Apple iPhone 8: OLED display and wireless charging still a go, but with a twist
The launch of Apple’s tenth anniversary iPhone is getting closer. The upcoming smartphone is expected to be the best one yet. But due to Apple keeping mum about its forthcoming product line-up, conflicting reports about the so-called iPhone 8 upgrades have surfaced.
This year marks the anniversary of the iPhone’s decade-long mobile phone industry supremacy. The next iPhone is expected to be packed with new enhancements never before seen in previous models. Some of the projected new features have been consistently talked about over the last couple of months, but now new reports suggest that Apple may not go all-in with the iPhone 8, which is reportedly going to be called the iPhone Edition.
Previous reports suggest that the iPhone 8 / Edition is going to sport a 5.8-inch OLED display, similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy S8. But it seems that the whole screen isn’t going to be entirely usable to give way to a new “function area.” The function area could reportedly take about 0.65 to 0.8 inches off of the handset’s front space, which means that the upcoming iPhone could basically feature about 5 to 5.15 inches of actual display area.
Even the iPhone 8 / Edition OLED technology is in jeopardy due to the panels’ availability. The next Apple smartphone is still expected to be the first iPhone to furnish an OLED display, but it remains uncertain due to sourcing difficulties. Not much has been said about the function area as well, except that it should be situated at the bottom with navigation controls and function like the Touch Bar of the new MacBook Pro laptops.
Another feature that is expected from the iPhone 8 / Edition is wireless charging. Apple has yet to incorporate such technology into its smartphone and the next one should be the first to feature such capability. But according to recent reports, the iPhone 8 / Edition wireless charging could also have its own twist.
It was initially believed that the next iPhone is going to include some sort of long-range wireless charging enhancement, but that has been squashed by new reports that say it would only have inductive wireless charging support. Apple could also reportedly offer the wireless charging accessories separately.
The iPhone 8 / Edition is likely to have a September launch, although Apple is also expected to host an event before the end of March that should see a handful of new products. The premium tenth anniversary iPhone is projected to sell for about US$1,000 (AU$1,315).
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