iPhone 8 Said to Have Enhanced Earpiece With Further Improvements to Stereo Sound and Waterproofing

Apple's so-called "iPhone 8" with an OLED display and wireless charging will also feature an "enhanced receiver" with "further improvements" to stereo sound and waterproofing, according to new research shared this week by JPMorgan analysts tracking the company's supply chain in the Asia-Pacific region.

iphone 7 receiver
For those unfamiliar, the receiver is the slim, meshed earpiece cutout above the screen that you hold against your ear during a phone call. Since the iPhone 7, it has doubled as a full-out speaker. With two speakers, Apple says the iPhone 7 delivers two times the audio output of an iPhone 6s with increased dynamic range.

JPMorgan didn't specify what acoustical improvements will be made to the iPhone 8's receiver, but it's reasonable to assume it could have higher peak volume at the very least. The earpiece will also be more waterproof, in line with a previous rumor claiming the iPhone 8 will have even better IP68-rated water resistance.

The research note also made the rather outlandish prediction that AirPods may come as a free accessory with the iPhone 8.

Apple including AirPods with the iPhone 8 isn't something we've heard before, so treat the rumor with a healthy dose of skepticism. But, if the rumor proves to be accurate, AirPods would presumably replace Apple's wired EarPods with Lightning connector that it includes in the box with current iPhone models.

AirPods cost $159 in the United States, considerably more than EarPods, which retail for $29 when purchased separately, and cost Apple barely anything to make, according to estimates by market research firm IHS Markit. It's unclear how much it costs Apple to manufacture a pair of AirPods.

Multiple reports suggest the iPhone 8 will be expensive, with the base model costing at least as much as a maxed out iPhone 7 Plus. Given that many iPhone 8 configurations will likely exceed $1,000 in the United States, perhaps Apple will still be able to achieve a reasonable enough profit margin to include AirPods in the box.

Other iPhone 8 features expected by JPMorgan have all been rumored previously, including a stainless steel and glass design, faster processor, larger battery, wireless charging, and 3D sensing module for facial recognition. JPMorgan estimates the device will be $75 to $80 more expensive to manufacture.

This research note comes from a group of JPMorgan analysts in the Asia-Pacific region, including Gokul Hariharan. Not listed is Rod Hall, who covers Apple for JPMorgan in the United States. Hall is the analyst who believes there's a highly likely chance Apple will preview the iPhone 8 at WWDC in June.

Related Roundup: AirPods 3
Buyer's Guide: AirPods (Neutral)
Related Forums: iPhone, AirPods

Top Rated Comments

SteveJobs2.0 Avatar
77 months ago
Now thats true innovation ;)
Better get used to it since there is very little radical innovation that will take place in the smartphone product category.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Constable Odo Avatar
77 months ago
If it really turns out to be the grail phone we've all been waiting for with wireless charging, waterproof, a solid glad bezeless slab and a terabyte of storage, well yeah that's great... but will I really pay $1500 for the privilege?

Maybe not.
If Apple does charge more than $1000 for the coming iPhone, will Wall Street still expect those tens of millions of iPhone purchasers to upgrade to a newer iPhone the following year? And if they don't, will analysts still claim it's due to Apple being unable to innovate? Why doesn't the same logic apply to toasters and microwave ovens? Use them a year and then upgrade to new ones. I honestly don't know when this requirement to upgrade products on a yearly basis started. When I was growing up 50 some odd years ago, I'm sure products tended to last a lot longer (many years) and we were quite happy to have a product last a long time. Why has that attitude changed so much? One would think with so much talk about dwindling resources consumers would be a lot smarter than to simply stop using perfectly working products just to buy slightly newer ones. I really don't understand this type of behavior.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacFan23 Avatar
77 months ago
I have said previously that they are considering including AirPods.

