iPhone 8 release date, specs and price: ‘Production glitches’ could cause delays and stock shortages
THE LONG AWAITED iPhone 8 is officially launching in just over a week.
The smartphone, tipped by some to arrive as the ‘iPhone Edition’ or ‘iPhone X’ will be Apple’s 10th-anniversary smartphone and looks set to be the first to debut wireless charging tech, a curved AMOLED display and an unusual vertical dual rear-facing camera. If rumours are correct, the so-called ‘Edition’ will launch alongside the less-impressive iPhone 7S and 7S Plus.
Related: Galaxy S9 price, release date and specs
We’ve rounded up everything we know about the iPhone 8 so far and will update this article as soon as we hear more.
Release date The iPhone 8 will be officially unveiled on 12 September. Apple has sent out invites (below) to a launch event in its newly-built Steve Jobs Theatre on its new campus, where it’s also expected to unveil the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus.
Naturally, Apple will stream the event on its website, and it’s expected to kick off at 6pm UK time.
Despite the iPhone 8’s imminent launch event, some reports claim that it might not be available to buy until the fourth quarter, and in limited quantities. A note by analyst Timothy Arcuri from Cowen and Company has added weight to this and claims that production could be delayed due to issues with its Touch ID sensor.
Another report suggests the iPhone 8 may not arrive until 2018. A research note from Deutsche Bank, picked up by Business Insider, claims the smartphone won’t make it onto shelves this year due to supply chain issues and « technical challenges ».
However, German website Macerkopf claims that pre-orders of all the three 2017 iPhone models, including the iPhone 8, will begin on 15 September. Previous leaks suggest that it will arrive on shelves a week later on 22 September.
Price If it’s anything like Apple’s new MacBooks, next year’s iPhone will be more expensive than this year’s release, with some analysts claiming that the highest-spec model will be the first iPhone to cost more than $1,000.
More recently, Twitter tipster Benjamin Geskin has claimed that the entry-level 64GB iPhone 8 will fetch $999 (around £775) , while 256GB and 512GB variants will fetch $1,099 (£850) and $1,119 (£930) .
Rumoured specs – 5.8in 2.5D OLED edge-to-edge display – New design with an ‘all-glass’ construction – 71x143x7.4mm – Wireless charging support – Apple A11 chip – Rear-facing Touch ID sensor – iOS 11 with improved Siri, P2P payments – Face-scanning technology – Vertical dual cameras on rear – Support for LTE speeds up to 450Mbps
Latest news 8/9/17: The Wall Street Journal (paywalled) reports that « glitches » in the manufacturing of the iPhone 8 could lead to supply shortages and delays in shipping following the smartphone’s unveiling next week. The production glitches reportedly delayed the manufacturing process by about a month, sources ‘familiar with the matter’ told the newspaper.
7/9/17: German website Macerkopf claims that pre-orders iPhone 8 pre-orders will kick off on 15 September, adding weight to a previous leak courtesy of Evleaks. According to earlier rumours, the handset will arrive on shelves a week later on 22 September.
6/9/17: A shaky video, via Reddit, allegedly shows off a functional iPhone 8 just days before its official unveiling. The dark, blurry clip doesn’t give much away, but does appear to ‘confirm’ that the handset will sport a bezel-less display with an (ugly) notch cut out at the top of the screen. Some are speculating that the video is a fake, and, er, fingers crossed.
5/9/17: Prolific tipster Benjamin Geskin has tweeted alleged pricing details for the iPhone 8. He claims that the entry-level 64GB model will fetch $999 (around £775) , while 256GB and 512GB variants will fetch $1,099 (£850) and $1,119 (£930) , respectively. This matches up with previous speculation that this year’s iPhone will be Apple’s most expensive to date and the first to pass the $1,000 mark.
4/9/17: Adding weight the rumours that Apple will ditch the traditional home button on the iPhone 8, developer Guilherme Rambo claims that users will instead be able to activate Siri by holding the smartphone’s power button.
4/9/17: Notorious Twitter tipster Evan Blass has tweeted that the iPhone 8 likely will arrive as the ‘iPhone X’. Blass has also said that, following its unveiling on 12 September, the so-called iPhone 8 will be available to pre-order from 15 September, and will start shipping on the 22nd.
