Leaked images show off one of the iPhone 8's key components
The iPhone 8 is (hopefully) coming soon, and we might just have a closer look at one of its most important components.
The new A11 processor chip that will power the next iPhone allegedly appears in newly leaked photos posted to Slashleaks, which were first spotted by MacRumors. The 10-nanometer chips are reportedly manufactured exclusively by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and expected to power the upcoming iPhone 8, iPhone 7S, and iPhone 7S Plus models.
The A11 chip should give the phones improved speed and efficiency, along with enough power for new features like 3D facial scanning.
We can't tell much from the photos, but that's just fine. The A11 is a processor, after all, so it's destined to stay out of sight within the iPhone's casing. The bigger takeaway here is that the images potentially give us some new insight about the manufacturing timeline. If we're seeing the chip now, that could very well mean that production on the new phones is close to being underway.
There's not a whole lot to see in the blurry images. The chip, which is clearly labeled as the A11, sits alone on the surface of a table.
We can see the backside of the chip in the second photo, but little else.
Apple was rumored to face production delays for a number of reasons, but recent reports claim that the company is back on for mass production in time for a September launch.
These latest images of the A11 could be even more reason to believe that Apple is gearing up for production, and the iPhone 8 will actually arrive next month.
Brett Williams is a Tech Reporter at Mashable. He writes about tech news, trends and other tangentially related topics with a particular interest in wearables and exercise tech. Prior to Mashable, he wrote for Inked Magazine and Thrillist. Brett's work has also appeared on Fusion and AskMen, to name a few. You can follow Brett on Twitter @bdwilliams910.
