Apple's 'iPhone 8' to boast larger Plus-sized battery in form factor similar to 4.7" iPhon...

AppleInsider

By shrinking components inside of its next-generation flagship iPhone, Apple apparently plans to squeeze a Plus-sized battery into a smaller form factor, new details reveal.

'iPhone 8' concept rendering by Marek Weidlich.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities expects that Apple will fit a 2,700 mAh battery inside of the so-called "iPhone 8," expected to launch later this year. That would put the battery capacity on par with the current iPhone 7 Plus, despite having a smaller form factor.

In fact, with a 5.1- to 5.2-inch edge-to-edge OLED display, Kuo indicated that the "iPhone 8" or "iPhone X" will carry dimensions similar to the 4.7-inch iPhone 7.

He revealed that Apple plans to accomplish this with a stacked logic board, called a substrate-like PCB mainboard. Shrinking the components themselves is necessary, Kuo said, because battery technology is not expected to improve in the next 3 to 5 years.

In addition, thanks to the use of a low-power OLED panel, Kuo said that the battery life of the "iPhone 8" could be even better than a 5.5-inch LCD iPhone.

With an OLED screen, "black" (unused) pixels are not lit, and therefore do not require as much power as illuminated pixels. With an LCD screen, the entire panel is backlit -- even black pixels -- which can reduce battery life, particularly if the backlight is set to a brighter option.

If Apple were to include a "dark mode" option in a future version of iOS, it could offer even greater battery savings with an OLED display. The company already uses this same approach with the Apple Watch, featuring largely black backgrounds in watchOS to take advantage of the wearable device's OLED screen.

Details on battery life come on the heels of news that Apple has officially joined the Wireless Power Consortium. It's expected that the "iPhone 8" -- as well as LCD-based "iPhone 7s" models -- will include wireless inductive charging, based upon the Qi standard overseen by the consortium.

The combination of wireless quick charging capabilities and better-than-ever battery life could satisfy consumer needs for more uptime on their iPhone.

Beyond battery improvements and an edge-to-edge OLED display, the handset is also expected to feature a curved glass back and entirely new industrial design. It's rumored that Apple could embed key components of the device -- including the earpiece speaker, Touch ID sensor and FaceTime camera -- beneath the OLED screen, allowing for a seamless appearance on the front of the device.

All three handsets -- the 4.7-inch "iPhone 7s," the 5.5-inch "iPhone 7s Plus," and the 5.1- to 5.2-inch "iPhone 8" are expected to debut in Apple's normal September timeframe later this year. It has been suggested that the "iPhone 8" could cost upwards of $1,000.

DonlanMatt

Starting to sound better and better, this is the phone a lot of us longtime users have been waiting on. Same size chassis as the 4.7 but with all screen/bigger screen and you can still use with one hand. Also if they make the battery that good and better than a 7 Plus battery life, then I can welcome regular inductive charging with open arms like the watch, if the phone really lasts all day long with 15-20% battery life left when set down for bed on its charging pad like the watch.

Metriacanthosaurus

DonlanMatt said:

Starting to sound better and better, this is the phone a lot of us longtime users have been waiting on. Same size chassis as the 4.7 but with all screen/bigger screen and you can still use with one hand. Also if they make the battery that good and better than a 7 Plus battery life, then I can welcome regular inductive charging with open arms like the watch, if the phone really lasts all day long with 15-20% battery life left when set down for bed on its charging pad like the watch.

iPhone hasn't be a fully one handed device since the 4S. That isn't coming back.

And the 7 Plus already has insane battery life. I regularly put on the charger at night with 50% of battery (same with Apple watch).

wood1208

This is new. Previous info was iPhone 8 will be 5.8" OLED display size with usable screen size 5.1-5.2". How can you fit that into 4,7" frame ?

staticx57

wood1208 said:

This is new. Previous info was iPhone 8 will be 5.8" OLED display size with usable screen size 5.1-5.2". How can you fit that into 4,7" frame ?

Less bezel more screen

rob55

sog35 said:

the 5/5s is definitely a 1 handed device, unless you have smaller than average hands

The 6/7 is very close to a 1 handed device for most uses.

