Yesterday we heard the iPhone 8 will launch along side the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus in September and today we’re hearing it’s not coming until November because basically no one really knows what Apple has planned for its next smartphone refresh. The latest report says Apple won’t unveil the iPhone 8 in September because the hardware design still hasn’t been finalized.
Supply chain sources say Apple plans to introduce the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus in September and the iPhone 8 will follow two months later, according to The Korea Herald. The staggered launch, they say, is because is still trying to sort out the Touch ID fingerprint sensor.
The iPhone 8 will reportedly pack an iPhone 7 Plus-size OLED display into a body that’s only slightly larger than the iPhone 7. It’ll ditch the physical home button to make room for an edge-to-edge screen, forcing the company to come up with a new design for the Touch ID sensor.
Without a physical Home button, placement of the sensor has become an issue. Some reports say it’ll be embedded in the display glass while other say the sensor will move to the back of the phone.
The Korea Herald’s source said, “The iPhone’s rear design has not yet been finalized. We are still awaiting Apple’s final decision before shipping parts.”
In essence, one parts supplier has gleaned Apple’s master plan from a components order that hasn’t happened yet.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has said in the past that trying to decipher the company’s plans based on supply chain sources isn’t a good idea because a single data point doesn’t indicate what’s really happening. With that in mind, here’s what we definitively know about the next iPhone:
- Apple is working on new iPhone models because it’s always working on new iPhone models
- Apple has a history of announcing new iPhones in September
- Details in the leaked HomePod firmware hint new iPhone features
- Apple does as it pleases and will introduce new phones when it likes
That said, there’s a lot of iPhone 8-related information that’s been surfacing. Based on the details and leaks we’ve seen so far it seems more like a matter of when and not if Apple unveils an OLED screen iPhone.