Apple has been pretty quiet about its upcoming releases, so those who look forward to the next iPhone only rely on insider reports. The upcoming handset has been unofficially called a number of things, including iPhone 8 and iPhone X. Now a new report says the next Apple flagship could be called the iPhone Edition, and it’s going to be rather expensive.

Apple may reportedly call this year’s so-called iPhone 8 by another name. The premium smartphone, which is projected to be launched together with the iPhone 7s and the iPhone 7s Plus at a special event scheduled for September, is now apparently going to be called the iPhone Edition. The name reportedly signifies the handset’s higher end status, which is what the Mac maker also did with the Apple Watch Edition.

Previous reports have indicated that the iPhone 8 / iPhone Edition model could have a price tag that reaches upwards of US$1,000 (AU$1,328). This year marks the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, which is why it was previously thought that the 2017 model might be called the iPhone X. Fans are expecting that the special anniversary edition iPhone will be full of new features never before seen in previous models.

The report also mentions that the Cupertino, California-based company is testing several prototypes together with the iPhone 8 / iPhone Edition. Apple is supposedly experimenting with the prototypes’ display technology and supplies. Some equip LCD screens while others sport OLED panels.

Apple is also reportedly tinkering with the iPhone prototypes’ Home buttons. Some of the prototypes have them while others don’t. The tech giant is also said to test glass, aluminium chassis and white ceramics on the prototypes, which reaffirms previous reports about the upcoming iPhone’s components.

According to Japanese website Mac Otakara, while the iPhone 8 / iPhone Edition may be announced together with the successors of the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus, the actual release date of the new phones may come “very much” far behind. Also, the only sure-fire features that are reportedly going to come with the iPhone 8 / iPhone Edition are the iSight dual cameras and wireless charging. Only the premium iPhone is expected to equip an OLED panel (which is reportedly going to be a 5.8-inch edge-to-edge curved display) while the other two lower end models – the 4.7-inch iPhone 7s and the 5.5-inch iPhone 7s Plus – retain the LCD screens currently used by their predecessors.

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