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iPhone 8 rumoured to have new port, curved OLED screen

Artist render of iPhone X. <a href="http://www.idropnews.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:(iDropNews);elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">(iDropNews)</a>
Artist render of iPhone X. (iDropNews)

It seems like it’s always a bad time to buy an iPhone. But according to tech soothsayers, right now may be the actual worst.

A report in The Wall Street Journal says Apple’s likely taking a drastically different path with the iPhone 8 — also called the iPhone X because its release marks the device’s 10th anniversary — and once again changing the charging port.

Lightning port on iPhone 7. (Kārlis Dambrāns/Creative Commons)
Lightning port on iPhone 7. (Kārlis Dambrāns/Creative Commons)

This means all those dongles you spent $45+ will be rendered useless… again. Plus, you’ll need a whole new set of connectors to use it with your Macbook Pro. And your car. You get the idea.

Word on the WSJ street is that come September, the iPhone 8 may replace the Lightning port, introduced with the iPhone 5 in 2012, with a USB-C port. Only slightly bigger than Lightning, this is the same port used by the Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy A7, A5 and A3, and HTC 10, U Ultra and Play, among many other Sony and Motorola devices.

But many disagree with the WSJ report. Forecasters say this would be a foolish move on Apple’s part, and that it’s more likely Apple would keep the Lightning port and might simply switch to a USB-C connector on the opposite end of the Lightning cable that ships in the box. Users could then plug the iPhone 8 into the new MacBook Pros, or the 12-inch MacBook.

WSJ also reported Tuesday that the X will upgrade its display to organic light-emitting diode (OLED) from the liquid-crystal display (LCD), giving the phone a curved “edge-to”edge” display. Interestingly, competitor Samsung is reported to be providing the initial supply of OLED screens to Apple.

Some sceptics have noted that simply upgrading to a flexible OLED does not necessarily mean the phone’s display will be curved. Apple insider Ming-Chi Kuo also speculates that the iPhone 8’s display will be similar to putting the 5.8-inch display of the iPhone 7 Plus on the iPhone 7 (4.7 inches). The OLED screen, which more expensive, is not a bad thing because it means improved battery life — it’s more vivid and requires less power than LCD.

iPhone 7 (left) versus artist rendering of iPhone 8. (<a href="http://www.idropnews.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:iDropNews;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">iDropNews</a>)
iPhone 7 (left) versus artist rendering of iPhone 8. (iDropNews)

These two changes alone would render the barely seven-month-old iPhone 7 obsolete. Other speculations? No home button. No TouchID. That thumbprint is so last year, and may be replaced by 3D facial recognition when the front-facing camera is overhauled.

The wireless charging is another welcome rumour — certainly more pleasant than the one about the price tag. With estimations at over US$1,000, it’s best to keep this one away from bathrooms altogether.