We're less than two months away from the release of Apple's next iPhone. The internet is full of leaks and rumours for the upcoming hotshot. In this post, I've categorized every important leak into three different categories based on how likely it is to happen.
Very Likely
Similar Design
In previous years, Apple followed a tick-tock cycle where the iPhone gets a huge external redesign in one year then a massive internal upgrade in the following year. Apple is breaking out of this cycle with the iPhone 7. The device will only be slightly redesigned with more focus on the internals.
All three pictures below are leaked by a French site. The site has been accurate in the past and their leaks match leaks posted on other websites too.
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| iPhone 7 |
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| iPhone 7 case moulds |
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| iPhone 7 vs iPhone 7 Plus |
In terms of design, this is what will change:
- The protruding camera becomes even more protruding :)
- The back antenna lines disappear, leaving only the bottom and top ones
- The larger iPhone has a smart connector at the bottom
A similar smart connector is used on the iPad Pro to connect it to a keyboard. It's unlikely that the smart connector on the iPhone will be used to connect a keyboard, but it'll likely be for some sort of accessory. As of right now, we're not really sure what it is but some people speculate it'll be used for wireless charging.
September Release Date
The iPhone 7 is expected to see the light of day in mid-September. This is based on previous iPhone release dates by Apple. It has also been confirmed by Evan Blass on Twitter, someone famous for accurate smartphone leaks.
iPhone 2016 release: week of September 12th.— Evan Blass (@evleaks) July 23, 2016
Apple will announce the phone on the 7th, with pre-orders starting on the 9th, followed by a release on the 16th of September.
Much, Much Better Camera
It seems like a lot of the focus of the iPhone 7 will be on the camera. The smaller iPhone will get a much larger camera lens while the larger one will feature two lenses.
We're still unsure as to how Apple will utilise the dual-lens camera on the Plus model, but it's definitely exciting.
RIP Headphone Jack, Hello Dual Speakers
Yes, the headphone jack is very likely to die out. That's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I think it's great.
The lightning connector on the iPhone can already be used by headphones to listen to music. There are very few reasons as to why anyone would want a port dedicated to headphones when they already have a multi-purpose port that can be used for music, syncing and charging.
Also, I really hope Apple pushes for more Bluetooth headphones. Why have wires when you can, you know, not have wires?
The death of the headphone jack will only really suck for people that just bought a pair of expensive wired headphones. Apple will probably sell a clunky expensive adaptor that you can use with your headphones though so all is cool :).
Apple is expected to replace the headphone port with a second speaker. I'd much rather have a second speaker and use Bluetooth headphones than have one speaker and use wired headphones.
The lightning connector on the iPhone can already be used by headphones to listen to music. There are very few reasons as to why anyone would want a port dedicated to headphones when they already have a multi-purpose port that can be used for music, syncing and charging.
Also, I really hope Apple pushes for more Bluetooth headphones. Why have wires when you can, you know, not have wires?
The death of the headphone jack will only really suck for people that just bought a pair of expensive wired headphones. Apple will probably sell a clunky expensive adaptor that you can use with your headphones though so all is cool :).
Apple is expected to replace the headphone port with a second speaker. I'd much rather have a second speaker and use Bluetooth headphones than have one speaker and use wired headphones.
Water Resistance
The iPhone 7 is widely expected to have an IP68 water and dust resistance rating. Yes, Samsung had it first, but it'll definitely be a welcome improvement by many people.
There are several indications that the iPhone 7 will be water resistant. In the latest beta version of iOS 10, the device warns you when it detects moisture inside your iPhone while charging. Additionally, the removal of the headphone port and home button (later) could also help make the iPhone more water resistant. Even small hints like the wallpaper on iOS 10 point a small arrow in that direction.
More Base Storage (finally)
The iPhone 6S ships with 16 GB of base storage. This is ridiculous. It was bad enough with the iPhone 6. We all expected Apple to increase it with the iPhone 6S but we had no luck. Fortunately, Apple is rumoured to increase the base storage from 16 GB to 32 GB.
