14 DAY TRIAL // The closer we get to the expected September launch of the iPhone 8, the more alleged leaks swirl around the web, and the latest one brings up the possibility of Apple embedding Touch ID inside the power button.
A tweet highlighted today by SlashLeaks indicates that Apple won’t embed the fingerprint sensor in the display or move it to the back of the phone, but integrate it into the power/lock button.
While this is something that Sony has already proved is doable on its Xperia XZ Premium, we highly doubt that Apple would go for such an approach, especially because the iPhone seems to be too thin for a fingerprint button to be placed on the side.
In other words, Apple would have to make the iPhone a bit thicker, and all the previous rumors and reports from people familiar with the matter indicated that this is not at all the case. More recently, analysts with knowledge of the matter said the iPhone could give up on Touch ID entirely, going instead all-in on a 3D facial recognition system with cameras embedded at the top of the display.
Original iPhone color
The same purported leak says the device could launch as iPhone Plus, and not as iPhone 8. Again, we doubt this is the strategy given there’ll also be an iPhone 7s Plus, as such a name would only create more confusion within the ecosystem. Recent reports claimed Apple could also call the iPhone 8 “iPhone X.”
Additionally, the new iPhone could come with a color that resembles the original iPhone, and this indeed is more likely given that Apple celebrates 10 years from the first model. Analysts indicated that Apple was pondering 4 different colors, including white, black, a mirror-like option, and a fourth unnamed version that could be the one similar to the iPhone 2G.
And last but not least, contrary to the latest reports, the leak claims a wireless charger will actually be in the box and not offered separately at a hefty price.
It goes without saying that we should all take these with a healthy amount of skepticism, especially because there are many details that do not make much sense for Apple’s iPhone push.