We can now say with near certainty that Apple will not release an iPhone 8, iPhone 7s, or iPhone 7s Plus this year, and we explained why in a recent post. Apple does have plans to release three new iPhones in 2017, however, and new rumors pop up each day that help paint an increasingly clear picture. We know that the phones we’ve been calling “iPhone 7s” and “iPhone 7s Plus” will be upgraded versions of last year’s iPhone models, though they do reportedly include some big changes to Apple’s hardware design. Then, the third new iPhone that people have been calling the “iPhone 8” will sport a bold top-to-bottom redesign and some fantastic new capabilities.
What exactly does Apple have in store for its new iPhone lineup in September. A new note from the world’s most reliable source of accurate Apple leaks shares 10 big revelations, and we’ll cover them all right here.
Ming-Chi Kuo is an analyst at KGI Securities in South Korea, and he’s known far and wide for his solid track record when reporting on unreleased Apple devices. Kuo covers a lot of ground in his most recent note to clients, and some of the details he shared had already been rumors. A few things will comes as news to Apple fans though, so let’s break it down.
- Apple plans to release three new iPhone models this year. The first two will feature LCD displays that measure 4.7- and 5.5-inches, while the third will include a 5.8-inch OLED screen.
- The completely redesigned OLED iPhone, which we’ve all been calling the “iPhone 8,” will feature the highest screen-to-body ratio in the world among widely-available smartphones.
- Apple’s iPhone 8 will not have a physical home button, though Kuo says that there will not be an embedded fingerprint scanner integrated into the handset’s display. Needless to say, this would be very bad news.
- The iPhone 8’s front-facing camera setup will support 3D scanning and advanced facial recognition.
- The 4.7-inch “iPhone 7s” will feature a single-lens rear camera and 2GB of RAM.
- The 5.5-inch “iPhone 7s Plus” and the iPhone 8 will feature dual-lens rear cameras and 3GB of RAM.
- All three new iPhone models will reportedly come with either 64GB or 256GB of storage. No third option is mentioned by Kuo.
- Apple’s new iPhones will obviously feature Lightning ports, but they’ll have embedded USB-C power delivery circuits for faster charging.
- The iPhone 8 will feature upgraded speakers and enhanced stereo sound.
- Apple’s iPhone 8 will not launch with as many color options as the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus (and we hope whatever color options are made available only have black front panels).
Kuo believes all three new iPhone models will be unveiled by Apple in September, though the iPhone 8 might not launch until sometime after the other two models. He also thinks 2017 sales will total between 80 million and 85 million units, about half of which will be iPhone 8 models.
