The iPhone rumors and leaks are coming in hot and heavy, even more so lately as we get closer to Apple’s official unveiling next week. One of the biggest reveals dropped as we headed into the weekend. Someone at Apple (presumably) leaked out the…
The iPhone rumors and leaks are coming in hot and heavy, even more so lately as we get closer to Apple’s official unveiling next week. One of the biggest reveals dropped as we headed into the weekend. Someone at Apple (presumably) leaked out the company’s forthcoming iOS 11 GM code. This is the same version that is being installed on whatever iPhone devices Apple is planning to launch, and it tells us quite a bit about what to expect. To prevent confusion, from this point forward we will refer to Apple’s next flagship as the iPhone 8. This could also end up being called the iPhone X (pronounced iPhone ten) , as was previously rumored, to honor the 10-year anniversary of the iPhone. But since most articles written about the next iPhone have referred to it as the iPhone 8, we will stick with that nomenclature for now. Naming nonsense out of the way, one of the things the iOS 11 firmware tells us is that the next iPhone will have a True Tone display, just like the one Apple launched with the iPad Pro. This gives the iPhone better white balancing as Apple moves to an organic light emitting diode (OLED) panel. The firmware also reveals that the iPhone 8’s display will have a 2436×1125 resolution. That falls in line with previous leaks and rumors, so no big surprise there. The iOS 11 firmware also includes instructions on enabling SOS mode, which is done by pressing the power and power switch as indicated above. At the same time, these instructions underscore the design changes Apple is making to the iPhone 8’s display—notice the thin bezels and lack of a physical home button. With the home button gone, unlocking the iPhone 8 will be done via facial recognition. Apple will be calling this feature Face ID. There is a video tutorial that shows how users will set this up. We assume this will use depth sensing technology, with users required to look at the display and move their head around to create a proper 3D image. The whole concept of a Home button is going the way of the dodo bird with the iPhone 8. In its place, Apple is moving to a whole screen experience with a dynamic area represented by a line at the bottom of each application. You can see this in the image above. Emojis have become a big part of online communication, especially when it comes to social media. Apple is taking aim at users who have embraced emojis and is including ones that are animated in iOS 11. The name it will use for this is Animoji. As an interesting twist, Animojis will be tap into the iPhone 8’s facial tracking feature to create expressive animated messages. They will also do this in response to your voice. So basically Apple is breathing a bit of life into static emojis, making them a bit dynamic and personal. Barring any surprises, Apple will unveil the iPhone 8 on September 12.
