Several rumors surround Apple’s upcoming 10th anniversary phone, and some of the most recent suggest the iPhone 8 could adopt some features that have already been showcased by rival Samsung, such as wireless charging and iris scanning.
Reports from the Taiwanese publication DigiTimes indicate Apple may implement iris scanning abilities on the iPhone 8 for security and authentication purposes. However, DigiTimes also notes KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has suggested Apple may lean toward facial recognition technology, which could possibly replace its Touch ID fingerprint scanning system on the upcoming iPhone. DigiTimes is notoriously hit-or-miss with its reports on Apple products, while Kuo has often accurately predicted the manufacturer’s moves.
Such a biometric feature is also plausible for the iPhone 8 after the Galaxy Note 7 released in August 2016 with an iris scanner feature. While the device did not spend much time in the market, its iris scanner was poised to be a stand out feature. Apple has already shown its affinity to experiment with features that have already been introduced by Android manufacturers. The iPhone 7 released in September 2016 with water resistance and a dual-lens camera, both feature made popular across the Android ecosystem.
Kuo also expects the iPhone 8 may feature a wireless charging ability. Apple may release three iPhone 8 models, which are all expected to include the special charging feature. However, the analyst also claims the feature could increase the price of the devices to up to $1,000, due to the cost of extra heat protection for the Touch ID sensor, contradicting his claims about a facial recognition system replacing the fingerprint scanner.
Longstanding rumors have suggested Apple may get get rid of the iPhone’s home button, which houses the Touch ID sensor, all together. However, at this time no claims about the device have been confirmed.
The iPhone 8 is is also expected to feature an OLED display instead of the LCD displays Apple typically uses on its smartphones. OLED displays are also often used on Android devices and are know for better color accuracy, while LCD displays are known for better color consumption.
Apple will likely announce and release the iPhone 8 devices in September.
