This is how the iPhone 8 will have 'significantly' improved battery life

Asking your colleagues for a USB cable or carrying a battery pack everywhere you might might soon be a thing of the past, as the iPhone 8 is rumoured to have "significantly" improved battery life over its predecessors.

Often said to be the iPhone's Achilles heel, battery life of the new model, due before the end of 2017, will be improved thanks to a new design. Where Apple has until now installed rectangular batteries into its smartphones, the next handset will have a larger L-shaped battery.

This, Forbes claims, will see the iPhone 8 last longer each day than the iPhone 7 Plus, despite the newer handset being smaller overall.

Delving into Apple's supply chain via a smartphone case manufacturer, Forbes also reports how the new iPhone will have an elongated display stretching almost to the edge of the handset in every direction.

However, unlike the Samsung Galaxy S8 and its curved screen, the iPhone will have a 4mm bezel on all four edges, preventing users from accidentally touching the screen while they hold the phone.

The top edge will see the display sit either side of the central speaker and camera, showing signal strength and battery charge. In a dramatic change for iOS, it is claimed notifications will appear at the bottom of the iPhone 8's screen in a new 'Function Area', where they can be reached and acted upon more easily. It isn't known if this will happen on all devices running iOS 11 (it is currently not the case in a beta version given to developers), or just on the new model.

Other details include the inclusion of a Lightning port instead of a widely rumoured switch to USB-C, as used by Apple's latest MacBook Pro lineup. The report also claims Apple is considering integrating the Touch ID fingerprint sensor with a new, larger lock button.

It is understood Apple is still hoping to place Touch ID beneath the phone's glass display, but if that fails then the lock button will be the backup option; installing Touch ID on the back is said to no longer be a consideration for the California company.

Attempting to embed Touch ID into the screen has reportedly caused headaches for Apple, and supply chain insiders have claimed multiple times that this will delay the new iPhone from its usual mid-September release date until Christmas. An updated duo called the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus will reportedly not fall victim to the same delay.