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The ugly iPhone 8 we just saw probably isn’t the real thing

Published May 25th, 2017 12:39PM EDT

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An iPhone 8 leak on Wednesday — and we had quite a few of them in a matter of a couple hours — showed disturbing images of an alleged iPhone 8 prototype in the wild. That device looked pretty much like the iPhone 8 we expect to see in stores this year, complete with an all-screen design and a vertical dual camera on the back. However, it also sported the one design element that we all hate: A Touch ID sensor on the back. Thankfully, however, it looks like that won’t end up being the case.

Apple needs to relocate the Touch ID sensor in the iPhone 8 since it’s ditching the home button to make room for the bigger display. The safest option and the one many people would not appreciate is placing the sensor on the back. That’s how many Android device makers have done it for years, but it doesn’t feel like the Apple way, since it makes for a much worse user experience.

The more difficult option, and the one Apple is reportedly going for, is integrating the Touch ID sensor under the display, with the help of new technology that would be used to read fingerprints. Now, a graphic designer who has been trying his hand at iPhone leaks lately says that according to his sources, whose reports aren’t always credible, the leaked image showing a fingerprint scanner on the back of the iPhone 8 is a fake.

Of course, it’s still unclear who those sources are and what kind of access they really have.

However, there are some details in these images that indicate this can’t be the iPhone 8. The handset has top and bottom antenna lines that almost certainly will not be present on an iPhone 8. Furthermore, the power button is the same size that as it is on earlier iPhones, but the iPhone 8 is tipped to have an elongated power button.

At the end of the day, these are all unconfirmed reports coming from rather shady sources, so take these “leaks” with the appropriate amount of salt.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.