It is the flagship iPhone, the most forward thinking and with its higher price, they are able to include them

As for the sound rumors, I haven't heard them before but it wouldn't be surprising.
I think you're wrong now and every time in the past. It'll come in time, but one year after the release of AirPods, which are considerably more expensive than EarPods and constantly out of stock, just doesn't make sense for apple.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Irock619 Avatar
77 months ago
Now thats true innovation ;)
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JoEw Avatar
77 months ago
It'd only make sense to package AirPods with an iPhone if sales were bad and no one was paying $160 for them.
All our guesses is that this isn't the case so why would Apple do this?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LaraCroft835 Avatar
77 months ago
I have said previously that they are considering including AirPods.
with Air Pods going gang busters (6 weeks wait ) why would they include them and increase the price of the phone ?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 15 Pro Buttons CAD Leak

iPhone 15 Pro Leak Reveals Unified Volume Button and Mute Button

Monday March 20, 2023 8:33 am PDT by
As previously rumored, the next-generation iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will feature a unified volume button and a mute button, according to leaked CAD images shared in a video on the Chinese version of TikTok and posted to Twitter by ShrimpApplePro. Instead of separate buttons for volume up and volume down, the iPhone 15 Pro models are expected to have a single elongated button for...
iOS 16

iOS 16.4 for iPhone Nearing Launch With These 5 New Features

Monday March 20, 2023 11:50 am PDT by
Apple says iOS 16.4 is coming in the spring, which began this week. In his Sunday newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the update should be released "in the next three weeks or so," meaning a public release is likely in late March or early April. iOS 16.4 remains in beta testing and introduces a handful of new features and changes for the iPhone. Below, we have recapped five new features ...
voice isolation

iOS 16.4 Adds Voice Isolation for Cellular Phone Calls

Tuesday March 21, 2023 11:01 am PDT by
The iOS 16.4 update that is set to be released to the public in the near future includes voice isolation for cellular calls, according to notes that Apple shared today. Apple says that Voice Isolation will prioritize your voice and block out the ambient noise around you, making for clearer phone calls where you can better hear the person you're chatting with and vice versa. Voice...
original iphone auction

Factory-Sealed Original iPhone Sells for $55,000 at Auction

Friday March 17, 2023 1:08 pm PDT by
A first-generation iPhone still sealed inside its box sold for $54,904 at auction, which is more than $54,000 over the original $599 price tag of the device when it was released in 2007. The original iPhone was put up for sale by RR Auction on behalf of a former Apple employee who purchased it back when it first came out. Back in February, an original, sealed iPhone sold for over $63,000,...
airpodsd 3 purple 4

iOS 16.4 Seemingly References New AirPods and AirPods Case

Tuesday March 21, 2023 11:43 am PDT by
The iOS 16.4 release candidate version that was provided to developers today appears to hint at a new set of AirPods that could be coming in the near future. According to @aaronp613, the beta features references to AirPods that have a model number of A3048 and an AirPods case with a model number of A2968. There have been no rumors that new AirPods are on the horizon, and it is early for...
iOS 16

Apple Seeds Release Candidate Versions of iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 to Developers [Update: Public RC Available]

Tuesday March 21, 2023 10:25 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after the launch of the fourth betas. The RCs mark the final version of the software that will be provided to the public in the near future. Registered developers are able to download the iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 updates...
google bard

Google Opens Up Access to Bard AI Chatbot

Tuesday March 21, 2023 4:23 pm PDT by
Google today began allowing users to sign up to use Bard, its AI-powered chatbot that rivals Microsoft's Bing chatbot. First announced back in February, Bard is an experimental conversational AI service for Google Search. Those interested in Bard can join Google's waitlist to get access, and some users have reported getting invitation emails just hours after signing up. There are a long list ...
smart monitor m8 samsung

Deals: Samsung's iMac-Like Smart Monitor M8 Drops to Lowest Price of Year So Far With $250 Discount

Monday March 20, 2023 8:27 am PDT by
Samsung today kicked off a special "Discover Samsung" event, which will be a week-long savings event focusing on Samsung monitors, smartphones, TVs, appliances, and more. While some deals will stick around the entire week (through March 26), others will refresh every day. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Samsung. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small...