One of the interesting rumors surrounding the huge iPhone 8 release later this year is the curved OLED design. However, IHS Markit's resident analyst, Wayne Lam, recently stated in his notes that the upcoming iPhone version will not be too different from last year's iPhone 7, at least in terms of screen design. As quoted by MacRumors, Lam predicts that Apple will implement the same flat OLED design on the iPhone 8, similar to the screen display sported by its predecessor. 

Specifically, Lam expects that the OLED design of the new iPhone model is comparable to the iPhone 7's 2.5D glass design. This may also be similar to the physical design of the LG G6, which was recently revealed at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) earlier this month. The next iPhone version is predicted to sport a touchscreen with an extended aspect ratio design, taking up the increased display area of the device.

It was earlier thought that the dual curved-edge design is going to be the new trend in smartphones this year, a trend that was started by Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge and S7 Edge in 2016. A curved screen can be a way to increase the display area of a smartphone without affecting its physical footprint.

With the latest flat screen display reports, it appears that the iPhone has yet to jump on the bandwagon. Some tech enthusiasts now question the idea of the iPhone 8 having the most revolutionary design in the series. Although, there are other features that can make the iPhone 8 live up to everyone's high expectation.

According to Express UK, the new iPhone will adopt the Touch Bar feature of the 2016 MacBook Pro laptops. For the Touch Bar's smartphone counterpart, the iPhone 8 is expected to sport a new Function Area at the bottom of the display. This will replace the traditional Home button, allowing the user to navigate through different menus and shortcuts quickly.

Other additional features of the iPhone 8 include improved battery capacity, better IP68 waterproof and dust-proof rating, and wireless charging capabilities. iPhone fans will also get to see the exciting changes in Siri, as well as improved security feature with the new facial recognition scanner.

As for the new iPhone's display, there is no final report whether the smartphone will switch to curved design or stay with flat screen. After all, there are a number of iPhone 8 prototypes being tested so the dual curved display is not yet completely off the table.

However, the public may have to wait a little longer than usual for the iPhone 8 release. According to BGR, the usual September launch of the new iPhone model may not be followed this year.

This is due to the delayed schedule for mass production, which is expected to happen sometime in September. With this, the new release window for the iPhone 8 may be set in late October, or even in November 2017.