Both Samsung and Apple are currently locked in a competition to capture the smartphone market’s eager buyers this year. The South Korean electronics company is preparing the Galaxy Note 8, while the Cupertino firm is working on the iPhone 8. A research done by Forbes and luxury case maker Nodus collected several leaked design details of the premium flagship iPhone for 2017. They have created a detailed rendered image of what the new handset might look like. Furthermore, they have also provided several educated suggestions regarding the Touch Id implementation for the new model.
Little to no bezels this time around
Several smartphone manufacturers have all attempted to redesign their units to feature more screen and lesser bezels. Brands like Sharp and Xiaomi have released almost-bezel-less units that drew appreciation from consumers and critics. So it is no secret that major brands like Samsung and Apple would likely follow suit. The rendered image of the iPhone 8 will not completely remove all the bezels but might keep a small strip on the upper part of the display. The area will most likely house its earpiece along with the proximity sensor and front-facing camera. The two open spaces flanking the strip would display connectivity and battery information. the bezels on the remaining sides will supposedly be 4mm each to mitigate accidental touches.
Under-screen fingerprint sensor
The problem about the fingerprint sensor continues to persist ever since rumors started about the next flagship iPhone. It has been speculated that Apple plans to integrate the Touch ID sensor underneath the display, but it comes with several limitations:
- The sensor is only compatible with OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) screens, which currently have supply issues.
- It can only detect fingerprints through 0.8mm of glass so tempered glass or film screen protectors might affect its functions.
- Bulk orders for the new technology cannot be accommodated until late 2017 or early next year.
The Galaxy S8 was speculated to launch with the new tech, but due to the aforementioned reasons, launched without it.
Options on standby
A closer look at the rendered model of the iPhone 8 reveals other possible options for its Touch ID sensor location. Plan A was to hide the sensor under the display however several factors currently make it impossible. Plan B suggests that the optional location would be on the rear panel just underneath the Apple logo.
Lastly, Plan C houses the fingerprint reader underneath the power button, which explains the slightly larger design seen on the images.
The rest of the details
The remaining information gathered about the iPhone 8 suggest an L-shaped battery, a USB Type C port for fast charging, bottom-firing stereo speaker grilles, and still no 3.5mm headphone jack. The premium flagship device is also expected to carry a top-shelf starting price of $1,100 to $1,200 USD. Baseline storage capacity is rumored to be 128GB with a 256GB variant as well.