I find that I have physically shift my iPhone 7 Plus up and down in my hand to be able to reach everything, but I do manage mostly one-handed operation. Having the same size screen in the smaller form factor would be awesome.

melgross

We continue to read about how much more efficient OLED screens are, particularly because black pixels aren't illuminated from behind. We rarely read, in those same articles, just how much more power is consumed by OLED pixels when they are at a bright level.

apple's watch is using an OLED screen, according to Apple, because it's thinner than an LCD and LED backlight, not because it's significantly more efficient. The entire reason why OLED devices often have a black background is because of the inefficiency at brighter levels. The interesting thing here is that while, over the years, OLEDs have become more efficient, so have LCD LED backlights. The two screen types are at about the same overall efficiency, and apparently will continue to be for some time.

OLEDs do have some other advantages, mainly the mythical edge to edge screen. And, as I've mentioned, they are thinner. The disadvantages include the still problematic burn in. While that has been improved over time, it still exists, and is part of the continued problem over shorter overall screen life. The shorter screen life, and burn in are related to the problem of why OLEDs aren't nearly as bright as LCDs. When more power is poured in, they, like every other illumination device, get hotter. But OLEDs can't get as hot as an inorganic led, so they can only have so much power. That means their brightness is restricted.

the latest OLED screens are stuck below 400 nits in normal mode. They can jump to over 600 for a short time in direct daylight, but there is no manual control over that high brightness. LCDs can get to over 600 nits in normal mode, and up to 700 nits in bright daylight. It's true that most time that isn't needed, but when it is, it makes a big difference.

i don't know what Apple is doing with the Apple Watch Series 2 OLED screens, as Apple states that they can reach 1,000 nits in direct daylight, and indeed, it's a lot brighter than my friends first gen Apple Watch under these conditions. Either Apple has made a breakthrough that their manufacturer uses exclusively for them, or Apple isn't worried about shortening the screen lifetime, as watches aren't used as much as a smartphone.

but, my take on these stories is to be just a bit skeptical about the virtues of OLEDs. While they're better than they used to be, as is everything electronic, they're not yet a paragon of virtue.

melgross

sog35 said:

Metriacanthosaurus said:

DonlanMatt said:

Starting to sound better and better, this is the phone a lot of us longtime users have been waiting on. Same size chassis as the 4.7 but with all screen/bigger screen and you can still use with one hand. Also if they make the battery that good and better than a 7 Plus battery life, then I can welcome regular inductive charging with open arms like the watch, if the phone really lasts all day long with 15-20% battery life left when set down for bed on its charging pad like the watch.

iPhone hasn't be a fully one handed device since the 4S. That isn't coming back.

And the 7 Plus already has insane battery life. I regularly put on the charger at night with 50% of battery (same with Apple watch).

the 5/5s is definitely a 1 handed device, unless you have smaller than average hands

The 6/7 is very close to a 1 handed device for most uses.

I've never understood the one handed device concept. I've never used my phones with one hand, and I never expected to. Most people I see use two hands. This seems to be an issue akin to physical keyboards. There's much more talk about them than actual desire.

melgross

sog35 said:

melgross said:

sog35 said:

Metriacanthosaurus said:

DonlanMatt said:

Starting to sound better and better, this is the phone a lot of us longtime users have been waiting on. Same size chassis as the 4.7 but with all screen/bigger screen and you can still use with one hand. Also if they make the battery that good and better than a 7 Plus battery life, then I can welcome regular inductive charging with open arms like the watch, if the phone really lasts all day long with 15-20% battery life left when set down for bed on its charging pad like the watch.

iPhone hasn't be a fully one handed device since the 4S. That isn't coming back.

And the 7 Plus already has insane battery life. I regularly put on the charger at night with 50% of battery (same with Apple watch).

the 5/5s is definitely a 1 handed device, unless you have smaller than average hands

The 6/7 is very close to a 1 handed device for most uses.

I've never understood the one handed device concept. I've never used my phones with one hand, and I never expected to. Most people I see use two hands. This seems to be an issue akin to physical keyboards. There's much more talk about them than actual desire.

you are mostly right.

But 1 handed also means it fits easily in a pocket. My 6+ is pretty awkward in my pant pockets

I've also never put my phone in a pocket. Never understood that either. Well, that is, not in a pants pocket. Sometimes, during winter, if I expect to use my phone, I might put it into an outer coat pocket. But more often, I'm taking phone calls, and messages, on my series 2 Watch.

ireland

It's going to be a long year of these posts.

ireland

melgross said:

sog35 said:

melgross said:

sog35 said:

Metriacanthosaurus said:

DonlanMatt said:

Starting to sound better and better, this is the phone a lot of us longtime users have been waiting on. Same size chassis as the 4.7 but with all screen/bigger screen and you can still use with one hand. Also if they make the battery that good and better than a 7 Plus battery life, then I can welcome regular inductive charging with open arms like the watch, if the phone really lasts all day long with 15-20% battery life left when set down for bed on its charging pad like the watch.

iPhone hasn't be a fully one handed device since the 4S. That isn't coming back.

