We’ve all been calling it the iPhone 8 for months, but according to a new report out of Japan, Apple’s tenth anniversary smartphone will be named “iPhone Edition.”
The device is expected to be announced alongside the “iPhone 7s” and “iPhone 7s Plus,” but we’ll have to wait longer to actually get our hands on it. What’s more, sources claim that the OLED upgrade we’ve been looking forward to isn’t a sure thing yet.
As if often the case with Apple rumors, piecing everything together to get a picture of what this year’s iPhone refresh might bring isn’t easy. We initially believed every model would ship with curved glass and OLED displays, but recent reports have warned that won’t be the case.
Instead, Apple is expected to deliver improved versions of its 4.7- and 5.5-inch devices, plus a more premium model with a 5.8-inch OLED display. According to Japanese blog Macotakara, which has been accurate in the past, this handset will be named iPhone Edition.
Although it will almost certainly be unveiled in September alongside its siblings, it is believed the iPhone Edition won’t go on sale until later in the year. Apple is said to be experimenting with various prototypes of the device, each with a different display setup.
Some of these have traditional Home buttons with Touch ID integration, while others have larger, fingerprint scanning screens that incorporate a mini Touch Bar — as previously promised by reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Some use new OLED panels, while others use the same LCD technology Apple has been employing for years. Some are manufactured out of aluminum, while others are made mostly out of glass or white ceramic.
The report suggests that Apple is still a long way away from deciding on a final design for the iPhone Edition, though it has nailed down a few features — including wireless charging and a dual camera setup similar to that of iPhone 7 Plus.
While we recommend taking the claims with a pinch of salt for now, Macotakara has been reliable before. Last year, it was the first to report that the then-unannounced iPhone 7 series would ditch the 3.5mm headphone jack.
