'iPhone 8' rumor roundup: X-ray shows wireless charging coil, new color option, HomePod le...

Posted:
in iPhone edited August 2017
An image supposedly leaked from Foxconn appears to show a wireless charging coil, stacked logic board and other components rumored for inclusion in Apple's "iPhone 8." Other recent leaks and news point to new color options, facial recognition features, potential OLED constraints and more.








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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    For the wireless coils, my guess would be that it's for a smart-cover-like smart-battery where you can slap on/off without much hassle. and as well as other things.
    edited August 2017
  • Reply 2 of 8
    radarthekatradarthekat Posts: 3,842moderator
    For the wireless coils, my guess would be that it's for a smart-cover-like smart-battery where you can slap on/off without much hassle. and as well as other things.
    In that case you'd put the charging coil in the cover and add an iPad-like smart connector to the phone.  The fact the coil is in the handset implies you'll be able to directly charge the phone using inductive charging tech. 
    Soli[Deleted User]
  • Reply 3 of 8
    cornchipcornchip Posts: 1,945member
    Personally, I think charging pads are sorta lame. Really, it's not THAT much harder to just connect it to a lightning cable. I guess it'd be nice, but I'd prefer it be able to charge at least from a few feet. If I could charge my phone in my pocket while sitting at my desk? Now that would be wireless.
    boredumbRayz2016
  • Reply 4 of 8
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,299member
    For the wireless coils, my guess would be that it's for a smart-cover-like smart-battery where you can slap on/off without much hassle. and as well as other things.
    Wouldn't any coil system require electronics to convert battery DC to coil AC?

    They could just add the smartConnector of the iPadPro for that and have a very simple battery cover that is all DC.  


  • Reply 5 of 8
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    cornchip said:
    Personally, I think charging pads are sorta lame. Really, it's not THAT much harder to just connect it to a lightning cable. I guess it'd be nice, but I'd prefer it be able to charge at least from a few feet. If I could charge my phone in my pocket while sitting at my desk? Now that would be wireless.
    You know what's even more lame? Having to use two hands to plug the cable end into the port on the device or hold down your dock with a second hand because the Lightning port is a tight fit when you can use an inductive charging pad. This tech is useful which is why Apple has been using it for year, which is not say that distance charging won't add additional conveniences but let's think about how technology progresses. Your comment is like Apple quadrupling the iPhone pixels from the iPhone 3GS to iPhone 4 and you saying, "well I'd rather it was 8x more pixels."
    edited August 2017
  • Reply 6 of 8
    Soli said:
    cornchip said:
    Personally, I think charging pads are sorta lame. Really, it's not THAT much harder to just connect it to a lightning cable. I guess it'd be nice, but I'd prefer it be able to charge at least from a few feet. If I could charge my phone in my pocket while sitting at my desk? Now that would be wireless.
    You know what's even more lame? Having to use two hands to plug the cable end into the port on the device or hold down your dock with a second hand because the Lightning port is a tight fit when you can use an inductive charging pad. This tech is useful which is why Apple has been using it for year, which is not say that distance charging won't add additional conveniences but let's think about how technology progresses. Your comment is like Apple quadrupling the iPhone pixels from the iPhone 3GS to iPhone 4 and you saying, "well I'd rather it was 8x more pixels."
    Sure, wireless "pad" charging has benefits such as you state, but it also comes with a drawback - you can't then pick up and use the phone while it is charging. How many people do you see using their iPhone WHILE it's plugged in; airports, cafes, connected to portable powerbanks etc. I think it's a bigger trade-off personally to lose mobility while charging vs having to use two hands to plug in the cable.
  • Reply 7 of 8
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    Soli said:
    cornchip said:
    Personally, I think charging pads are sorta lame. Really, it's not THAT much harder to just connect it to a lightning cable. I guess it'd be nice, but I'd prefer it be able to charge at least from a few feet. If I could charge my phone in my pocket while sitting at my desk? Now that would be wireless.
    You know what's even more lame? Having to use two hands to plug the cable end into the port on the device or hold down your dock with a second hand because the Lightning port is a tight fit when you can use an inductive charging pad. This tech is useful which is why Apple has been using it for year, which is not say that distance charging won't add additional conveniences but let's think about how technology progresses. Your comment is like Apple quadrupling the iPhone pixels from the iPhone 3GS to iPhone 4 and you saying, "well I'd rather it was 8x more pixels."
    He said "personally" which I took to mean as "this applies to me and not necessarily to anyone else."

    I agree that given the extra desk space these charging pads take up, and the power the waste in use, I'd just rather plug the cable in, which I can do with one hand (turn the phone on its end and push the cable in). 

    Where these charging mats are really useful is charging several devices at once. You've now got one cable to charge all your gear. 
    cornchip
  • Reply 8 of 8
    cornchipcornchip Posts: 1,945member
    Soli said:
    cornchip said:
    Personally, I think charging pads are sorta lame. Really, it's not THAT much harder to just connect it to a lightning cable. I guess it'd be nice, but I'd prefer it be able to charge at least from a few feet. If I could charge my phone in my pocket while sitting at my desk? Now that would be wireless.
    You know what's even more lame? Having to use two hands to plug the cable end into the port on the device or hold down your dock with a second hand because the Lightning port is a tight fit when you can use an inductive charging pad. This tech is useful which is why Apple has been using it for year, which is not say that distance charging won't add additional conveniences but let's think about how technology progresses. Your comment is like Apple quadrupling the iPhone pixels from the iPhone 3GS to iPhone 4 and you saying, "well I'd rather it was 8x more pixels."
    Yeah, I get that, it's pretty cool, just not something I look at and go "wow! That's awesome!". Which I did do when iPhone went retina. And when they went to brick manufacturing for laptops. And when NMP was unveiled. And AR kit. And flyover. And air drop.... love what Apple does, this particular feature I just feel "meh" about.


    Rayz2016 said:
    Where these charging mats are really useful is charging several devices at once. You've now got one cable to charge all your gear. 


    Now that I might be down with.


    edited August 2017
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