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The market rumors about the next iPhone is beginning to coalesce. It’s now pretty certain that there will be three new iPhone models, including a premium device designed to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the iPhone. The other two models are expected to be the usual update of features included in the iPhone 7.
Apple will release two updates to the iPhone 7 and a new phone which may be called the iPhone 8 or it may be called the iPhone X, according to the leading analyst for Apple products, Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities. The use of the “X” may signify the 10th anniversary, or it may just sound cool, kind of like what Microsoft did when bypassed Windows 9 and went directly to Windows 10.
But what few people are talking about is how the new iPhone, whatever its final name turns out to be, will compare with the also new Samsung Galaxy S8, which will be Samsung’s latest offering when it ships in late April. This is important, because virtually every new feature mentioned for the new Apple product will already be available on Samsung handsets sooner.
The iPhone X is expected to be a new premium phone that comes with a lot of innovations, at least for Apple. The hottest among those are wireless charging, something that other phone makers have had for a while and which has been available on the Apple Watch since it was released.
The delay in wireless charging may have been due to Apple’s use of a machined aluminum case for the iPhone 7. While wireless charging technology has been available on mobile phones for nearly two years, Apple apparently wanted something better than what Samsung and others have been offering, which works, but can produce a lot of heat and is relatively slow.
Wireless charging may be the reason that Apple is reportedly moving to an all-glass case for the iPhone X, because it would allow faster wireless charging. The other versions of the iPhone, which would be called the 7S and the 7S Plus, may also support wireless charging, but that’s not clear.
But other features to come are becoming clear. The new ‘iPhone X’ will have an OLED display apparently at a higher resolution than current iPhone displays. It will apparently be the same physical size as the current iPhone 7 Plus, but will have a larger screen because the bezels are being eliminated.
All of which might sound impressive, except for the fact that Samsung’s flagship phone, the Galaxy S8, will have the same features, plus more, including iris scanning and gesture recognition.