Owning an iPhone is partially about the elite status its owner holds in the society. The growing standard of living has made iPhones somewhat affordable, making it a viable option while looking to buy a good smartphone. But it looks like things are going to change this year.
With all the rumours swirling around the web about the upcoming iPhone 8's high-end specs such as OLED display, wireless charging and such, a fresh rumour about a feature will get fans excited. According to the Korean Economic Daily, LG has dedicated a $238.5 million-worth facility just for Apple orders, in which the company will make 3D facial recognition models for the iPhone 8.
With this information, it is clear that the new iPhone 8 will have advanced front camera module, but it remains unclear if there will be a dual camera setup or a standard single lens. Apple is also expected to take advantage of PrimeSense algorithms for 3D sensing capabilities, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said.
Apple had bought PrimeSense in 2013. The Israel-based company is known for developing 3D sensors, and a good example of that is Microsoft's first Kinect sensor for Xbox.
In a separate report, Goldman Sachs' Simona Jankowski predicted the iPhone 8 to be the most expensive iPhone ever made. Jankowski mentioned in her research note that the iPhone 8 will have a 3D sensor worth $20 among other material costs to put the iPhone 8's price at the range of $1,000.
If the prediction is right, the iPhone 8 will come in two variants, 128GB and 256GB, costing $999 and $1,099, respectively. This would make the new iPhone $130 more than the most expensive iPhone model currently available in the market, Business Insider reported.
In case you're wondering what drives the iPhone 8's price to such high levels, Jankowski has a breakdown of the materials used in the manufacturing. The iPhone 8's OLED display measuring 5.8 inches with no bezels is expected to cost $35, 3D sensing to add $20, improved NAND/DRAM memory to add up to $29, A11 chipset, no physical home button, biometric sensor, and storage starting at 128GB, will collectively throw the iPhone 8's price through the roof.
Even with that, iPhone fans need not be worried. Apple's rumoured iPhone 8 is going to be the third variant this year and the company would also launch iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus to fulfil the demands of average consumers.
The iPhone 7S is expected to cost $649 and the iPhone 7S Plus variant will go on sale for about $769. These models will come in regular 32GB, 128GB and 256GB storage options. If Apple continues the tradition, the iPhone 7S series won't bring major upgrades in terms of design and simply improve the performance as compared to the iPhone 7 series.
Apple is still several months from launching the 2017 iPhone flagships, and a lot is expected to change in due course.
