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The iPhone 8 rumour mill is heating up. It's been suggested that the late-2017 iPhone will feature wireless charging, augmented reality and no physical buttons at all; it's even believed that Apple is moving the fingerprint scanner - and has just weeks to work out how.
In this article, we round up all the rumours about the iPhone 8: its UK release date and onsale date (a leaked internal memo points to an announcement on or close to 17 September), UK price, specs and new features, and what the iPhone 8 is going to look like. We also cover leaked photos and videos, and designers' concept illustrations.
For advice on the current iPhone range, read our iPhone buying guide and best cheap iPhone deals UK. Or, if you'd like to look even further into the future, read iPhone 9 and beyond: From graphene to motion charging.
Release date
The iPhone 8 is expected to be released in September 2017, just as the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus came out in September 2016, and this is supported by a leaked company memo.
Multiple sources had previously suggested delays, however, which we'll discuss in a moment.
Internal memo hints at 17 September launch
An internal company memo, instructing AppleCare staff when they can and can't take holidays, has been leaked - and gives strong hints about the iPhone 8 launch date, or at least its launch window.
The memo, posted by Benjamin Geskin, names 'black out days', when staff must be present, between 17 September and 4 November. This suggests that the launch announcement will come on or very close to 17 September, and that the following eight weeks represent the product's highest-demand period, when staff will be most urgently needed in the office.
AppleCare Advisors & Leaders received an email.— Benjamin Geskin (@VenyaGeskin1) May 25, 2017
So the September the 17th seems very very likely to be keynote day. pic.twitter.com/O6zlyB4fKx
"Black Out Days are days in which we expect call volume to be at the highest, and we need all hands on deck," reads the memo. "Advisors and Leaders will be restricted from requesting days off for Paid Time Off (PTO) and Unpaid Time Off... Absences are unacceptable."
As a worried member of the Macworld team pointed out, 17 September is a Sunday, and it would be extremely unusual for an iPhone to be announced on a weekend. So our suspicion is that the iPhone 8 will actually be unveiled in the week of 18-25 September.
One other caveat: the memo adds that "these dates are subject to change", so things may not be set in stone. But we'd be surprised if the plans weren't reasonably firm at this point.
Delays until October, November... or even 2018
September is looking a good bet, then. But not everyone thinks Apple's plans are proceeding smoothly. Multiple sources have suggested that Apple's iPhone 8, or part of its range, may be delayed by a number of months.
Finisar, a company said to be providing lasers for AR depth mapping in the iPhone 8, has revealed that a company (thought to be Apple) is purchasing tens of millions of laser units from it, and that the final product won't ship until October 2017. This story comes via Loup Ventures.
Deutsche Bank analysts too have stated in a research note that "key component shortages and technical challenges could delay the release of a high-end iPhone 8 device this fall," according to a Business Insider report.
IHS Markit analyst Brian Huh claims Samsung is having trouble meeting demand for the OLED displays ordered by Apple, and BGR suggests the delay is because the display will incorporate the home button and Touch ID.
Digitimes has predicted that "production for the new OLED iPhone is unlikely to start until September due to the redesigned fingerprint ID solution", and KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has stated that the expected new 3D camera system will cause delays: "Unless production of the OLED iPhone (expected to begin in September) gets pushed back, there is virtually no time to make changes to the 3D camera system." (Both via Business Insider.)
ST Microelectronics, the company tipped to make this component for Apple, are - according to SlashGear's sources - struggling to hit volume targets and have requested additional time.
