The iPhone 8 you’ve been hankering for has just been announced.
Over at Apple’s media event, the company announced the 4.7-inch iPhone 8 and the 5.5-inch iPhone Plus handsets. Both models feature LCD displays and incorporate Apple’s new six-core A11 Bionic processor.
The A11 processor features two high-performance cores said to be 25 percent faster than the A10, and four high-efficiency cores that are 70 percent faster. An Apple-designed GPU is said to deliver a 30 percent speed boost. Also attached is a new image signal processor, providing faster autofocus in low light, improved pixel processing, and better noise reduction.
Apple has also incorporated support for Qi wireless charging and changed the aluminum backing to glass. The iPhone 8 models also offer True Tone technology, which matches a display’s color temperature with ambient light and had previously only been available on the iPad.
Breaking away from some of the rumors, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus models will continue to feature a physical Home button with Touch ID. The handsets arrive in 64 and 256 gigabyte capacities.
Other new features found in the iPhone 8 Plus include a dual-lens camera with 2x optical zoom, and support for the iOS camera app’s Portrait mode, which simulates bokeh to blur the background behind a subject. New is Portrait Lighting, debuting in beta status, which uses machine learning to enhance images with presets like “Contour,” “Stage,” and “Studio” light.
Both the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus feature a 12-megapixel rear camera, which Apple states have been calibrated for augmented reality and include pairing with new gyroscope and accelerometer sensors. The devices also have an Apple-designed video encoder, and can shoot in 4K at up to 60 frames per second, or in 1080p at up to 240 frames per second.
The onboard speakers have been boosted and are 25 percent louder while the handsets themselves are IP67-rated against water and dust.
The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus preorders are slated to begin on Friday, September 15th and will hit the shelves on Friday, September 22nd. U.S. prices start at $699 for the iPhone 8, and $799 for the 8 Plus. iPhone Upgrade Program customers will have to pay at least $34.50 and $39.50 per month, respectively.
The handsets will be available in silver, space gray, and a new shade of gold.
Initial launch regions will include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, mainland China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the UAE, the U.K., the U.S., and the Virgin Islands.
A second wave of launches is due Sept. 29, bringing the phones to Andorra, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Greenland, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, India, the Isle of Man, Israel, Jersey, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Monaco, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.