Apple is expected to reveal plans for a special keynote event imminently and the company’s next smartphone – the iPhone 7 – could be just days away from release.
The Cupertino giant has released new smartphones in September for the last four years and it doesn’t appear as if it’s going to break with tradition in 2016.
Convention also dictates this should be an exciting year for iPhone fans – Apple uses even numbered years to introduce totally new phones and not “S” devices such as 2015’s iPhone 6S.
However, this time round, things could be a little different. Apple’s next smartphone isn’t tipped to be all that new – and in fact, could feel very similar in your hands.
Here’s all we know so far.
Contents
Design
Apple looks set to release the device using the same display sizes as the iPhone 6 generation of phones, so a standard iPhone 7 with a 4.7ins screen alongside a Plus version sporting a 5.5ins panel. Leaked schematics and dummy handsets seem to confirm this.
It’s also expected to have the same design – an aluminium unibody frame, albeit with one or two minor revisions. A video posted on YouTube by Austin Evans provides a detailed look at what’s expected.
The device in the video is a dummy handset and not an official Apple product, but numerous part and schematics leaks, many of them posted on NowhereElse by noted and accurate smartphone leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer, have now all but confirmed this is the design.
The antenna band has been repositioned so it’s slightly neater, tucking in to the top and bottom edges instead of lapping around the back of the phone.
The camera has changed form, too. It still bumps out but the cut-out is much larger and it’s placed more in the corner of the device. It will be different still on the iPhone 7 Plus, which is hotly tipped to be getting a dual camera, with a pill-shaped housing.
The most controversial rumour? No headphone jack. Apple may drop the port on the next model and use the space instead for other hardware upgrades or slimmer iPhones in the future. If so, users will have to use the Lightning port to attach headphones or move on to a Bluetooth pair.
It’s a move that would no doubt frustrate countless amounts of people – especially those with expensive headphones. Apple has a track record of removing ports from devices before they’ve become obsolete, so don’t think a headphone jack-less iPhone is a stretch too far.
Of course, this would mean the EarPods typically bundled with the iPhone would have to be a completely new design if Apple decides not to include a Lightning-port-to-headphone-jack adaptor with the handset.
Conventional style EarPods with a Lightning connector attached have been touted by some, although a recent leak suggests Apple may actually include wireless headphones with the next iPhone.
Leaked registration documents for the phone mention of so-called “AirPods”. Patents for these have been spotted in the past by the likes of AppleInsider and if they are genuine, the wireless, Bluetooth headphones will intended for use with the iPhone 7.
Closer to launch, more and more whispers have pointed towards Apple changing the home button. A recent report from Bloomberg says the iPhone will ditch a moving button altogether in favour of a touch-sensitive patch.
This would use the 3D Touch technology of the iPhone 6S, possibly alongside hardware taken from the latest MacBook. The trackpad on Apple’s latest laptop doesn’t truly press in but uses haptic feedback to simulate the sensation. According to Bloomberg’s sources, the next iPhone could get the exact same treatment.
The most recent design leak comes from Mac Otakara, which suggests the phone will be available in five colours – a new “glossy black” being the latest shade.
Display
According to MacRumors, the iPhone 7’s display technology is unlikely to move on from the baseline 1080p LCD screens of the iPhone 6, although improvements plucked from some of the firm’s other product lines could make their way onto the device.
For instance, True Tone, the colour temperature-shifting feature seen on the 9.7ins Pad Pro, could be added, as could the tablet’s DCI-P3 colour gamut, allowing the iPhone 7 to display more vivid and realistic hues.
As for the two displays, on the iPhone 6 and 6S, the larger Plus models have a pixel density of 401ppi, higher than the 326ppi used on the standard phone. Elsewhere, 3D Touch capabilities will almost certainly return.
As for when Apple will ditch LCD screens in favour of OLED panels, rumours have long centred on 2018, although there’s evidence to suggest it could happen next year.
