Apple iPhone 8 release date, specs rumors: upcoming flagship to have wireless charging, all-glass design

Apple is poised to ditch the traditional metal case seen above on the iPhone 7 in favor of an all-glass design.REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Talk about the changes for the Apple iPhone 8 is heating up quite fast even though the upcoming replacement of the current iPhone 7 flagship isn't due for an official launch until the fall of next year. Well, iPhone loyalists and observers aren't to be blamed for the constant influx of speculations considering how great the potential is for the smartphone to come with features that haven't been seen in any brand just yet.

With the latest research notes from reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, there are two remarkable revelations about the upcoming device. The first is that it'll come with a generally overhauled design highlighted by an all-glass case, while the second is the support for wireless charging, which is made possible by the all-glass case.

According to Kuo, the purpose of the glass case is not just aesthetics as it will be a crucial component to making wireless charging possible. He went on to say through the research notes that while devices constructed with metal casings can still be afforded with wireless charging, the most visible issue is that charging speed is largely limited. But with an all-glass casing, there's no impediment for fast charging as there no longer is a metal component.

Per Valuewalk, the first ever commercially available wireless charging functionality came from Palm about six years ago. The first Android smartphone that offered it was the Google Nexus 5, launched three years ago. But if there's one common thing among those that offered wireless charging in the past several years, that's the fact that most of them have ditched it because it was just too difficult to make it work efficiently for all-metal body devices.

But for the upcoming iPhone 8, the fact that there's an all-glass design could mean that Apple's first ever venture into wireless charging may very well be an instant success.