iPhone 8 Rumor: October/November 2017 Release Date, No White Bezel Option

A new report is suggesting possible delays and initial supply shortages for Apple’s iPhone 8 this year. The report claims that the iPhone 8 might not start shipping until late 2017 and that the Touch ID fingerprint sensor won’t be embedded into the sleep/wake button.

These new set of predictions were reported by Japanese website Mac Otakara. The site claims that there is a “possibility” that the iPhone 8’s release will be delayed to the first half of the first quarter of Apple’s 2018 fiscal year. This timetable is from October until the end of December. If this is truly the case, then the iPhone 8 might arrive in late October or early November, which is in line with previous reports.

As for the iPhone 8’s initial supply, Mac Otakara claims that “initial sale period has a high possibility to be limited.” This suggests that there will be shortages once Apple officially releases the iPhone 8 in late October or early November.

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Additionally, the site claims that Apple will not be offering the iPhone 8 with white bezels up front. It didn’t provide any specifics on what color options will be available, but the site did say that color variants might possibly be few this time around. The report says that there will only be a black front frame for the device.

It wasn’t really made clear why Apple will not be offering the iPhone 8 with white colored bezels. However, there are a couple of possible reasons why. AppleInsider suggests that Apple might be using a new bezel masking material or it might be having an issue with existing paint technology. Another possibility here is that Apple might be using an entirely new material for the iPhone 8’s bezels.

In 2010, Apple had to delay the release of the white version of the iPhone 4. At the time, the tech giant was using the dual glass panel design, which was entirely new for the iPhone line back then. The white iPhone 4 was delayed for nine months before it was released simply because Apple had production troubles related to the paint technology and materials used.

Apple’s implementation of the Touch ID fingerprint sensor for the iPhone 8 has been the center of conversation for the past couple of months. IBT reported last week that Apple might simply embed the Touch ID into the sleep/wake power button (possibly) on the side of the device.

Now, Mac Otakara says that this will not be the case. A Taiwanese supplier told the site that there is no hole in the side button that could accommodate the Touch ID fingerprint sensor. This likely means that the side button on the iPhone 8 will function like previous sleep/wake power buttons.

Unfortunately, the report didn’t give out information on whether the Touch ID sensor would be embedded underneath the display or on the back panel of the iPhone 8.

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Lastly, the report says that it is “highly likely” that the iPhone 8 will come with facial recognition technology, which will be called Face ID. This kind of tech for this year’s flagship iPhone was first predicted by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo earlier this month.

Additionally, the report claims that Apple might include a new “natural unlocking mechanism” that might be a successor or an improvement to the Raise To Wake feature that’s on iOS. The site didn’t provide any specifics as to how this new feature will work.

Mac Otakara has a strong track record when it comes to iPhone rumors and leaks, as pointed out by 9To5Mac. However, Apple could still change the final design of the iPhone 8 if it has the time, so it’s best to not take this new information as entirely accurate.