iPhone 8 vs iPhone 7: What will the differences be? 

Renders of the iPhone 8 next to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
Renders of the iPhone 8 next to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus Credit: Benjamin Geskin/iDrop News

The launch of the iPhone 8 is now less than a month away and the rumour mill has been active in leaking images and features the device could have.

Marking the tenth anniversary of the first iPhone, Apple's new flagship device is expected to be larger than the iPhone 7 and slightly smaller than the iPhone 7 Plus. It is likely to have a host of new high-end features, including a facial recognition security and an edge-to-edge screen. 

Here is how the iPhone 8 could compare with the iPhone 7. 

Design and screen size

The iPhone 8 is expected to be smaller than the iPhone 7 Plus, but with a bigger screen. A little larger than the iPhone 7, which has a 4.7-inch screen, the iPhone 8 could have a 5.8-inch OLED display that almost covers the entire front of the phone. The iPhone 7 Plus has a 5.5-inch screen. 

iPhone 8 dummy model alongside iPhone 7
iPhone 8 dummy model alongside iPhone 7 Credit: MacRumors/YouTube

 Apple will reportedly ditch the home button, change the shape of the screen and make the device flatter in order to achieve this. 

Leaks of the schematics suggest the new phone will be around 14.4 cm tall and 7.1 cm wide. The current iPhone 7 is 13.8 x 6.7 cm, while the iPhone 7 Plus is 15.8 x 7.8 cm.

Images comparing a dummy iPhone 8 to the current iPhone 7 Plus have been released in YouTube videos
Images comparing a dummy iPhone 8 to the current iPhone 7 Plus have been released in YouTube videos Credit: EverythingApplePro/YouTube

With no home button, the screen will sink almost to the base of the phone, while the selfie camera, and what is thought to be sensors for facial recognition, will sit in a notch at the top.

Camera

One of the big aesthetic changes from the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus to iPhone 8 will be the camera design. On the iPhone 7 Plus, Apple introduced a 12MP dual camera, which has 2x optical zoom and lets smartphone photographers create depth effects.

The iPhone 8 is expected to have a powerful dual lens camera that will sit vertically rather than horizontally, leaked images and concept designs suggest

Most case designers have placed their bets on the iPhone 8's camera being vertical, some of which are already on sale. 

iPhone 7, iPhone 8 , iPhone 7 Plus
Concept image from iDrop News showing the the iPhone 7 (left), iPhone 8 (middle) and iPhone 7 Plus (right) Credit: Benjamin Geskin/iDrop News

Colours

The iPhone 7 is currently available in space grey, gold, rose gold, jet black, silver and a limited edition red. It is not clear if the iPhone 8 will be available in all six colours. Reports have suggested it could come in just three shades, including to black, silver and a copper colour called "blush gold".

iPhone 8 colours
Purported leaked colours of the iPhone 8 Credit: MyDrivers

It is not clear if Apple will release the iPhone 8 in space grey, gold or red.

With its screen covering almost the entire front of the phone, Apple is expected to ditch the white version in favour of an black face so the edge-to-edge display looks cleaner.

Materials

Apple's overhaul of its iPhone design for the upcoming device includes a shake-up of the materials it is made from. Since the iPhone 5 the flagship phone has had an LCD screen and aluminium back.

The iPhone 8, by comparison, is widely anticipated to have an OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screen and a glass back. OLED is an upgrade on LCD in many ways, improving brightness and viewing angles.

iPhone 8 Gold
iPhone 8 with its screen covering the entire front of the device Credit: Benjamin Geskin

Apple design chief Sir Jony Ive has had the long-running ambition of creating an iPhone that looks almost like a single sheet of glass. Leaks suggest this might finally come to fruition with the new iPhone 8.  

Apple could replace the iPhone 7's aluminium case with a glass back and a screen that curves around the sides. The iPhone 8 could have an aluminium bumper separating the two pieces of glass. 

Face ID vs Touch ID

Apple is expected to replace Touch ID, the iPhone's system of identifying users through a fingerprint scan, with facial identification as the primary method of unlocking the iPhone 8. 

Comprehensive proof for the new facial recognition system, which has long been rumoured, was recently revealed in leaked code for Apple's HomePod smart speaker. The software referenced "Pearl ID", believed to be the infrared facial identification system for the new iPhone.

The new handset is expected to have rise to wake technology, like the iPhone 7, and be able to respond to owners' glances from afar

Other features 

Other new features the iPhone 8 could have that are not on the iPhone 7 include wireless charging and water resistance.

Sadly, no leaks have suggested the iPhone 8 will bring back a headphone jack after Apple killed it off.

How the base of the iPhone 8 could look
How the base of the iPhone 8 could look Credit: MacRumors/YouTube

One of the biggest changes from the iPhone 7 to the iPhone 8 will be the lack of home button. For the first time, Apple will drop the physical button in favour of a virtual home button.

Developer Steve Troughton-Smith found code for a flexible, virtual home button on the iPhone 8 that could could be resized or hidden, according to 9to5Mac.

Software and processor

The iPhone 8 will come with Apple's latest software, iOS 11. The new operating system features a redesign of iOS 10, which currently powers the iPhone 7, including a new control centre, peer-to-peer Apple pay and an upgrade for Siri. 

The iPhone 7 has an A10 Fusion chip, described as lightning fast. The iPhone 8 is expected to come with a faster A11 chip inside.

Price: iPhone 8 v iPhone 7

The iPhone 8 could the most expensive handset to come from Apple, costing between $1,200 and $1,400 (£920 to £1,075). 

This compares to the current iPhone 7, which starts at £599 for 32GB of storage and rises to £699 for the 128GB model and £799 for the 258GB model.

The iPhone 7 Plus, meanwhile, starts at £719 for 32GB storage and costs £819 for the 128GB model and £919 for the 258GB model.

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