29/08/17: Japanese electronics site Macotakara claims that the iPhone 8 will finally offer wireless charging, but that Apple is planning a proprietary twist on the Qi standard to ensure that only Apple-approved charging pads can be used with its devices. What’s more, the site suggests that Apple will restrict its wireless charging to just 7.5W – half the wattage supported by the Qi standard. That’ll mean that Apple devices will charge much more s-l-o-w-l-y – half as quickly to be precise. It should also come with a beefier battery -around 2700 mAh or more, according to reports.
25/8/17: Got a spare grand knocking about? Because that’s what the iPhone 8 might cost, according to The New York Times. It’s not a new rumour, but given how close we are to launch it makes it firmer. This will be a premium model, it reports, but it isn’t entirely clear what the extra cash actually buys. That « grand » incidentally, is in dollars – or $999 to be precise – which in Her Majesty’s pound sterling will probably equate to, err, £999 or thereabouts (inc. VAT) .
24/8/17: Apple will unveil the iPhone 8 on 12 September, according to Mac4Ever, which allegedly received confirmation from telecoms companies. Separately, a post on Weibo claims that the smartphone will be made available in a new 512GB capacity option, with all models set to pack 3GB RAM.
23/8/17: According to the Korea Herald, the iPhone 8’s much-rumoured facial recognition system will be the handset’s « crown jewel ». The report claims that the tech will work in « just a few hundred milliseconds » and that it will replace Apples Touch ID sensor. The Korea Herald adds that adding 3D sensors will be adopted for the front and rear of the device to « realise AR applications, which integrate 3D virtual images with user’s environment in real time. »
22/8/17: A new leak, via SlashLeaks, has shown off a number of alleged iPhone 8 parts, including its flex cable for power transfer, some of its internal components and its display assembly (below) , which seems to confirm reports of a full-screen design with a ‘notch’ at the top to accommodate the phone’s front camera and earpiece.
2 1/8/17: John Gruber has taken to Twitter to claim that the iPhone 8’s much-rumoured wireless charging feature will require an additional accessory in order to work, while images on Chinese social media ‘confirm’ that Apple is working on a wireless charging pad to launch alongside the iPhone 8. However, Gruber claims that the feature might not be available to launch, noting that it could instead arrive with iOS 11.1.
17/8/17: In the strangest update you’ll probably see on this list, fast food chain McDonald’s appears to have leaked the iPhone 8’s ‘full screen’ design. In marketing for its ‘MyMaccas’ app (below) , sent out to nugget fans in Australia, McDonald’s includes an image of an iPhone with an edge-to-edge display, complete with the much-leaked ‘notch’ at the top of the screen which will reportedly house iPhone 8’s earpiece, front-facing camera and sensors.
17/8/17: Yet another rumour has claimed that Apple will bin Touch ID on the iPhone 8 in favour of face recognition. Mehdi Hosseini of Susquehanna Financial Group told Barron’s that Apple has decided to ditch its planned fingerprint sensor under the glass of the screen, because of problems with its « controller » chip.
15/8/17: A shaky video (below) has surfaced showing what looks like the iPhone 8 being assembled in a Foxconn plant. The 10-second clip doesn’t give much away but does appear to confirm that the handset’s rear shell will house a vertical dual camera setup.
14/8/17: The ‘copper’ coloured iPhone 8 (above) will reportedly launch as a new ‘Blush Gold’ variant, according to a post on Weibo via a so-called Foxconn Insider, and will replace Apple’s current ‘Rose Gold’ offering. The same post claims that this new model will be available with only 64GB or 128GB built-in storage.
10/8/17: Developer Guilherme Rambo has found yet more tidbits of information in the HomePod’s code. His latest find suggests that the iPhone 8 will be able to know when you’re looking at it, and could mute notifications when you’re gawping at the screen. Seperately, developer Steve Troughton-Smith has discovered that the iPhone 8’s virtual home button Developer Guilherme Rambo is resizable and can be hidden at the user’s command.
