iPhone 8 release date
Hottest leaks:
September 2017 launch for iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus
Slightly later October 2017 date the curved, all-screen iPhone 8
The iPhone 8 release date is the routine new iPhone rumor we expect to stay the same every year, but Apple may do something different here, too.
Apple has launched a new iPhone in September every year since the iPhone 5 in 2012. September iPhone launches have a pretty consistent track record.
iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus may still launch in September sporting a worthy, but ultimately predictable design and feature upgrade.
iPhone 8 may deviate from this plan by launching a little bit later (still before Christmas) with the biggest changes for Apple's smartphone in several years.
Why? iPhone 8 production is said to be running one to two months behind schedule – new tech takes time. This could mean delays or stock shortages.
Pre-register for iPhone 8
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We still expect Apple to have an iPhone launch event around September 8 and it could ship the 7S phones one week after CEO Tim Cook first holds them up in the air.
But it sounds like you'll have to wait – one or two extra months – for that snazzy iPhone 8's curved AMOLED display due to supply constraints, according to Bloomberg.
Can you wait until October or November? We're skeptical of all of the moving release dates, but we do keep hearing the disheartening rumor over and over, as there's evidence that Apple could be having issues with both the OLED display itself, and embedding a fingerprint scanner into it.
iPhone 8 screen
Hottest leaks:
A curved AMOLED display
A 5.8-inch edge-to-edge screen
No home button and no bezel
The iPhone 8 screen may radically change in size and shape, and it's about time for something bigger and more stylish than the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus era display.
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The big rumor is that the iPhone 8 is going to sport a curved AMOLED display instead of a the usual flat LCD panel, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
We've all seen curved AMOLED displays in the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and the even bigger Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus. iPhone 8's curve may be less dramatic, but still cooler looking than a completely flat phone.
There are other exciting benefits to an AMOLED display replacing the normal IPS LCD. It can deliver better contrast, more vibrant colors and include a battery-saving always-on display. It's also better suited for VR and AR.
This has also more recently been rumored by sources, claiming that a curved AMOLED display is one of more than ten prototypes that Apple is considering - and that the phone could even have a higher-than-QHD resolution.
Who's going to help Apple push all of those extra pixels? Samsung is said to be supplying the OLED screens, beating out Sharp, which was once rumored for the job. Samsung may be able to deliver more curved screen in time, and Apple is said to have just put a curved screen order in with its long-time rival.
Just so it's clear: you might not see the fancy, new OLED display on every iPhone 2017 model due to supply issues. Thus, Apple may include it on just one iPhone 8 version.
Depending on how it all shakes out with Samsung, Apple is likely to reserve the AMOLED display for just the iPhone 8 Plus, or a separate higher-end 8 Plus Edition, luring you into buying the more expensive phone instead of the smaller iPhone 8.