iPhone 8 Rumors: Analyst Gives Predictions About Apple's Fall Smartphone Release
The Apple iPhone 8 is among the smartphone industry’s most anticipated releases this year and as with past iPhone releases, the iPhone 8 has also been subject to its share of rumors over its potential features. Hardware and software speculation always comes with a degree of uncertainty, but as the iPhone’s expected fall release window approaches, enough rumors have pointed in the same direction to give fans an educated guess as to what the phone might include.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo at KGI Securities gave 10 predictions for what Apple might include in its traditional fall smartphone release window, via Street Insider. Here’s several of Kuo’s biggest takeaways for Apple’s newest iPhones:
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Apple will launch three new iPhones this year
Kuo says that Apple will feature three new phones that’ll debut during the second half of this year. One could include a 5.2 to 5.8-inch OLED display while the remaining releases may feature 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch LCD screens. Analysts have banked heavily on Apple dropping the iPhone 8 alongside its regular S-series sub release for the iPhone 7. As with past iPhone S releases, the 7S and 7S Plus are expected to feature refreshed specifications from the iPhone 7.
The iPhone 8 will have a full-screen design, but no in-screen fingerprint sensor
Case mockups and accessory leaks have hinted at an aggressively sized display that will take up close to the entire front side of the phone. The move lines up with current smartphone trends that have seen companies trim bezels to their limits in order to maximize screen size. Kuo predicts that the iPhone 8 will include a virtual Home button, but unlike many rumors, Kuo says it won’t support fingerprint sensing:
"We predict the OLED model won’t support fingerprint recognition, reasons being: (1) the full-screen design doesn’t work with existing capacitive fingerprint recognition, and (2) the scan-through ability of the under-display fingerprint solution still has technical challenges, including: (i) requirement for a more complex panel pixel design; (ii) disappointing scan-through of OLED panel despite it being thinner than LCD panel; and (iii) weakened scan-through performance due to overlayered panel module.”
Kuo’s prediction lines up with his previous stance for the technology and other industry analysts. At the moment, in-screen fingerprint sensors remain a work in progress. While Qualcomm debuted an in-screen sensor at Mobile World Congress Shanghai, the company says it won’t hit consumer smartphones until the first half of 2018. In addition, the technology still isn’t ready for primetime just yet — in their hands-on with a demo unit, Engadget found in-screen sensing to be noticeably slower than physical sensors. It’s possible Apple could be working on its own solution, but for now, the tech has several hurdles to clear before it reaches consumers.
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The iPhone 8’s camera will have 3D sensors
Kuo predicts the iPhone’s new camera will include 3D sensing that could improve both facial detection and photo-taking quality. While details on the phone’s camera are still up in the air, Apple has made its interest in augmented reality applications clear.
At its Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this year, Apple debuted its ARKit for augmented reality development and developers have teased early demos of games and practical applications that take advantage of the technology. With cameras capable of processing positional awareness, Apple could make AR a major part of the iPhone 8.
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