iPhone 8 specs and key features leak, this iPhone will be truly different

The iPhone 8 is a very important smartphone for Apple. It not only marks the tenth anniversary of the historic smartphone, but is set to be the most radical update to the iPhone since its inception. Moreover, the iPhone 8 has a lot riding on its shoulders after the relative disappointment that was the iPhone 7 has built up a lot of pent up demand amongst iPhone loyalists.

The iPhone 8 has been one of the most leaked iPhones ever with rumours and reports flying all over the internet over the past few months. There have been a lot of confusion over a few features. The biggest debate has been regarding whether or not Apple will embed the fingerprint sensor underneath the iPhone 8's display. There have been so many disparaging many regarding this issue that it has become a little silly by now.

In addition to the Touch ID controversy, there have been widespread reports regarding wireless charging, an OLED display, face unlock and so on. A new leak has seemingly confirmed the fact that the iPhone 8 will not come with an in-screen fingerprint senor. This leak has also brought to light almost everything there is to know about the upcoming tenth anniversary iPhone.

Almost everything there is to know about the iPhone 8 has been found hidden amongst the HomePod firmware

What sets this leak apart from the rest is the fact that it is the most dependable leak yet. The information does not comes from some strange corner in Weibo or some shady website, it has been painstakingly dug out by developers Guilhermo Rambo and Steve Troughton-Smith from Apple HomePod's firmware. Apple accidentally pushed the firmware for their smart speakers and developers have been having a field day with it.

The firmware has turned out to be an absolute treasure trove for iPhone 8 information. Almost everything there is to know about the iPhone 8 has been found hidden amongst the millions of lines of code. Here is what the iPhone 8 will bring to the table:

1. The biggest and most divisive piece of information to come out of the HomePod firmware is the fact that the iPhone 8 will not come with the Touch ID sensor embedded underneath the display. The developers found nothing in the code to suggest an in-screen fingerprint sensor.
2. What the developers did find was several references to the term "BKFaceDetect" in which BK most probably stands for Biometric Kit (taking Apple's love for the work 'Kit' into account - ARKit, HomeKit and so on). This seemingly confirms a report by Bloomberg which said that the iPhone 8 will come with 3D face unlocking which will allow users to log-in, launch secure applications and authenticate payments. They also found references to an infrared camera which would most probably be used by the iPhone 8 to detect a person's face in the dark.
3. Giving more credence to the fact that the iPhone will come with face detection is the fact that iOS developer @r_idn has found references to "pearl.field-detect" and "pearl.pre-arm" among other payment verification data in the iOS 11 beta. It is widely known that Pearl is the Face ID source code. Rumours claim that Apple's 3D face recognition technologyactually captures more data than a fingerprint scan and is more secure than Touch ID.
4. The HomePod firmware contains an image that confirms that the iPhone 8 will have a bezel-less design and an edge-to-edge display. The image also confirms that the smartphone will have a 'notch' at the top just like the one found on Andy Rubin's Essential phone which will house the sensors and the front facing camera.
5. When the Essential PH1 smartphone was unveiled, many people found the 'notch' at the top of the device ugly. It seems that Apple has added a feature in the iPhone 8's software in order to alleviate such concerns. The icons for battery, Wi-Fi, mobile data and so on will be displayed on either side of the 'notch' at the top in order to make it look more seamless and integrated.
6. The HomePod firmware also reveals that the iPhone 8 will come with a Motorola and Nokia like tap to wake feature which will allow users to unlock the smartphone with a single or double tap of the finger. As the iPhone 8 will not come with a physical home key, it is set to come with a virtual home button which will be called the 'home indicator'.
7. The firmware reveals that Apple will finally increase the resolution of the iPhone display with the iPhone 8. Currently, the iPhone 7 has a 750p display, while the iPhone 7 Plus has a 1080p display. The iPhone 8 on the other hand is set to come with a higher res 1125x2436 display.
8. While the iPhone 8 display will be 5.8-inches in size, only 5.15-inches out of those will be usable for content. The rest will be dedicated to a function area that will occupy the bottom of the display at all times. Like the TouchBar found in the new MacBook Pros, the function area will change dynamically based on which apps are being used and will offer shortcuts and other functions.
9. The HomePod firmware has also revealed that the iPhone 8 will be the first iPhone to come with quick charging and wireless charging. The smartphone will use the 'Qi' wireless charging standard which is already used by Samsung and several other Android smartphone manufacturers.
10. Apart from the information gleaned by the HomePod firmware, the iPhone 8 is rumoured to come with an updated 3D touch module, IP68 waterproofing, updated rear dual cameras with AR and depth of field features, a TrueTone OLED display, rear facing laser technology for AR apps and more. It will be powered by a more power efficient and powerful A11 processor and run Apple's newest iOS 11 operating system.
11. When will the iPhone 8 release? There have been many reports claiming that the iPhone 8 is facing issues and will be delayed by weeks, if not months. Recently a report claimed that Apple was going to launch at least one iPhone (out of the iPhone 7s, iPhone 7s Plus and iPhone 8) in September. Now @Onleaks has claimed on Twitter that the iPhone 8 has gone into mass production which points towards the fact that the iPhone 8 might not be delayed after all.