A Foxconn employee has allegedly taken new images of the iPhone 8's internals and posted them to the Chinese social networking site Weibo over the weekend, providing a look at the inside of Apple's OLED iPhone that's expected to be announced next month. The images lack a layered glimpse into the iPhone's internal components, so they were probably not taken via x-ray and were more likely captured through some other form of black and white image processing.
The images depict an iPhone in the "engineering validation test" (EVT) stage of manufacturing with a codename of "Ferrari," the internal name for the iPhone 8 that was previously leaked in supply chain documents late last year. Within the iPhone 8, there's a large, central black spot that represents the device's wireless charging coil, which is what will fuel the smartphone's long-rumored wireless charging features.
Otherwise, you can see the dual camera module for the rear camera, blown up shots of what appears to be the front-facing camera or sensors, a large space for the L-shaped battery, and a stacked logic board design previously rumored by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. These changes will result in an iPhone with a longer battery life, which Apple hopes will entice those with older model iPhones to upgrade this year.
The EVT stage that the iPhone 8 images represent is a very early stage of manufacturing for Apple to be in at this point, with design validation tests (DVT) and production validation tests (PVT) to go ahead of a consumer release. This calls the validity of the images into question, but they could have been taken at an earlier date. At this point, we know that Apple supplier Samsung Display is entering into full scale production for iPhone 8 OLED panels, while numerous reports have pointed towards a shortage for the iPhone 8 come launch.
Feeding into more delay and shortage rumors surrounding the iPhone 8, Foxconn vice president Luo Zhongsheng said that the yield rate of the iPhone 8 and its OLED display is only at 60 percent -- a number previously estimated by industry watchers -- because crafting the "special-shaped" OLED display is proving difficult (via MyDrivers). The vice president shared the news on Weibo, and the post has since been deleted. Zhongsheng was likely referring to the front-facing "notch" that's rumored to hold the iPhone 8's camera and 3D sensors for facial recognition.
Rumors and leaks related to the iPhone 8 are growing more and more steady as we near the device's announcement, expected at an event in September. Thanks to the release of the HomePod's firmware, we now know the general front-facing design of the iPhone 8, and that the smartphone might record 4K video at 60 fps. The facial recognition system was also discovered to potentially be able to scan a user's face even when the iPhone is lying flat on a table.
Thursday December 5, 2024 11:48 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple seeded the release candidate version of iOS 18.2 today, which means it's going to see a public launch imminently. Release candidates represent the final version of new software that will be provided to the public should no last minute bugs be found, and Apple includes release notes with the RC launch.
The iOS 18.2 release notes provide a look at all of the new features that are coming...
Wednesday November 27, 2024 1:05 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple is expected to kick off 2025 by launching an all-new smart home hub, also referred to as a "command center," as early as March.
The hub is expected to feature around a six-inch display that can be attached to a tabletop base with a speaker, or mounted on a wall. The device is said to run a new "homeOS" operating system with a customizable widget-focused home screen, and it is expected...
Friday December 6, 2024 4:42 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls...
Friday December 6, 2024 4:07 pm PST by Juli Clover
In 2025, Apple is planning to debut a thinner version of the iPhone that will be sold alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. This iPhone 17 "Air" will be about two millimeters thinner than the current iPhone 16 Pro, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
The iPhone 16 Pro is 8.25mm thick, so an iPhone 17 that is 2mm thinner would come in at around 6.25mm. At 6.25mm,...
Friday December 6, 2024 5:14 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 lineup may bring some of the most significant display improvements we've seen in recent years. While the iPhone 17 series isn't expected until late 2025, multiple rumors suggest Apple is working on substantial screen upgrades across its entire smartphone range.
From enhanced refresh rates to advanced materials and improved power efficiency, these display...
Thursday November 28, 2024 3:30 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch sometime in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for.
Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as...
Thursday December 5, 2024 10:03 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 updates to developers and public beta testers for testing purposes, two weeks after releasing the fourth betas. Alongside the release candidate versions of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac operating system updates, Apple has also seeded the watchOS 11.2, tvOS 18.2, and HomePod Software 18.2 RCs....
Thursday December 5, 2024 4:19 pm PST by Juli Clover
OpenAI today announced the launch of ChatGPT Pro, a $200 per month subscription service that provides unlimited access to OpenAI o1, the company's newest and most advanced large language model.
The plan includes unlimited use of OpenAI o1, o1-mini, GPT-4o, and Advanced Voice, along with o1 pro mode, an o1 version that uses more compute to provide better answers to the hardest problems. In...
