iPhone 8 will have a 5.2″ or 5.8” OLED display, the best screen-to-body ratio of any smartphone in the market, and no TouchID, if KGI Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s predictions are correct. Apple will launch the iPhone 8 along with iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus models, all of will ship with lightning ports and embedded USB-C for fast charging.
Ming-Chi Kuo listed 10 predictions for iPhone 8 in a new report. Apart from the OLED display with a top notch design and USB-C based charging, iPhone 8 will also gain a new 3D sensor for facial recognition and improved selfies. It might also be used for augmented reality but the report says that it will replace TouchID. Kuo’s reason for Apple not using a fingerprint scanner under the display is that the accuracy and results are not good enough. This is the same technical challenge we heard about many months ago, even with the Samsung Galaxy S8.
Other important updates from the report include the following:
- 3GB RAM for iPhone 8 and iPhone 7s Plus. iPhone 7s will retain the same 2GB RAM since as has a single lens camera.
- iPhone 8 will have good stereo audio thanks to improved power output to speakers and receiver.
- All three iPhone models will ship in 64GB and 128GB storage capacities.
- iPhone 8 will have fewer different color variants compared to iPhone 7s and 7s Plus due to its premium positioning in the line-up.
- 80-85 million units for all three new models are expected to be shipped by the end of this year.
While Ming-Chi Kuo has a great track record of predicting Apple’s new product updates, thanks to inside information directly from supply chains, this is one where not just us but most people are cautious. Apple has provided a platform to developers in the form of TouchID on iPhone, extended it to the iPad and recently to MacBooks. Apple Pay and a lot of banking apps use TouchID to enable secure verification and transactions. After such investment, the last thing Apple should do is remove TouchID just because they cannot fit a fingerprint scanner on the next iPhone 8. This would be an actual problem unlike the removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack from iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. As good as 3D facial recognition is, it simply cannot replace the speed, efficiency and convenience of TouchID.
Previous reports said that Apple is also working on a dedicated hardware processor to handle artificial intelligence related tasks. This chip is internally called the Apple Neural Engine.
via StreetInsider
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