Everything we know about the next iPhone so far

Apple’s (AAPL) next iPhone is going to be a huge product for the tech company. It wouldn’t be too far-fetched to say the 10th-anniversary edition of the handset will be the most important device in the company’s history. In fact, anticipation for the handset may have helped drive the Silicon Valley titan’s stock to an all-time high last week.

In other words, Apple is going to have to overdeliver on its next-generation iPhone. The phone needs to bring new features, an updated look and, above all, offer even iPhone 7 owners a reason to upgrade to the new phone.

The new iPhone will likely launch this September, when Apple traditionally launches its new smartphones. But the iPhone rumor mill is already churning at full speed. And if even some of these rumors prove true, the next iPhone could be Apple’s most compelling handset yet.

What’s in a name?

Here’s how little we know about the next iPhone at this point: We still don’t know its name. The going theory is that Apple will stick to its normal naming convention and call this the iPhone 7s, just like the phone after the iPhone 6 was the iPhone 6s.

Other rumors, though, indicate this iPhone will differ so radically from the iPhone 7 that it will skip the whole “s” moniker and jump right to the iPhone 8. Still other rumblings indicate that Apple will jump on the whole 10th anniversary of the iPhone brouhaha and call the handset the iPhone 10 or iPhone X.

3 different models?

To make things even more confusing, Apple might, in fact, be building three different versions of the next iPhone. According to a 9to5Mac, KGI Securities, which has a track record of accurately predicting Apple’s moves, there will be a 4.7-inch iPhone 7s, a 5.5-inch iPhone 7s Plus and a 5.5-inch iPhone 8 that will offer premium features not available on the 7s or 7s Plus.

Fast Company, meanwhile, reports the iPhone 8 will pack a massive 5.8-inch display and cost $1,000. That’s a lot of cash for an iPhone, especially when you consider that Apple faces stiff competition from less expensive premium handsets in China.

A concept image shows what the iPhone 8, or iPhone 10, could look like (ConceptsiPhone)
A concept image shows what the iPhone 8, or iPhone 10, could look like (ConceptsiPhone)

According to the Nikkei Asian Review, the iPhone 8 will sport a curved, wraparound OLED display similar to Samsung’s Galaxy S7 Edge that could be 5.5 inches or larger. There seems to be some consensus among the various leaks and rumors that the iPhone 8 will be the only one to get an OLED screen, while the 7s and 7s Plus will get standard LED screens.

Both Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal backed up the curved OLED display rumor in their own reports.

Why all the fuss over the type of screen Apple uses for the next iPhone? Because OLED panels are known for their vibrant colors and inky blacks. They’re also more power efficient than more traditional LED screens, which means the OLED-equipped iPhone would offer improved battery life.