A research note from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, reported on MacRumors, outlines the big 2017 changes and it seems the iPhone 7 could be the last to use LCD technology.
Cameras
Significant camera upgrades should be on the way if rumours and leaked pictures are to be believed.
The juiciest scoop is that the iPhone 7 Plus will get its very own exclusive system. Apple has been hotly tipped to give its big smartphone a dual camera in 2016 – a huge upgrade that could mean near DSLR-quality photographs. The technology is already being picked up by some other manufacturers.
The camera on the standard 4.7ins iPhone 7 has been overshadowed by the Plus rumours, although the new shape seen on leaked pictures can only point to big changes here, too. The large, gaping hole could house an increased CMOS sensor.
Hardware
The processing power of the iPhone 7 will almost certainly jump up compared to the iPhone 6S, says PC Advisor, and Apple’s A10 processor chipset could be installed on the phone alongside the M10 motion co-processor.
An increase in the RAM the processors are mated to isn’t completely out of the question. A recent rumour and yet another leak from Ming-Chi Kuo says the iPhone 7 Plus could get 3GB RAM, up from the 2GB used on the iPhone 6S. The Verge picks up the angle, but there’s nothing to suggest the upgrades will be on the standard phone – the upgrade could be exclusively to deal with the added demands of two camera sensors.
Elsewhere, it’s strongly suggested iPhone users will be getting a long overdue bump in storage, with the iPhone 7 tipped to have twice as much space to save messages, apps, photos, videos and music.
At the moment, the iPhone 6S comes with an entry-level 16GB, which isn’t good enough compared to most flagship Android rivals, which come with at least 32GB and the option of expandable memory through SD card slots.
It’s reported the iPhone 7 will have 32GB as its base option – great news for those who want to get the cheapest phone. Above that, there should be a 128GB handset with a 256GB device acting as the range-topper.
Wireless charging rumours are never far away and early whispers inevitably tagged the iPhone 7 as an adopter of the technology.
However, the whispers have gone quiet since analysts began predicting that this year’s release won’t be a major leap forward from the iPhone 6S. It could be a feature waiting in the wings for the much-rumoured heavily revised iPhone said to be coming next year to mark the phone’s tenth anniversary.
What could appear instead is an iPhone using the Lightning port to top up but with a much faster charge time, thanks to the support of new five volts/two amps charging. TechRadar says the leak would mean the iPhone 7 can charge as rapidly as many of its Quickcharge-ready Android rivals. Many expect this addition could be mated to a bigger battery capacity overall.
Pre-release rumours relating to a waterproof iPhone 7 have been few and far between, although clues found in other reports suggest it will be water-resistant, bringing the phone in line with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S7.
Apple’s removing the headphone jack could be one way to improve water resistance as it would eliminate one of the ports most likely to cause a problem when exposed to water, while iOS 10 beta users have noticed references and warnings regarding nearby water in the next operating system, too, and patents unearthed by Patently Apple show the tech giant is interested in waterproof devices.
Software
Apple has already revealed the software set to ship on the iPhone 7, unveiling iOS 10 at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference.
iMessage will undergo an overhaul, with users able to add emphasis with animations – the speech bubbles can pop or shake, for example, or an image can take over the entire screen. Added to that are stickers, bigger emojis, rich inline links and the ability to draw and send sketches instead of text.
Also expected are a new lock screen displaying more information and a big overhaul of the iPhone’s photos app. Other Apple-brewed apps such as music, news, and maps will also get a redesign.
When will it be released?
It’s all but confirmed that we’ll be seeing the iPhone 7 for the first time next week, at Apple’s keynote event on 7 September.
You can watch the reveal live on the internet through Apple’s website, with the event set to kick off at 6pm UK time.
Pre-orders are expected to begin two days later, on 9 September, and new owners will get their hands on the iPhone 7 on Friday 16 September, according to information leaked by Evan Blass, who has a notoriously reputation for being accurate when it comes to these things.
[Source:-The Week]
