Phone frenzy: expect Hong Kong’s iPhone 8 queues to be around the block

Apple remains tight-lipped ahead of the release, but experts predict features such as augmented reality, a sharper OLED screen and wireless charging will propel record sales and haul in Samsung’s popular Galaxy S8

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A long queue outside the Apple store on Fifth Avenue in New York to buy the iPhone 6 in September 2014. These queues could be even longer for the iPhone 8. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:03am, 7 Jul 2017Updated: 6:15pm, 7 Jul 2017

The most significant update to the iPhone in three years promises not only to upend the smartphone market but Apple’s financial results for several quarters.

On the heels of the iPhone’s 10th anniversary last month, and before Apple unveils its new models in September, analysts expect flat year-over-year iPhone sales as consumers wait for the revamped phones. After that, however, they expect record-setting sales, dwarfing the success of the wildly popular iPhone 6.

Angelo Zino, a senior equity analyst at CFRA, predicts record iPhone shipments of 241.5 million units in the 12 months following the launch of the iPhone 8 – smashing the previous high, set by iPhone 6 in late 2014.

The iPhone 6 Plus, left, and iPhone 6 set sales records that are expected to be smashed by the upcoming iPhone 8. Photo: Reuters

Demand for the new iPhone could vault Apple to the top of smartphone sellers worldwide, but it needs to set itself apart in three key areas – its voice assistant Siri, augmented reality and artificial intelligence – according to Tuong Nguyen, an analyst at market researcher Gartner.

Siri, while still the most popular digital assistant, has squandered some of its early lead to rival Google Assistant. On the hardware side, Samsung has already established a beachhead with certain popular features, such as wireless charging and water resistance.