Apple's 10th-anniversary iPhone becomes more imminent as fall nears — a time, according to rumors, when the Cupertino, California tech company will finally unveil the iPhone 8.
Rumors suggest varying things: a price higher than $1,000; the removal of Touch ID in place of a new under-the-display fingerprint tech or 3D face scanning; and frequently — minimal bezels and an OLED screen.
iPhone 8: OLED Screen Alone Won't Do It
Those might not be enough, however, for people to upgrade. Some analysts believe that the iPhone 8 has to offer more beyond its OLED screen to convince users in upgrading. Barclays analyst on Thursday, July 13, said they "struggle to see the incremental benefits" of jumping to OLED screens. All current iPhone models use LCDs.
Barclays analyst Mark Moskowitz along with his team said they weren't sure if an OLED screen alone can push users to abandon an already "adequately-performing device," meaning the iPhone 8 will have very weak pull for people who already own an iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, or maybe even an iPhone 6.
"[O]ur conversations with industry participants suggest that most consumers will not notice any major "must have" experience changes because of new OLED displays versus LCD," said Moskowitz.
While Barclays may have its finger on the pulse on such matters, it's worth noting that Apple has had terrific success in convincing users to upgrade with each iPhone iteration it releases, even if, arguably, the successor doesn't contain enough compelling features to warrant an upgrade.
Sure, anyone can attest to the quality of Apple's products, but very few can admit that the company also has mastered the art of making a broad impact through marketing and advertising.
No one can know for sure whether the iPhone 8's OLED screen is enough of a selling point to convince users to upgrade, that's certain. At the same time, save for people working inside Apple, no one really knows for sure either if the iPhone 8 will even come equipped with an OLED screen. It will most likely do, though — because aside from an OLED screen, what other features will the forthcoming flagship boast?
iPhone 7s, iPhone 7s Plus
Alongside the iPhone 8, Apple is also expected to release two iterative iPhone models: the iPhone 7s and the iPhone 7s Plus, though what new features both models will come with remain uncertain. Rumors point to wireless charging, new camera capabilities, waterproofing, and other minor refinements.
Check out our article to get a rundown of everything we know so far about the iPhone 8. Don't forget to hit the comments section below if you have any thoughts!
