An all-glass and bezel-free render of the iPhone 8 with OLED curved display and wireless charging that Apple is expected to release 2H 2017 (Photo : YouTube/iCrackUriDevice)
More and more rumors suggest that the iPhone 8 on release date will boast of an impressive makeover package - bannered by an OLED display that will stretch 5.8-inch, 3D sensors embedded on the screen and invisible control buttons. But the design and build upgrade, the most significant since 2014, will require would-be buyers to shell out $1000 or even more, new reports said.
The thousand dollar sticker is believed to be the base price for Apple's flagship bet that will see action later this 2017 and according to WCCFTech, much of the blame for the huge price hike is the use of OLED display that in the next iPhone will be in a wraparound render to achieve an all-screen front design. "OLED displays are more expensive than LCDs after all and Apple will transfer the brunt of this extra cost to the end consumer," the report said.
Also mentioned in the report is the use of 3D sensors but it was unclear how exactly the implementation will be. Best guess is the hardware will fire up the touch sensitive functions of the next iPhone screen, which has been long rumored to do away with the physical control buttons and sensors.
For instance, the iPhone 8 is said to ditch the Home button that was present since the first generation and in its place will be an invisible key that will activate only when tapped by users. And when pressed the same button will present context menus for handset functions that device owners can choose from.
The same key is expected to be embedded with the Touch ID fingerprint sensor, bumped up with optical recognition.
And paying up $1000 plus for the iPhone 8 will permit users to unbox a completely reengineered device - the tenth generation - that is made of glass and metal. WCCFTech said the new iPhone will lack any traces of mechanical control buttons, the power key and volume rocker including, which will be replaced by pressure sensitive inlays on the metal edges of the device.
The supersized 5.8-inch next iPhone is in line with the recent forecast made by KGI analyst Ming-chi Kuo - that Apple will provide a flagship with an even larger screen from the previous iterations. But alongside the iPhone 8, Kuo is also convinced that the tech giant will still roll out the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus with form factors that close resemble their immediate predecessors.
Likely, the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus will become the more affordable choice as Apple is expected to sell them with the usual introductory prices of $650 and $750, respectively.
On release date, which likely will happen starting September 2017, the iPhone 8 will serve as the premium flagship that is powered by A11 Fusion chip and iOS 11. For a preview of the device in action, the YouTube clip by Concepts iPhone below provides one of the best next iPhone renders seen so far:
