This is what the bezel-less iPhone 8 may look like: ultimate design concepts of the black and white models

On January 9th 2007, late Apple CEO Steve Jobs took the stage during the Macworld Conference & Expo to reveal a device that would subsequently change the mobile industry and the daily lives of millions of people around the world forever. The iPhone – an usher of a new era of mobile computing, a pioneering device, the merits of which as such have already been discussed at length. And countless times, at that.

2017 marks the 10th anniversary of the release of the original iPhone, and the mobile world is abuzz with rumors and excitement regarding a possible radical redesign of Apple's iconic mobile phone. Although nothing is known for certain at this point, given the company's infamous secretiveness, many people believe that Apple won't just release a 7s and a 7s Plus this year, but rather has something very special planned for the 10th anniversary of its revolutionary phone. Of course, updated versions of last year's iPhone 7 models are not out of the cards, and, worst case scenario, they might be the only Apple phones we see in 2017, but let's not focus on such predictions right now.

Instead, let's talk about the exciting prospects of an iPhone 8. Because, even if Apple doesn't skip to the next full number with something completely different this year, then next, a radical iPhone redesign is coming, and it's something worth getting excited about.


There is no way around it, the industry is moving toward bigger displays, smaller bezels, and Apple has some catching to do when it comes to efficiently utilizing the frontal area of the iPhone. LG has already bit the bullet with the G6, ditching the current-standard screen aspect ratio of 9:16, in favor of a 9:18 (or 1:2) “FullVision” display that beautifully fills out the front of the G6, leaving very little in the way of bezels at the top and bottom. Samsung is doing something similar with the upcoming Galaxy S8 and S8+, although the screens on those will be even taller, with an aspect ratio of 9:18.5, while the phones themselves will not be substantially larger than their predecessors.

When it comes to Apple and its ideologies, it's a relatively safe bet that whatever redesigns are coming, they won't be significantly bulkier or bigger than current iPhone models. The displays, however, are a different story altogether – they are only getting bigger. In order to deal with this, many rumors suggest, Apple may drop the iconic circular home button that's been on the iPhone since the very beginning, and replace it with an on-screen substitute.

There are so many intriguing “if's” and “may's” surrounding the iPhone 8, that we decided to explore some of them here, through a series of beautiful conceptual images, based on information by traditionally reliable sources. The concepts we are going to take a look at try to illustrate how different facets of iOS would work on an iPhone, the physical home button of which has been replaced by a “function area”, without going into crazy territory with impossible ideas. So, what is this function area-thing you may ask? Well, that's exactly what we'll try to explain here.

The iPhone 8: an almost bezel-less device with large OLED display and no physical home button

Like we already said, this particular concept explores an iPhone 8 without a physical home button. But although the circular depression has disappeared off the face of the phone, a round, on-screen button with the same size offers familiarity to long-time iPhone users. Coupled with Apple's advanced 3D and Force Touch technologies, it is capable of differentiating between various levels of pressure and providing users with physical feedback. Further, while on the Home screen, the "function area" around the button is used to display four customizable switches, otherwise found in the iOS Action Center, allowing users a quick and convenient access to different functions of the phone.

Acting in a similar way to the Touch Bar found on the latest MacBook Pro, the "function area" changes depending on the app you're using. Different interfaces can be displayed in this area, primarily swipe-based, that supplement the UI of the app that is currently running. For example, while editing a photo, a scroll bar for different effects appears in the "function area", hiding the home button while being used. In another scenario, the space below the on-screen keyboard is occupied by a scrollable wheel of emoji, granting users quick access to their frequently used emojis first, as well as all others, by swiping up and down.