Will the real iPhone 8 please stand up?
If you thought the iPhone 8's final design was actually set in stone, you'd best check yourself, because you're about to get wrecked.
We've seen a few sources recently, most notably BGR, report that a dummy model showing many of the features expected in the next-gen version of Apple's flagship is the final design. That device has an edge-to-edge display with no visible bezels, an all glass and stainless steel profile, a vertically-oriented dual lens camera, and, most importantly, no visible Touch ID button.
The dummy model would be a fine fulfillment of many of the leaks that have proliferated through the rumor cycle, but there's no way to definitively state it's the final version of the device. Apple was reportedly still testing multiple designs as late as last month, after all -- there could be other options still on the table.
New images have emerged that refute the supposed "final" 8 design, showing off a vastly different device. The pics were first posted to Chinese social media site Weibo before being spotted by AppleInsider.
The new images show possibly the worst case scenario for Apple, if the various reports of issues with its supply chain and the challenge of moving the Touch ID sensor underneath the screen prove too much for the company.
There's far more bezel than we've seen in the other leaked prototypes, and it doesn't have the glass and stainless steel sandwich design we've been thirsting after. Instead, this version of the 8 has only slightly smaller bezels than the iPhone 7, with the same aluminum body.
Most notably, the device has a rear screen Touch ID, something just about everyone is hoping Apple will be able to avoid after Samsung was tripped up in its quest to eliminate physical home buttons for the Galaxy S8.
This could be a final "safe" option for the iPhone 8 -- or it might not be. We have no way of knowing, which is exactly why every report you read from now until September, especially those claiming to have all the answers without citing any reliable sources -- should be treated with the utmost skepticism.
Topics iPhone
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.
