Who wants an iPhone 8? All of you? Yeah, we thought so. Well sorry, but you're going to have to carry on waiting a little while longer. Yes, the iPhone 7 might still only be a couple of months old, but that hasn't stopped the ever reliable rumour mill from kicking into action nice and early, with a mass of iPhone 8 rumours already doing the rounds.
Apple's next phone is expected to be a big one too. With 2017 set to mark a decade of the iconic iPhone, the big-A's reportedly got something a bit special up its sleeve. Sure, with the better part of a year still separating us and the iPhone 8 release date, the number of rumours already circulating is a bit ridiculous, but with just minor design tweaks having been bestowed on the iPhone 7, the next-gen handset will reportedly bring a lot to get excited about.
As eagerly-awaited and shrouded in as much speculation as the Clarkson, Hammond and May-fronted The Grand Tour, the iPhone 8 has already been tipped to boast everything from a radical, curved design and innovative display to an all-new camera and major software tweaks. Wireless charging is also expected to finally make the cut too, huzzah. So, before you go getting all excited about snapping up the iPhone 7, here's everything you need to know about the iPhone 8 - because you might just want to hold off on upgrading your contract a little lot longer.
iPhone 8 Release Date: The wait's going to be a long one
If you're holding out for the iPhone 8 release date, you're going to want a book to help pass the time. Actually, make that a whole library. With the iPhone 7 having only just hit retailers, the iPhone 8 - under whatever name it eventually takes - won't actually arrive for a further 12 months - boo.
Apple's yet to offer any further details on the device - as you'd expect this far out from launch - but past releases give us a pretty good idea as to when to expect Apple's next flagship phone. It's also been suggested that the phone's design has already been finalised.
Ever since the 2011-released iPhone 4S, Apple has unveiled its latest headline handsets at a dedicated launch event in September. As such, we don't expect 2017 and the eagerly-awaited iPhone 8 release date to stray from tradition and be any different. Sure, this is largely industry guesswork at this stage, but at least it's pretty well-educated guesswork.
iPhone 8 Design: The changes you've been waiting for
This time out Apple ditched its bi-annual design refresh cycle and stretched the iPhone 6 introduced look and feel out for another year - boo. While that's not good if you're almost due a free upgrade, if you're holding out for the iPhone 8, you're in luck.
According to multiple early reports, key to the iPhone 8's redesign will be the shape of the thing. Like the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and Samsung Galaxy Note 7, this thing's about to get curvy. Apple is known to have patented curved handsets, ones with edge-to-edge displays and softly tapered edges, and now it looks like they're about to become a reality.
Sadly, actual development units are still being kept firmly under wraps and have yet to see the light of day. As such, it's currently unclear exactly what the new iPhone will look like, although unofficial renders have taken a good stab at guessing. What we do know, officially, is that Apple has been working on all-glass designs. While this would potentially be the best-looking phone ever, it doesn't sound like it would stand up too well to your drunken walks home from the pub. Hmm.
One of the biggest iPhone 8 design changes might not be what's been added, but what's been taken away - namely that customary physical home button. Having cited a "person familiar with the matter", Bloomberg has claimed like the 3.5mm headphone jack, the home button's days are numbered as Apple looks to slim down its now oversized screen framing.
This isn't the first time a missing home button has been mooted either. Past reports, backed up by patent filings, have suggested Apple will ditch its physical control, instead moving its Touch ID fingerprint sensor to underneath the phone's screen. Now, simply touching the screen would unlock the phone. The future really is coming.
iPhone 8 Specs: Everything you'd want, and more
While it's currently unclear exactly how powerful the new phone will be, you can bet that the inbound A11 chipset will offer more grunt than you're ever likely to need. On top of this, the current 256GB storage cap will make another appearance.
What we all really care about is charging times though. Work is being done on slimmer smartphone batteries to extend the iPhone 8's staying power, and this could be paired with another welcome addition, one that's to date been omitted from Apple's iPhone efforts - wireless charging. Letting you rejuice without the clutter of cables, wireless charging would be a major boon, and build on the foundations laid out by the Apple Watch. This won't just be standard wireless charging either. Super speedy, next-generation wireless charging will reportedly make an appearance.
iPhone 8 Screen: The future's bright, and dark, and all sorts of stunning
Screen quality is one area where Apple has fallen behind the crowd in recent years. That's not to say its current iPhone 7 isn't easy on the eye, it is. It's just a far cry from the eye-meltingly beautiful QHD AMOLED panels found on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S7. That could be about to change though.
The iPhone 8 though looks set to have something far more special in store - because who doesn't love market-leading image quality and curves in all the right places?
While we've covered off the curved design expectations of the iPhone 8 and its screen, it's the OLED panel that will really catch the eye. The same tech used in the best of the best high end TVs, an OLED iPhone screen would provide unrivalled colours, unparalleled brightness and blacks so deep and immersive you'll think you've fallen into the depths of space.
Want more? Well OLED displays have another benefit - they're more power efficient. This is key if Apple's ever going to achieve that week-long battery life we all covet. OK, we'd settle for two full days in a single charge, but you've got to dream big, right?
iPhone 8 Camera: Making the best that bit better
Much has been claimed about the iPhone 8's camera, with all early reports pointing in the direction of Apple making sweeping changes to improve its overall image quality. Claims range from larger sensors and new lenses to higher megapixel counts and even the possibility of a dual sensor snapper.
What looks likely, however, is that a larger sensor will drop to aid low-light shooting - the more light the sensor can take in, the less grainy and noisy the images - and this will be joined by a dual lens configuration, on both models, not just the larger unit this time. This would allow Apple to capture both colour and monochrome images simultaneously, combining the two to create deeper, more detailed and immersive shots.
What's more, past Apple patents have suggested the company is working on DSLR-style interchangeable lenses for its future phones, but we don't expect to see this in time for the iPhone 8. Sorry.
iPhone 8 Software: Major iOS updates expected
Exactly what form this overarching refresh will take, however, is still unclear. There are claims of a ground-up redesign and those of more subtle changes. One new feature that looks set to be heading to the iPhone 8, though, is improved security options. Not by adding another digit to your number-based passcode, but with serious software smarts.
It's been suggested that the iPhone 8 could hunt out phone thieves by monitoring their fingerprints and looking at their faces - creepy. If your phone's pinched, the future phone could use biometric indicators, not just to block unwanted access, but to alert the po-po as to who's been a little too light-fingered.
iPhone 8 Price: It might be time to remortgage
We all know that Apple's newest, shiniest kit doesn't come cheap, so while the exact iPhone 8 price is still a long way from being confirmed, it's probably wise to start saving the pennies right now anyway. The top-end, 256GB iPhone 7 Plus already costs £919, and if the iPhone 8 adds the curved screens, OLED panels and all manner of new innards, things are only going to go up on the price front.
Wherever the price ends, don't expect the entry-level iPhone 8 to cost much less than £600 SIM-free. And that's assuming the Brexit fallout doesn't render the pound as valuable as a handful of Rice Krispies come autumn 2017.
