Apple iPhones
The Apple iPhone through the years. Apple

2017 marks the 10th anniversary of the iPhone. Previous reports suggest that Apple will be celebrating its decade-long smartphone dominance with a special commemorative iPhone. One thing is for sure, the iPhone 7’s successor will be feature-packed, but what name shall the Cupertino, California-based tech giant give it, the iPhone 8 or the iPhone X?

The “X” on the rumoured iPhone X of course refers to the Roman numeral of the number 10. According to a new report, the special anniversary edition iPhone may carry a cold and premium price tag that could reach up to US1,000 (AU$1,310). Whatever moniker Apple calls its upcoming iPhone, it’s going to be much improved, much better and apparently much more expensive than the current flagship.

A report by Fast Company suggested that the price hike is caused by a combination of things. The new iPhone 8/X handsets are said to sport OLED displays, which reportedly cost twice as much as the current Apple smartphones’ LCD panels. The storage upgrades of the upcoming iPhones will likewise make Apple shell out a few extra dollars according to the new report.

Apple is reportedly tasking rival Samsung to provide the iPhone 8/X OLED panels. There are only a small number of OLED manufacturers in the industry and one would think that the last thing Apple would do is make a deal with its main competitor. It turns out that Samsung’s OLED panels are the only ones that meet Apple’s high standards.

Aside from the edge-to-edge OLED curved display, the iPhone 8/X will reportedly equip an all-glass back cover. This almost guarantees that the next iPhone will finally have wireless charging capabilities, a feature that Apple fans have been waiting for for a long time. The OLED display and the glass back cover will be reportedly held together by forged stainless steel instead of the currently used aluminium.

The iPhone 8/X is expected to retain the iPhone 7 Plus’ dual-lens cameras, but upgrades are definitely anticipated. Advanced biometrics, including facial recognition and iris scanning, are also likely to be included on the upcoming iPhone’s list of features. The A11 processor that will make its way inside the new iPhone is said to be faster and more energy-efficient than the current flagship’s A10 chipset.

As previously reported, the removal of the iPhone 8/X’s Home button is more than probable. Apple will also likely push for its forthcoming smartphone to have an IP68 rating, which would allow the handset to be plunged underwater 1.5 metres deep for 30 minutes without malfunctioning.

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