iPhone 8 could get a new name, new features and a later launch date

Most rumors seem to agree now that alongside an iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus – which will include the modest upgrades we’d expect of a yearly update – there will also be a more premium model, which has previously been referred to as the iPhone 8 or iPhone X.

Now you can add a new name into the mix, with the latest reports suggesting it will be called the iPhone Edition.

That’s according to Japanese site Mac Otakara, and it’s a name that would make sense, as it would fit with the premium Apple Watch Edition.

While we might now have a better idea of the iPhone 8’s name, its specs and features are more of a mystery than ever. The same site claims that most of the rumors we’ve heard, such as AMOLED screens, curved screens, the removal of the home button and a glass back, are all being tested, but so are a number of other prototypes and Apple apparently hasn’t yet decided which to use.

The rumors that we’ve been hearing are supposedly down to Apple requesting parts for these prototypes – but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll enter mass production.

Some things are set, but don't expect it in September

All that’s apparently been decided for sure so far is that the screen will be in the 5-inch range and the phone will have a dual-lens camera, wireless charging and a Lightning connector, rather than USB-C, as was recently rumored.

This indecision could explain the other claim Mac Otakara is making: that the iPhone 8 - or iPhone Edition as it might be called - will be announced alongside the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus in September, but won’t go on sale until long after.

The site doesn’t say exactly how much later the phone would be launched, but we’d think Apple would try and get it into stores before the end of the year.

This of course all assumes that Mac Otakara is right, which it may not be, especially as it’s not clear where it got this information from, but as Apple rumor sources go, it tends to be among the more reliable.

James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.