KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has noted that all three of the iPhone 8, although not an official name yet, units that will be launched this year will have the much-coveted "wireless charging" feature. This lends support to reports that Apple's special 10th anniversary edition will cost more than $1000.
Ming-Chi Kuo's note comes at the heels of Mark Sullivan's report that the new iPhone 8 will have a price tag of more than a thousand bucks. All 3 units will have the "wireless charging" feature but significantly warns that this will cost higher in production, especially with the 3D Touch Sensor.
According to an excerpt from Kuo's note as reported by Business Insider, "wireless charging increases handset temperature." This is due to the components for the wireless charging feature. In order to remedy this, a graphite layer should be added to protect the film 3D Touch sensor.
Further, the sheet will be laminated to the heat-sensitive film sensor internally for better thermal control. "This is because FPCB is replaced with film, which is more sensitive to temperature change of the 3D touch sensor in OLED iPhone," says Ming-Chi Kuo.
Of the 3 iPhone models to be released this fall, one will be the premium flagship model featuring the "OLED" technology complete with a radical new design. The other 2 models will be iterative updates of the current iPhone 7, which will be called iPhone 7s.
For the premium iPhone model, its new 3D Touch module could be $5 more expensive to obtain per device, reports MacRumors. This lines up with the reports that the premium iPhone 8 could significantly be more than $1000 in price thanks to its premium parts and new design.
While we wait for the official unveiling of the new iPhone 8, here's a digest of what we can, hopefully, expect from the special 10th anniversary edition device: a brand new 5.8-inch OLED screen, wireless charging, sides made of "forged stainless steel" and a back made of glass, and a double lens camera, much similar to that in the iPhone 7 Plus. Also included in the upcoming flagship device is a home button and fingerprint sensor built into and under an edge-to-edge screen, and new 3D-sensing technology enabling "some form of facial/gesture recognition."
Apple's new iPhone 8, whatever it will be called, is expected to hit stores by fall. This could be around September, the usual. Are you excited for the upcoming iPhone 8 and its new features and design?
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