This is quite remarkable. Apple AAPL -0.36%’s iPhone 8 may already be the most leaked iPhone in history and we have learned a huge amount about what this potentially game changing phone will deliver.

But now two of the world’s most famous leakers have delivered the mother lode…

In new reports KGI Securities’ Ming-Chi Kuo (famously dubbed “the best Apple analyst on the planet”) and Bloomberg’s acclaimed Apple insider Mark Gurman have detailed a total of 25 new features. Interestingly these are not just for the iPhone 8, but also the iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus - incremental upgrades to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus which are expected to launch alongside the more radicaliPhone 8.

iPhone 8 concept based on the latest leaks. Image credit: Concept Creator

Concept Creator

iPhone 8 concept based on the latest leaks. Image credit: Concept Creator


So here is the breakdown and for this I’m splitting them into two categories:

a) Confirmation of previous leaks:


  • Kuo - Apple will indeed launch three iPhones in 2017: a 4.7-inch iPhone 7S and 5.5-inch iPhone 7S Plus both with LCD displays and a 5.8-inch iPhone 8 with OLED

  • Kuo - iPhone 8 scraps the physical home button

  • Kuo - iPhone 8 front camera supports 3D scanning and advanced facial recognition

  • Kuo - iPhone 7S has a single camera and 2GB of RAM

  • Kuo - iPhone 7S Plus has dual rear cameras and 3GB of RAM

  • Kuo - iPhone 8 has (possibly enhanced) dual rear camera and 3GB of RAM
b) New Information 

  • Kuo - The iPhone 8 will have the world’s highest screen-to-body ratio among mass market smartphones

  • Kuo - Touch ID will not be integrated into the iPhone 8 display and will instead be scrapped entirely

  • Kuo - Touch ID remains on the iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus, they are expected to miss out on facial recognition

  • Kuo - No 128GB iPhone models. iPhone 7S, iPhone 7S Plus and iPhone 8 will only come in 64GB and 256GB storage options

  • Kuo - Lightning port retained on all three new iPhones, but USB-C power delivery embedded for faster charging

  • Kuo - all three new iPhones still ship with the same 5W power adapter with USB-A port, so fast charger may be an optional extra

  • Kuo - iPhone 8 has upgraded speakers for improved stereo separation (headphone jack missing from all models)

  • Kuo - iPhone 8 will have fewer colour options than iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus, at least at launch. Kuo who cites “boutique image” as reasoning behind it

  • Gurman - Seconded confirmation iPhone 8 will not support Touch ID fingerprint recognition

  • Gurman - iPhone 8‘s advanced facial recognition technology “allows users to log in, authenticate payments, and launch secure apps by scanning their face”

  • Gurman - iPhone 8’s facial recognition powered by a new dedicated 3D sensor and it is testing eye scanning to augment the system

  • Gurman - iPhone 8 may feature ProMotion display technology used in new 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro. ProMotion offers a variable refresh rate to improve performance or save battery life as needed

  • Gurman - iPhone 8 has an ‘Apple Neural Engine’ which handles both ProMotion and various “artificial intelligence tasks”

  • Kuo (all below via a MacRumors update) - iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus moving to glass chassis with metal frames to accommodate WPC-standard Qi wireless charging

  • Kuo - wireless charging on all new iPhones will require an optional accessory and will not be available out of the box.

  • Kuo - USB-A to Lightning cable will be a standard accessory on all new iPhones, dismisses last week’s Barclays report claiming Apple would bundle a 10W power adapter with USB-C connector

  • Kuo - DRAM transfer speed of iPhone 8, iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus 10-15% faster than iPhone 7 for improved AR performance.

  • Kuo - All three iPhones will be unveiled simultaneously "For optimized promotional effect”

  • Kuo - But release dates spread with August-September release for iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus, October-November for the iPhone 8. Shipments projected to be 80-85M units combined with 50/50 split between LCD and OLED

With the iPhone 8 expected to break iPhone sales records, Kuo warns stock of the iPhone 8 will remain incredibly tight right up until mid 2018.

iPhone 8 front and back render by Concept Creator

Concept Creator

iPhone 8 front and back render by Concept Creator


Interestingly neither Kuo nor Gurman mention the expected iPhone 8 resolution increase, new iOS 11 Function Area or the new eye watering price tag. The last of these in particular may prove a little harder to swallow if indeed Touch ID is scrapped entirely.

That said Apple is clearly gearing up for an iPhone release well beyond the scale of anything we have seen to date. After three generations of nearly identical models, for many fans this can’t come soon enough.

Source: Forbes