iPhone 8 release date, specs rumors: New iPhones won't have home buttons?

The iPhone 8, which will be released on the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, could come without one of the smartphone's most iconic features.

Reports now say that Apple could do away with the home button for the next incarnation of its popular iPhone. This radical change isn't entirely surprising as the tech giant is expected to pull out all the stops for the iPhone 8, the launch of which will mark a decade of the iPhone.

According to Apple Insider, Apple may have recently been awarded a new patent that covers a fingerprint sensor capable of getting accurate readings through a touch screen.

The new patented technology is described as a capacitative fingerprint sensor with an electrostatic lens. This new tech is said to offer a solution to one of Apple's major design hurdles, that of building an iPhone with an edge-to-edge OLED display. With this technology, the company can instead create a virtual home button near the bottom of the device.

Getting rid of the home button will allow Apple to make the iPhone 8 easier to use, unlike the iPhone 7, which is difficult to operate with one hand.

Apart from possibly having a full-screen face, the iPhone 8 is also expected to introduce wireless charging to Apple's premium smartphone. Apple could also go beyond the current capacity of wireless chargers, building tech that will enable the iPhone 8 to charge without having to be placed on a charging dock. The wireless charging on the new iPhone will reportedly be conducted via a signal that can reach as far as 15 feet and power as many as 12 devices at once.

There is also talk of a ceramic iPhone, following the launch of the Series 2 ceramic Apple Watch Edition earlier this year. Cult of Mac notes that because ceramic is four times harder than stainless steel, not to mention better-looking than the latter, it would make an ideal material for the next iPhone. Apple has also lauded its new watch material for its ability to resist tarnishing and scratches.

Apple has not released any official announcements about its next iPhone.