iPhone 8 release date, specs and price: Launch date 'confirmed' as 512GB variant leaks

Release date
The iPhone 8 will be unveiled on 12 September, according to a report at Mac4Ever.

However, some reports claim that it might not be available to buy until the fourth quarter, noting that the iPhone 8 may be available in limited quantity only. A note by analyst Timothy Arcuri from Cowen and Company has added weight to this and claims that production could be delayed due to issues with its Touch ID sensor.

Another report suggests the iPhone 8 may not arrive until 2018. A research Deutsche Bank, picked up by Business Insider, claims the smartphone won't make it onto shelves this year due to supply chain issues and "technical challenges".

As if just to confuse matters more, Digitimes is reporting that mass production of the iPhone 8 is on schedule and that the smartphone will see a release in October.

Price
If it's anything like Apple's new MacBooks, next year's iPhone will be more expensive than this year's release, and some are claiming that the highest-spec model will be the first iPhone to cost more than $1,000.

A new report at Forbes claims that pricing could start at an eye-watering $1,100 to $1,200, with Apple to offer the handset in 128GB and 256GB configurations only.

Rumoured specs

• 5.8in 2.5D OLED edge-to-edge display
• New design with an 'all-glass' construction
• 71x143x7.4mm
• Wireless charging support
• Apple A11 chip
• Rear-facing Touch ID sensor
• iOS 11 with improved Siri, P2P payments
• Face-scanning technology
• Vertical dual cameras on rear
• Support for LTE speeds up to 450Mbps

Latest news
24/8/17: Apple will unveil the iPhone 8 on 12 September, according to Mac4Ever, which allegedly received confirmation from telecoms companies. Separately, a post on Weibo claims that the smartphone will be made available in a new 512GB capacity option, with all models set to pack 3GB RAM.

23/8/17: According to the Korea Herald, the iPhone 8's much-rumoured facial recognition system will be the handset's "crown jewel". The report claims that the tech will work in "just a few hundred milliseconds" and that it will replace Apples Touch ID sensor. The Korea Herald adds that adding 3D sensors will be adopted for the front and rear of the device to "realise AR applications, which integrate 3D virtual images with user's environment in real time."

22/8/17: A new leak, via SlashLeaks, has shown off a number of alleged iPhone 8 parts, including its flex cable for power transfer, some of its internal components and its display assembly (below), which seems to confirm reports of a full-screen design with a 'notch' at the top to accommodate the phone's front camera and earpiece.