iPhone 8 release date, price and specs: Apple fixes 'crackling' earpiece glitch with iOS 11 update

APPLE HAS UNVEILED the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, the respective successors to last year's iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.
The duo of smartphones, which were rumoured to arrive as the iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus, offer some major upgrades over last year's models, including a new all-glass design, a new A11 Bionic chip under the hood and support for wireless charging for the first time.

See also: iPhone X release date, price and specs

We've rounded up everything you need to know about picking up the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, and will update this article when we hear more.
Release datePre-orders for the iPhone 8 will began on Friday 15 September, with shipping kicking off on 22 September.

However, you'll be hard pushed to bag yourself an iPhone 8 or 8 Plus on launch day, as all models are now showing as shipping within "one to two weeks" over on the Apple Store and at some UK networks. 

PriceThe iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are now available to buy at the Apple Store with a choice of 64GB or 256GB storage, with models fetching £689, £849, £749 and £949, respectively.
Carphone Warehouse is offering the iPhone 8 on tariffs with EE, iD, O2, Virgin Mobile and Vodafone. Prices start from £59.99 on a 24-month £49 contract with O2, which comes with unlimited texts, unlimited minutes and 5GB data. It's also offering the iPhone 8 Plus, with prices starting at £129.99 on a £49 per month O2 contract.
BT has started taking orders for the iPhone 8, with prices starting at £250 on a £47 tariff that comes with 400 minutes, unlimited texts and 500MB data. It's also offering the iPhone 8 Plus on the same contract, but it'll cost you £300 upfront.
EE is selling the iPhone 8, with prices starting at £99.99 on a £47.99 tariff which comes with 1GB monthly data. EE is recommending you sign up to the firm's £67.99 (!) per month tariff, which comes with a £9.99 upfront cost and a hefty 100GB monthly data. Orders have also kicked off for the iPhone 8 Plus, with prices starting at £149.99 on a £52.99 tariff with 2GB data included.
O2 has opened up iPhone 8 orders over on its website, and is promising delivery in "up to three weeks." The operator is recommending its £63 per month tariff, which comes with a £29.99 upfront cost and 20GB data. The iPhone 8 Plus is available on the same 20GB tariff but will cost you £67 per month.
Sky Mobile is offering the iPhone 8 on its 'Swap12' and 'Swap24' plans, with pricing starting at £32 per month for 500MB data and unlimited calls and texts for Sky TV customers. If you're after more data, Sky has 1GB, 5GB and 10GB plans priced at £37, £42 and £47 per month, respectively. The iPhone 8 Plus is available on identical 500MB, 1GB, 5GB and 10GB plans, but will cost you can extra £5 per month.

Three is taking orders and is offering the iPhone 8, which is available from £79 on s £55 tariff which comes with 12GB data and unlimited texts and minutes. The iPhone 8 Plus is available on the same plan but will cost you £60 per month. 

Vodafone has promptly kicked off pre-orders and is offering the iPhone 8 for £30 from £54 per month, which will get you 4GB data, unlimited texts and unlimited minutes. It's also selling the iPhone 8 Plus, which is available for £58 from £60 per month with 4GB data.
Virgin Mobile has, as promised, is also taking orders for the iPhone 8. Pricing starts at £29 per month with no upfront cost, a tariff that comes with 300 minutes, unlimited texts and 1.2GB data. You can upgrade to 4GB data for £32 per month. It's also offering the iPhone 8 Plus from £37 per month.
In the US, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus can be picked up from AT&T, Best Buy, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon.

Latest news and specs
3/10/17: Apple has released an update to iOS 11 that fixes the 'crackling' earpiece issue affecting iPhone 8 and 8 Plus users, confirming that the problem was software-based. The update, iOS 11.0.2, also addresses an issue that could cause some photos to be hidden, and another that prevented S/MIME encrypted emails from opening.
29/9/17: The iPhone 8 has faced off against the Galaxy S8 in a, er blender. It didn't fare too well, either, as after just a spins the iPhone 8 was reduced to pieces. The Galaxy S8's metal frame, however, somehow managed to survive the ordeal, and even came out with a few bits of glass clinging onto the robust frame.