iPhone 8 Plus release date, news and rumors

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the original iPhone. It has almost been 10 years since Steve Jobs walked out on stage and changed the way we use our mobile phones, so you can expect Apple to celebrate with major upgrades on the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.

That stacks up with some of the rumors we're already hearing, which suggest the iPhone 8 Plus will see a lot of improvements.

iPhone 8 Plus release date

For the last few years Apple has announced new iPhones at the start of September, and then released the phone later in the month.

That’s exactly when we’d expect the iPhone 8 Plus to launch in 2017. The only iPhone to not be launched in September in recent years is the iPhone SE, but we’d expect the iPhone 8 Plus to follow a year after the iPhone 7 Plus, which launched in September 2016.

iPhone 8 Plus screen

Hottest leaks:

• There will be two versions: one with an OLED screen and one LCD
• Some rumors suggest the screen size will increase
• It could have a True Tone display

Apple may be making two versions of the iPhone 8 Plus in 2017, and the biggest difference between the two could be the screen technology each uses.

A KGI Securities analyst has suggested that one version of the iPhone 8 Plus will come with an LCD screen (as is used by current Apple phones), while another will come with OLED.

iPhone 8 Plus design

Hottest leaks:

• A major change compared to previous models
• It'll still be a large phone, but one version may be glass instead of metal
• The Touch ID fingerprint scanner may be integrated into the screen

One of the biggest criticisms of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus was the fact that neither had a new design. 

In fact, Apple handsets from the iPhone 6 Plus onward look largely the same, so there may be some big design changes coming on the iPhone 8 Plus.

One analyst from China expects the biggest change in the design to be a move toward a curved glass back, rather than the metal used on other iPhone models.

The CEO of the company that makes the iPhone’s metal casing has even said one model of the iPhone 8 “will adopt glass casing next year”. And of a glass back, with a steel frame to hold it together.

The other big rumored design change is dropping the Touch ID scanner from the iPhone 8 Plus. Some have rumored it would be integrated into the screen instead, while other sources suggest it will be moved to the back of the phone.

Either way, expect the iPhone 8 Plus to keep its waterproof build (possibly even slightly more waterproof, with IP68 certification in place of IP67) , as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack-less design.

iPhone 8 Plus camera and battery

Hottest leaks:

• Optical image stabilization looks almost certain
• Expect a similar 7MP selfie shooter
• Wireless charging may finally come to the iPhone

The camera was perhaps the biggest upgrade for the iPhone 7 Plus, so we’d expect to see a similar spec on the iPhone 8 Plus shooter. 

The dual-lens camera will remain limited to the Plus model, and that both lenses will benefit from optical image stabilization, where currently only the wide-angle lens features OIS on the iPhone 7 Plus.

The iPhone 8 Plus may also get augmented reality features, allowing it to recognize objects and manipulate faces, as well as possibly supporting 3D effects

.

As for the front camera, we’d expect it to stay at the 7MP mark on the iPhone 8 Plus, as it was upgraded for the last phone, but there’s nothing in particular rumored yet for the selfie shooter.

Whether there's wireless charging or not, you're sure to want to plug the iPhone 8 Plus in at times, and surprisingly there's some evidence that you'll be doing that via USB Type-C, rather than a Lightning connection, though the evidence so far is flimsy.

iPhone 8 Plus OS and power 

Hottest leaks:

• A focus on augmented reality
• A powerful graphics chip

We’d expect iOS 11 to launch alongside the iPhone 8 Plus, but it’s currently uncertain what new features the software will bring.

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus both launched with upgraded A10 Fusion chipsets, so we’d expect a quad-core chip on the iPhone 8 Plus and it's likely to be called the A11 Fusion or even just A11.

In terms of RAM, we’d expect the iPhone 8 Plus to come with 3GB or 4GB. 

iPhone 8 Plus other features

Hottest leaks:

• A Smart Connector for accessories?
• It may include an iris scanner or tech to stop thieves stealing your fingerprints
• New sensors to detect touch on more than just the screen
• Facial recognition tech

Apple could make every side of the iPhone 8 Plus smart, by using new sensing technology to let the sides respond to a users touch - potentially allowing you to change the volume with a swipe along the edge and snap a photo with a tap. 

One Apple patent shows off a detailed system to stop thieves being able to take your fingerprints from your Touch ID sensor – so that may be included on the iPhone 8 Plus.

The long rumored iPhone 7 Pro was meant to feature the Smart Connector, for accessories such as small keyboards, but Apple may be waiting to launch it on the iPhone 8 Plus instead.

iPhone 8 Plus price

The 32GB model costs $769/8500MAD , while the 128GB version costs         $869/10.000MAD. If you want an even bigger 256GB version you have to spend $969/11.500MAD.