iPhone 8 release date, specs rumors: Production on schedule; new smartphone to be unveiled in September

Featured in the image is the Apple iPhone 7.Reuters/Lucy Nicholson

Contrary to previous reports,  Apple's next-generation iPhones are scheduled to be unveiled in September.

Apple's next iPhone launch has been a subject of debate for quite a while now. Several reports have claimed that Apple's new smartphone will have a delayed release, and it will possibly come out in 2018. However, a new report from Digitimes claims that mass production for the new iPhones (including the iPhone 8) is right on schedule and a delay is unlikely.

According to a Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) report, Apple will unveil its new smartphones in September and commercially release the latest line of devices in October. Suppliers are on schedule and most will begin increasing their production in June. In anticipation of the increased iPhone production, Apple's assembly partners (Winstron, Pegatron, and Foxconn) are now recruiting more employees.

Fortune notes that Apple has long been rumored to be working on three new iPhones. Two of those devices, the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus, are expected to offer only minor upgrades to the 2016 iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Meanwhile, the iPhone 8 is believed to come with a huge update.

In terms of design, Apple reportedly has plans of revamping the iPhone 8 with an edge-to-edge organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display and glass body. The OLED display makes the smartphone's screen even clearer as it boosts the display's brightness and color accuracy.

Apple's upcoming smartphone might also include an improved touch ID fingerprint sensor if the manufacturer can work out the alleged technical issues involved. Other special features likely to be in the iPhone 8 include a front-facing camera with facial recognition abilities and 3D sensing, a vertically oriented rear camera, and wireless charging.

On Tuesday, Onleaks released a set of new iPhone 8 renders based on leaked computer-aided design images. The said photos may offer the most accurate look yet at what the upcoming device could look like. As seen in the renders, the iPhone 8 has stainless steel edges similar to the iPhone 4. The back of the smartphone also appears to have an all-glass design. The virtual camera is also seen in the images.