To be honest, 32 GB still sucks. Apple markets the iPhone as a premium device and priced it as such. The iPhone should ideally ship with 64 GB base storage. However, that's extremely unlikely.
Better Processor and Battery Life
As with the release of every iPhone, the upcoming iPhone will ship with an improved processor. We're also expecting an increase in battery life thanks to the death of the headphone jack and a more impressive processor.
We may also see an increase in RAM from 2 GB to 3 GB, particularly in the Plus model.
Better Display
We will almost certainly see an improvement in colours on the next iPhone. The device is also likely to feature a True Tone display. This is what a True Tone display is, according to Wikipedia:
A technology which allows the LCD to adapt to ambient lighting to change its color and intensity in order to offer a more pleasant and natural experience.I am definitely excited for a better display on the upcoming iPhone. Hopefully, we'll see a bump in resolution too as the resolution of the iPhone's display currently lags behind competing Android flagships.
Possible
Wireless Charging
Yes, Samsung has that too. Several rumours claim the upcoming iPhone will have wireless charging capabilities. Some rumours point to the Smart Connector on the iPhone 7 Plus as an indication of wireless charging and claim it'll be an iPhone 7 Plus exclusive feature.
I personally don't see the point of wireless charging. It's not even that much more convenient as it requires the "wireless" charging pad to connect to your socket with a wire. All wireless charging does is charge your phone at a slower rate (for most phones).
If Apple can improve on the current wireless charging systems by making it faster or by making the iPhone charge wirelessly anywhere in the room then it'll be interesting, otherwise, it'll just be a gimmick to convince people to buy the larger, more expensive model.
New Colour
We may see the iPhone 7 ship in a new colour. There are many rumours claiming that we'll see a new colour ship with the iPhone 7. However, so far, there have been no leaks so we're quite sceptical on that.
If Apple does ship the iPhone 7 with a new colour, it'll likely be in either Space Black or Deep Blue.
Below are renders by Martin Hajek. They're gorgeous. You can find the Space Black and Deep Blue Gallery on his website.
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| Space Black and Deep Blue renders |
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| Deep Blue render |
Home Button
It is possible that the iPhone 7 will not come with a home button. Instead, it'll be a pressure sensitive circle that used 3D Touch like technology to detect how hard you pressed it. The iPhone will then simulate the press of a physical button. Think of the new Macbook Pro touchpad. It feels like you're pushing it in, but it never actually moves.
You may be thinking, why the heck would Apple even do this? The answer is water resistance. By getting rid of the home button, Apple is eliminating one more possible place for water to enter the device. Also, the home button is prone to damage, by getting rid of it the iPhone is more durable too.
Unlikely
Dual-Sim
Some rumours have pointed towards a dual sim iPhone. I don't see why Apple would do that. There have been no leaks to indicate the possibility of a dual sim iPhone, and the leaks weren't frequent.
Three iPhone models
Unlikely, but not impossible. Several rumours and leaks have pointed to the possibility of three iPhone models: iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 7 Pro.
It is claimed the iPhone 7 Plus will simply be a larger version of the iPhone 7, while the Pro model will feature the dual lens camera and smart connector exclusively.
The image above went pretty viral on social media. But let's observe one problem in it. At the bottom of the devices, you can see an S label. This discredits the leak. Additionally, Evan Blass also tweeted that the iPhone 7 will only come in two models.
The 2 (two!) 2016 iPhone models are codenamed Sonora and Dos Palos.— Evan Blass (@evleaks) July 19, 2016
Conclusion
To recap everything, we're expecting minor visual changes to the iPhone 7. However, with a new camera, better display, water resistance and a new colour; we're looking for a pretty exciting iPhone in September.
If you want a big visual change, then you're better off holding for the 2017 iPhone which is expected to feature a massive redesign. Alternatively, you could buy the iPhone 7 in one of the new colours and enjoy some of the exciting changes above.
Are you excited for the iPhone 7? Are there any changes above you'd rather didn't happen? Do share your opinion as a comment. If you enjoyed this article then please share it with your friends.
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