For its deluxe iPhone 8 model, Apple is “testing a screen that covers almost the entire front of the device,” Bloomberg reports. People familiar with the development process said the overall size of the prototype is close to that of the iPhone 7, but the removal of the home button and narrowing of the bezels makes for a display that’s a bit larger than that of the iPhone 7 Plus.
Multiple prototypes are still being tested, some of which feature “symmetrical, slightly curved glass on the front and the back” that fits into a steel frame, similar to the iPhone 4’s design. Another version featured more dramatic curves, but with suppliers struggling to reliably produce such an extreme curve sources close to the development said Apple is more likely to go with the “more subdued curves,” or even a simpler aluminum-backed design.
Sources also said Apple is looking to include dual cameras in both the back and front of the iPhone 8, exploring the possibility of integrating the front cameras into the display.
The company hopes to place the fingerprint sensor under the screen as well, but people close to the process said that has proved technically challenging. Samsung tried — and failed — to do something similar with the S8, ultimately settling for a fingerprint scanner on the back of the device.
