Apple’s iPhone 8 will see the replacement of the smartphone’s classic home button with gesture controls, new leaks suggest.
Users will simply swipe their hands above the device for tasks such as going to the main app grid and opening multitasking.
The leaks also reveal that Apple’s flagship device will have rounded corners and a flat screen that covers the front, Bloomberg reports.
Apple’s iPhone 8 will see the replacement of the smartphone’s classic home button with gesture controls, new leaks suggest. Pictured is a concept drawing
Apple plans to introduce a stainless steel band around the phone which the glass curves into, much like the casing used for the iPhone 4 and 4S.
Confirming past rumours, images of the device viewed by Bloomberg and people familiar with the gadget show Apple will release three iPhones next month.
One of these new models, a new high-end device ‘packs in enough changes to make it one of the biggest iPhone updates in the product’s decade-long history,’ Bloomberg reports.
In place of a home button on the iPhone 8, a thin, software bar will stretch across the bottom of the screen.
This bar can be dragged to the top of the screen to open the iPhone, while users can initiate multitasking using a similar gesture while an app is open.
To close the app and go back to the home screen, users can continue flicking the bar upwards.
Images show that the multitasking screen has been redesigned to appear as a series of swipeable cards rather than the ‘stack’ seen on current iPhones.
The iPhone 8 will have a cut-out at the top of the display for sensors and a camera, as well as a taller screen with rounded edges.
Images leaked last week appear to show parts taken from the upcoming iPhone 8 in unprecedented detail. This image seems to show the display of the upcoming handset
Images show that the iPhone 8’s dock has been redesigned to match the interface of the one on the iPad version of iOS 11 (pictured)
The iPhone 8 will have an OLED screen that is slightly larger than that of the iPhone 7 Plus (5.5″), but the device itself will be similar to the iPhone 7, people familiar with the phone told Bloomberg.
The firm is not moving to curved screens like the latest Samsung models, instead favouring a flat screen like current and past iPhones, the report says.
Symmetrical, slim bezels will cover the entirety of the device’s front, cutting off the areas where the home button and ear piece sit on current iPhone models.
The front-facing camera, earpiece and facial-recognition sensor are instead housed in a small notch at the top of the screen, the image show.
‘Apple has opted to not hide the notch area at the top of the screen, showing a definitive cutout at the top of apps with non-black backgrounds,’ Bloomberg reports.
The iPhone 8 will have an OLED screen that is slightly larger than that of the iPhone 7 Plus (5.5″), but the device itself will be similar in size to the iPhone 7. Pictured is an earlier leaked photo of the display that appeared on a Chinese blogging website
‘The cutout is noticeable during app usage in the middle of the very top of the screen, where the status bar (the area that shows cellular reception, the time, and battery life) would normally be placed, according to the images.
‘Instead, the status bar will be split into left and right sides, which some Apple employees call “ears” internally.’
Images of recent test devices reveal that the left side of the notch displays the time while the right side shows battery life, WiFi and mobile network connectivity.
Apple has opted to remove the square corners seen on current iPhones in favour of rounded ones, possibly as an homage to the shape of the very first iPhone model, which came out a decade ago in November.
Images of the device viewed by Bloomberg and people familiar with the gadget show Apple will release three iPhones next month. Previous rumours have suggested Apple’s release event could take place at the The Steve Jobs Theatre in September (artist’s impression)
Apple recently killed the headphone jack and its next victim could be the home button. Rumors of Apple doing way with the iconic home button isn’t groundbreaking news, but many believed the firm would leave it out of the iPhone 7 design
The iPhone 8’s power button will be longer to make it easier to press while holding the phone in one hand, the images and people suggest.
A taller screen means that the phone will fit six vertical rows of apps, showing 24 icons on each page excluding the dock, a grey bar at the bottom of the screen containing frequently used apps.
The images show that the dock has been redesigned to match the interface of the one on the iPad version of iOS 11.
Alongside the new high-end device, Apple plans to release two new additional iPhone models.
These will use faster processors but will include the same screens as the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
They will debut alongside an update Apple TV set-top box and Apple Watch models.