The latest report by the Japanese blog Macotakara provides some insight on the next Apple iPhone, expected for release later this year.
Design-wise, the iPhone 8 is expected to be a modern take on the iPhone 4 in terms of the materials. A stainless steel band is expected to be wrapped around the handset while the front and back are glass, such as the iPhones released back in 2010 and 2011. This revamp rumor first came early last year from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo but still seems to be carrying some weight.
Macotakara have also added that the iPhone will retain the dual camera feature first introduced on the iPhone 7 Plus but the horizontal layout will switch to a vertical one. The report claims that this design has recently moved from EVT to DVT status (engineer to design validation test). Another recent leak appeared to identify the same design in EVT status. It is assumed that the new vertical stacked camera may be used for virtual reality features.
In terms of Touch ID, the report offers no solid information. Earlier reports claim that Apple are developing new biometric technologies including facial and eye recognition and if this is the case, the lack of a Touch ID would be less notable. However, the fact that Apple have been working toward a Touch ID feature since the release of the iPhone 5s strongly suggests that this is the direction that they will be going in for their new flagship device. The company recently introduced this feature to the Mac and third-party apps have been implementing it, too. Furthermore, a lack of Touch ID would disrupt the lineup: both the iPhone 7 and 7s have this feature so why would Apple decide to ditch it for the 8?
What do you think? Would the lack of Touch ID in the next iPhone update be a deal breaker for you?