The iPhone 8 will be announced on September 12. According to Time, Apple will also use the event to announce updates to other products. The Cupertino company will also announce the release dates for the latest versions of macOS and iOS. However, it’s the iPhone 8 that everybody will be talking about the most.

The new iPhone is expected to be the biggest upgrade to Apple’s groundbreaking device in years. Apple released the first iPhone in June of 2007, so they have a lot of expectations to live up to on the iPhone’s 10th anniversary. The new smartphone should bring us a 5.8-inch edge-to-edge OLED display, a glass body, and advanced facial recognition (perhaps replacing the Touch ID), and wireless charging.

One feature taken off the new iPhone is the Home button. According to Bloomberg, gesture controls will replace the physical button that has been on the iPhone since 2007.

“With a crisper screen that takes up nearly the entire front, Apple has tested the complete removal of the home button—even a digital one—in favor of new gesture controls for tasks like going to the main app grid and opening multitasking, according to the people and the images. “

The iPhone 8 won't have a physical home button like the iPhone 7 Plus does. [Image by Daryl Deino]

The article adds that across the bottom of the screen, there is a thin software bar, which a user can drag up in the middle of the screen to open the phone. When inside an app, a similar gesture starts multitasking. It all sounds confusing, but one can count on Apple to make things that have always been thought of as confusing to work well for the average customer.

Still, commenters after an article on the same topic from Mac Rumors aren’t very impressed.

“It’s a shame they’d be losing the magic of a virtual button with the Taptic Engine, and we’ll have to see how it is but this method doesn’t seem as instant and intuitive,” says Appleaker.

“This all sounds messy to me, I guess you’ll have to use it to see but it seems like one missed opportunity for 3D Touch,” says Apoalla.

Apple’s new smartphone will be announced the same week Samsung releases the Galaxy Note 8. Some think the Galaxy Note 8 is a non-event. CNET thinks that Samsung has played it safe with the Note 8.

Is the Galaxy Note 8 just a Galaxy S8 with a stylus? [Image by Daryl Deino]

“Instead of splashing out, though, Samsung played it safe. The Note 8’s battery is smaller than 2016’s model, in part to keep from repeating last year’s fatal mistake.”

The article adds that the S Pen stylus only adds a couple unimportant new tricks and the fingerprint sensor is still awkwardly placed by the camera lenses. CNET, like other sources, notes that the dual-lens camera is the Galaxy Note 8’s only major new feature. However, there are still a lot of people on Twitter excited about the Note 8.

Pre-ordered the Samsung Galaxy note 8 this weekend, yeah kinda excited about that. — Mitchell richardson (@mr6091) August 30, 2017

The new galaxy note 8 look amazing let’s see what Apple do about it. — Junior va$qu£z (@drjuniorrr) August 30, 2017

Meanwhile, if you are a T-Mobile customer, you are in luck. Many customers have reported having their credit cards charged and getting a message from T-Mobile that indicates their new device is about to ship. However, Apple fans remain undeterred and will patiently wait for the iPhone 8.

[Featured Image by Bryan Thomas/Getty Images]