Even before the release of the iPhone 7, rumors of the 2017 version have already been surfacing on the web. While traditionally, it should be aptly called the iPhone 7S, reports have consistently claimed the device to be named iPhone 8.
Design and Build
For the design, Apple is expected to bring either a glass or ceramic back coating with metal frames for the iPhone 8. Given the success of the Jet Black version of the iPhone 7, the company would then want to focus on making smartphones with glossy finish, which would be possible only through glass.
There are also reports that the device will be removing the top bezel of the iPhone 8. This would mean that the ambient light sensor, the proximity sensor, the front firing speaker, and the selfie snapper would all have to be cramped tighter or even relegated to other positions. The phone would then have to be water and dust proof.
Screen and Display
There has been a lot of reports saying that Apple will finally adapt the OLED technology for their displays. Whether or not this would be AMOLED still remains unconfirmed. There are also reports saying that iPhone 8 will be featuring a flexible display, so a curved edge is also possible. Lastly, the home button and TouchID would both be integrated within the screen itself.
Hardware and Software Specs
With the current A10 chip topping all performance diagnostic tests, the 10-nanometer A11 in the iPhone 8 would surely fare a lot better. Also, an additional gigabyte of RAM will also be a welcome improvement. The default internal storage would most likely still be at 32GB, as Apple had just recently abolished the 16GB option.
Powering the iPhone 8's software would still be the iOS 10, or at least until Apple announces an upgrade. The latest version would be more than capable to handle any tasks thrown on the iPhone 8.
Release Date
The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are expected to be released on September 2017. This has now become the traditional product launch period of Apple, so the iPhone 8 is expected to follow suit.