iPhone 8 could match Samsung Galaxy S7 and S8 on water resistance rating
Dropping your iPhone in the toilet could soon be something you can laugh instead of cry about if the latest Apple iPhone 8 rumors are to be believed.
That new phone line can’t come soon enough for Apple, which Wall Street firms say is suffering iPhone 7 and 7 Plus revenue declines due to people holding out for the AMOLED curved-screen next big thing.
WATER & DUST
Apple Insider and others picked up on a Korea Herald report that the next big iPhone will be able to withstand being submerged at almost 5 feet for 30 minutes, giving it the highest rating possible for smartphone water resistance. (Not to be overlooked: the iPhone will likely also be more dust resistant.)
MORE: How NetworkWorld covered the original iPhone announcement from Jan. 9, 2007
Apple’s iPhone 7, 7 Plus and 6S all are already water resistant, but not to the IP68 level that Samsung boasts with its Galaxy S7 Android phones. Apple Insider reports that both Apple and Samsung “are said to be using waterproof tapes instead of adhesives, since it makes repairs simpler.”
While Samsung can’t score a rating any higher right now to keep a step ahead of apple on its flagship smartphone, there is talk of the vendor making its lower end phones more water resistant. So there, Apple, take that!
IPHONE X?
This possible name for a 5.8-inch iPhone with a wraparound OLED screen makes lots of sense given that we’re talking about a 10th anniversary iPhone. It’s a name bandied about by a Cowen and Company analyst whose recently released client research note wound up in the hands of Apple Insider.
The research report, based in part on sources within the murky supply chain world, points to the likelihood of three new iPhones this year. Expect 4.7- and 5.5-inch versions in addition to the behemoth 5.8-incher.
PRIMESENSE PAYS OFF
Business Insider’s Kif Leswing writes that Apple might be taking advantage of technology obtained via its PrimeSense acquisition of 2013 and releasing a 10th anniversary iPhone in the fall that boasts facial or gesture recognition (BI cites a Cowen and Company research note distributed by the financial firm and that uses the very intriguing placeholder name of iPhone X for the next big Apple smartphone).
So while Touch ID and possible iris scanning have been the assumed direction for iPhone security, exploiting PrimeSense’s 3D sensing technology would take things to a whole new level of futuristicness.
CLASSY CONCEPT
This iPhone 8 design concept from the Handy Abovergleich website plays it straight and delivers a smartphone render that could easily develop a following. We’re talking 2 16mp cameras, optical image stabilization and no camera bump. This bezel-free design makes for a large display surface made from an AMOLED panel and incorporating the home button. Iris scanning will be included for super security.
