Apple's iPhone 8 will get a release date inside Q3 2017

This year’s iPhone – or, should I say, iPhones – are widely expected to be a return to true, innovative form for Apple. After three long years of the same design, 2017 will be the year that Apple once again introduces a completely redesigned chassis.

The physical aspect of the iPhone will be the biggest change, arguably, as this is something almost all iPhones users are hungry for, however, there will also be significant changes under the hood with big improvements to processing grunt, power efficiencies and overall battery performance.

There will also be three models, apparently: the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 8 Pro – the latter of which is expected to feature the largest display Apple has ever placed on an iPhone. It is also believed the iPhone 8 Pro model could feature plenty of cross-over with Apple’s iPad Pro lineup, meaning Apple Pen support and the like.

OLED displays are set to taking over too; though some reports suggest these new panels could be reserved for the Pro model only. And you can expect to pay a pretty hefty premium for one of those – likely north of $1000/£1000.

Ahead of Apple’s official iPhone 8 launch, I believe there are several key areas where Apple will push innovation, which are as follows:

Display Technology – this has been a long time coming and word on the street suggests Apple will be taking a leaf from Samsung’s book (ONCE AGAIN!) by implementing curved OLED panels on one or more models of its iPhone 8.
Imaging – Apple will almost certainly introduce a raft of new imaging technology that will drastically improved its dual-lens camera. Imaging is a huge driving force behind phone adoption. Apple knows this and will no doubt act accordingly in 2017.
Design – the iPhone 8 range will look different, finally, from the iPhone 6 – a handset which first launched three years ago. This will be a big factor at launch and will almost certainly drive massive sales of iPhone in 2017, just as the iPhone 6 did way back in 2014.
More Models – Apple is widely believed to be introducing a larger, even more expensive iPhone in 2017 called the iPhone 8 Pro. This handset is where ALL the major changes could be, including that previously mentioned curved OLED display.

The iPhone 8 range could also be the first iPhone to not feature a Home button. Meaning it'd look a little something like this.

This is one thing you can almost set your watch by: Apple ALWAYS launches its iPhones inside the last quarter of the year – either very late Q3 or early Q4.

This means the handsets are available in store for the busiest shopping period of the year in the run up to Christmas.

Apple does a keynote, usually a big affair with celebrities and plenty of back-slapping, and then launches the new iPhones a week or so later.