And the 7 Plus already has insane battery life. I regularly put on the charger at night with 50% of battery (same with Apple watch).

the 5/5s is definitely a 1 handed device, unless you have smaller than average hands

The 6/7 is very close to a 1 handed device for most uses.

I've never understood the one handed device concept. I've never used my phones with one hand, and I never expected to. Most people I see use two hands. This seems to be an issue akin to physical keyboards. There's much more talk about them than actual desire.

you are mostly right.

But 1 handed also means it fits easily in a pocket. My 6+ is pretty awkward in my pant pockets

I've also never put my phone in a pocket. Never understood that either.

I also carry my iPhone atop my unibrow.

Metriacanthosaurus

melgross said:

 The entire reason why OLED devices often have a black background is because of the inefficiency at brighter levels. 

Definitely not true. The former, not the latter. Regardless of power efficiency issues (which Apple will resolve before putting OLED in an iPhone), the "OLED black" looks amazing. There is definitely a huge draw there from a purely aesthetic standpoint. I think a lot of people are looking forward to a darker UI on iPhone X as made possible by the OLED display, not in spite of it.

doozydozen

If Apple stands to shatter expectations with their upcoming one-off SE iPhone, it will be because Apple not only releases new groundbreaking hardware—but loaded with specialized OS that takes advantages of the unique hardware features, like Dark Mode, for example.

Rumors, like ones found here on AI, are shaping my beliefs that Apple will take a holistic approach with their new SE.
(HW + SW)

melgross

sog35 said:

melgross said:

sog35 said:

melgross said:

sog35 said:

Metriacanthosaurus said:

DonlanMatt said:

Starting to sound better and better, this is the phone a lot of us longtime users have been waiting on. Same size chassis as the 4.7 but with all screen/bigger screen and you can still use with one hand. Also if they make the battery that good and better than a 7 Plus battery life, then I can welcome regular inductive charging with open arms like the watch, if the phone really lasts all day long with 15-20% battery life left when set down for bed on its charging pad like the watch.

iPhone hasn't be a fully one handed device since the 4S. That isn't coming back.

And the 7 Plus already has insane battery life. I regularly put on the charger at night with 50% of battery (same with Apple watch).

the 5/5s is definitely a 1 handed device, unless you have smaller than average hands

The 6/7 is very close to a 1 handed device for most uses.

I've never understood the one handed device concept. I've never used my phones with one hand, and I never expected to. Most people I see use two hands. This seems to be an issue akin to physical keyboards. There's much more talk about them than actual desire.

you are mostly right.

But 1 handed also means it fits easily in a pocket. My 6+ is pretty awkward in my pant pockets

I've also never put my phone in a pocket. Never understood that either. Well, that is, not in a pants pocket. Sometimes, during winter, if I expect to use my phone, I might put it into an outer coat pocket. But more often, I'm taking phone calls, and messages, on my series 2 Watch.

So where is your phone? In a bag?

In a case on my belt, where a lot of people keep theirs.

melgross

Metriacanthosaurus said:

melgross said:

 The entire reason why OLED devices often have a black background is because of the inefficiency at brighter levels. 

Definitely not true. The former, not the latter. Regardless of power efficiency issues (which Apple will resolve before putting OLED in an iPhone), the "OLED black" looks amazing. There is definitely a huge draw there from a purely aesthetic standpoint. I think a lot of people are looking forward to a darker UI on iPhone X as made possible by the OLED display, not in spite of it.

