Crunch time for the iPhone 8 is fast approaching, as Apple needs to step up mass production of this year’s premium device pretty soon if it wants to meet demand before the end of the year.
We’ve seen plenty of rumors, mock-ups, and speculation about the form and functions of the iPhone 8 (or “iPhone Pro,” as some have suggested it will be called.) Now, though, an exclusive from Forbes – in collaboration with Nodus and its supply chain knowledge – claims to reveal some of the details that are more or less locked down.
Let’s take a look at the slick new renders provided alongside these claims.
Huge screen, tiny bezels
Despite some of the latest Android smartphones sporting full edge-to-edge displays that curve around the sides of the device, according to this report Apple will resist the urge to completely follow suit. Instead, the bezels around the screen will be dramatically reduced on all sides, leaving a screen that almost fills the entire front face of the iPhone. It’s thought that leaving a tiny border will help avoid accidental display presses.
A mix of hardware and software along the status bar
It’s also thought that the screen will have a small cutaway at the top, for the front-facing camera, microphone and various sensors. These latest mock-ups suggest a status bar that seamlessly wraps around the cut-out so as not to give the impression of an ugly “hole” in the screen. This would mean much less space for icons on the status bar, and it’s not clear how this would affect landscape mode, but Gordon Kelly of Forbes and his sources are confident this is what we’ll see, come September.
We already know that iOS 11’s redesigned Cover Sheet makes the clock just a swipe away at any time – could that be a clue that there will no longer be room for an ever-present clock in the status bar?
These images are some of the best-looking renders we’ve seen so far, and we hope they’re as close to the real deal as we’ve been promised. For more details on Forbes’ analysis of what they expect the iPhone 8 to be, it’s worth reading the exclusive report in full.