Despite the numerous leaks that had started pouring in since early 2017, we stand none the wiser about some of the most basic things that can be expected from the iPhone 8. Leaks picked up by sources of repute are definitely something to go by, but the final device is likely to be something very different. The newest one picked up by Steve Troughton-Smith, however, comes barely a month before the expected debut of the next generation iPhone, and is not to be dismissed.
What adds further weight to it is the fact is that the new schematics have been discovered from Apple’s own software release. In the new HomePod OS beta, Troughton-Smith has discovered a bunch of information about the iPhone 8, including its exact size and a new facial unlocking feature. To speak of the first, it had been speculated for a while that the iPhone 8 would be significantly larger than last year’s iPhone 7, although certain leaks (such as the one we mentioned here) had suggested that the new device would be smaller than the iPhone 7 Plus. But Troughton-Smith’s discovery makes it clear that the iPhone 8 might just feature the largest display seen in an iPhone till date.
He tweeted the information he found in all its precision while adding “These are the metrics used by the status bar on the edge-to-edge iPhone, including notch height and ear width. Designers, have fun.” As the Forbes report points out, the metrics are precise enough to afford confidence to software developers, as opposed to case designers who can work with more flexibility. However, despite the mammoth 5.8-inch screen that these metrics suggest, the mock up provided by a follower gives us a look at a device that is undeniably sleeker than the iPhone 7 Plus.
The new face recognition feature has not been elucidated much, but the software does contain APIs for a face-based unlocking feature that is currently being called Pearl ID. Apple is expected to give the Touch ID feature a skip and instead opt for a facial recognition system for unlocking the device as well as Apple Pay, and this nearly confirms it.
It appears that Apple is seriously rethinking the design of the iPhone in 2017, something that they had initiated last year to an extent. There have been talks of a delay in launch, but if all goes well, we should see the iPhone 8 come out surface next month.