Excuse me, but it is true. OLED efficiency is very dependent on brightness levels. At about mid levels, the efficiency is about the same, but as brightness rises, LCDs become much more efficient, just as they become much less efficient as levels go down.

i don't understand your post, really.  You disagree with what I said as far as efficiency goes, but then you talk about something else entirely. So if you want to talk about black levels that's fine. I don't disagree that OLED has better blacks. But black isn't everything. And OLEDs have a notorious problem with color, off angle, which is noticeably worse than the LCD screens Apple uses now.

youre also confusing the black oriented black blackgrounds used in OLED devices which is a GUI choice because of inefficiencies with white backgrounds, with the fact that OLEDs do have a dead black background. These are two different things. One is a necessity, and the other is a virtue. Manufacturers are using black backgrounds to lower power usage, and increase OLED lifetimes. The fact that some people prefer black GUIs, is almost incidental. It's actually harder to read light lettering on a black background, as anyone who has ever read a magazine with bad layout can attest to.

patchythepirate

melgross said:

We continue to read about how much more efficient OLED screens are, particularly because black pixels aren't illuminated from behind. We rarely read, in those same articles, just how much more power is consumed by OLED pixels when they are at a bright level.

apple's watch is using an OLED screen, according to Apple, because it's thinner than an LCD and LED backlight, not because it's significantly more efficient. The entire reason why OLED devices often have a black background is because of the inefficiency at brighter levels. The interesting thing here is that while, over the years, OLEDs have become more efficient, so have LCD LED backlights. The two screen types are at about the same overall efficiency, and apparently will continue to be for some time.

OLEDs do have some other advantages, mainly the mythical edge to edge screen. And, as I've mentioned, they are thinner. The disadvantages include the still problematic burn in. While that has been improved over time, it still exists, and is part of the continued problem over shorter overall screen life. The shorter screen life, and burn in are related to the problem of why OLEDs aren't nearly as bright as LCDs. When more power is poured in, they, like every other illumination device, get hotter. But OLEDs can't get as hot as an inorganic led, so they can only have so much power. That means their brightness is restricted.

the latest OLED screens are stuck below 400 nits in normal mode. They can jump to over 600 for a short time in direct daylight, but there is no manual control over that high brightness. LCDs can get to over 600 nits in normal mode, and up to 700 nits in bright daylight. It's true that most time that isn't needed, but when it is, it makes a big difference.

i don't know what Apple is doing with the Apple Watch Series 2 OLED screens, as Apple states that they can reach 1,000 nits in direct daylight, and indeed, it's a lot brighter than my friends first gen Apple Watch under these conditions. Either Apple has made a breakthrough that their manufacturer uses exclusively for them, or Apple isn't worried about shortening the screen lifetime, as watches aren't used as much as a smartphone.

but, my take on these stories is to be just a bit skeptical about the virtues of OLEDs. While they're better than they used to be, as is everything electronic, they're not yet a paragon of virtue.

Very informative. Thank you for sharing. As LED and OLED are comparable in many ways, I feel like the most significant factor at this time is the fact that OLED can go full black, and thus blend seamlessly with the surrounding frame/bezel. This seemed like a key design point for Ive with the watch, so much so that I think he even hinted at bringing this design feature to the iPhone. Especially as bezels shrink in general, I suspect that black will be the only bezel color available in the near future, or at least with 'iPhone X.'

BTW, I use my 4.7" iPhone 7 almost exclusively one-handed, all day long, in my non-dominant hand even, as I'm always multitasking.. checking my work computer, driving, eating.. and yes, even at the urinal! A 5"+ screen in the current 4.7" form factor is my ideal phone.

bluefire1

Wallet remains open and ready.

ksec

Assuming even better IPC, and smaller node 10nm from TSMC, WiFi / Bluetooth integration,  we could get 10 - 20% less energy usage from CPU. Better Antenna Design ( iPhone 's Antenna aren't exactly Industry leading. ) Baseband SoC, Software upgrade like APFS, We could theoretically get close to 25% less energy usage at the same task. 

That along with a 20% increase of Battery capacity, we are taking about 60% increase in usage. So if you phone used to last 4 hours out in the field it will now last ~6.5 hours.

[Deleted User]

Metriacanthosaurus said:

...And the 7 Plus already has insane battery life. I regularly put on the charger at night with 50% of battery (same with Apple watch).

I used to put my 6S on charge with 15-20% left each night. However, when it randomly shuts off at 30-40% it doesn't then last the entire day. Still haven't had a chance to get it repaired by Apple as they either want it for a week (minimum) leaving me with no phone or I have to take time off work to do 2x 140mile round trips to the nearest apple store and have it repaired overnight. Counting on the next iphone having an uber-sized battery so I can cope with a normal day even if its spazzes out at 30-40% like the 6S does. edit* well i've ballsed up that quote somehow, dam AI comment system