iPhone 8 'working prototype' is probably fake

We're only a little more than a week away from the launch of the iPhone 8 so we expect to see leaks of the phone pouring in, but the latest we've spotted online seems to be a fake.

A user on Reddit has shared a video of what is titled an "Alleged Working iPhone 8", but there are a few issues with the video that made us double take while watching it.

The screen on the device looks to match previous leaks we've seen of the iPhone 8 with small bezels and a cutout space at the top that will house the front-facing camera and speaker. 

That said, the video is shot in the dark which completely masks the body from view - the first sign this may be a fake. Plus the cutout at the top of the display doesn't look to be symmetrical leading us to think that maybe a template has been crudely laid over the screen.

The Wi-Fi and mobile signal icons are on the wrong side considering this is an iPhone. Apple usually places them on the top left, but here each symbol is on the top right and some on Reddit have speculated this is a sign it's an Android device running an iOS-style skin.

More than one issue

When the video starts on the iPhone homescreen, you can also see the four dots near the bottom of the screen that indicates the amount of pages of apps, but there's no dot to the left like there would normally be for the widget screen.

Even the app opening animation makes a strange shape when it first starts too, plus there's also a dark line at the bottom of the screen that we haven't seen within the iOS 11 beta before.

All of these issues may be software quirks within iOS 11's beta mode, but paired with the dark filming conditions for this phone it does suggest this is a big fake video that's doing well on Reddit at the moment.

We can expect lots more of these kind of leaks in the next week or so before the September 12 launch date, but hopefully in that time we'll also see more great leaks of the actual device too.

James Peckham

James is Managing Editor for Android Police. Previously, he was Senior Phones Editor for TechRadar, and he has covered smartphones and the mobile space for the best part of a decade bringing you news on all the big announcements from top manufacturers making mobile phones and other portable gadgets. James is often testing out and reviewing the latest and greatest mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets, virtual reality headsets, fitness trackers and more. He once fell over.