Several reports—some stretching back several months—claim the iPhone 8 will feature advanced facial recognition, an iris scanner, AR capabilities, and a curved OLED display that’s edge-to-edge.
Meanwhile, the device is expected to ditch the Touch ID home button for a “function area,” which may feature a fingerprint sensor built right into the screen. Think of it as a Touch Bar for your iPhone, something Apple introduced in the new MacBook Pro.
The iPhone 8 is also rumored to a redesign that ditches all physical buttons, and wireless charging that may allow users to charge their phone from a distance. Not to mention, it should come with a more advanced camera, faster guts, improved water resistance, 3D Touch, and iOS 11, which Apple will likely detail at WWDC this summer.
All together, the iPhone 8 promises to not only be the most advanced iPhone yet, but the most feature-packed smartphone on the market.
The Galaxy S8 will be no slouch: Rumors claim it will have a 5.8-inch display that’s also edge-to-edge, wireless charging, microSD card support, and a Snapdragon 835 chip, which a recent report said will make the device more energy efficient.
The device is also said to pack a new “visual search” function, an iris scanner, and Samsung DeX, a feature that will allow users to connect the Galaxy S8 to an external monitor. However, as we’ve learned in the past, features similar to DeX have been underwhelming, and it’s unclear what Samsung’s take on the technology will bring to the table.
Finally, Samsung is expected to introduce Bixby, though there have been conflicting reports about how useful the assistant will be. We expect the AI to be based on Viv, a company Samsung acquired last year. But a recent report said it will be a lot less exciting than we initially thought.
