit was debuted by Apple at WWDC back in June, so it’s no surprise this will be used in a big way in the next generation iPhone. One way they will is explained in patent 9,488,488 - rather self-explanatorily named ‘Augmented Reality Maps.’ The image indicates what you kind of expected, with icons and interactive elements popping up over locations.
The image from the Augmented Reality Maps patent
A HUGE price tag
Time to save up. It’s been widely predicted that the iPhone X will be the first to break into the four figure price range in America (meaning stupendously pricey phone contract prices for us in England). The same as previous years, I’ll be your guide to the best deals on the new phones over this next week.
But you expected that anyway. This is Apple, after all.
