Update: The iPhone 7's camera could be shrinking down and taking that unsightly bump with it. Plus we're hearing again about the potential for a dual-lens set up.
Looking for the iPhone SE? Then you'll want our everything you need to know article.
With the iPhone 6S Apple delivered its best handset yet, but aside from sporting some fancy new 3D Touch technology, it was also very similar to the iPhone 6.
That was to be expected – after all, Apple typically only overhauls its handsets once every two years, but that overhaul is due with the iPhone 7, so we're expecting and hoping for big changes: think a whole new design, piles of power and a bunch of new features.
The leaks, rumors and reports are already ramping up, although the iPhone 7 probably won't arrive until late 2016. We've collected all the latest from around the web and beyond for you below, to give you the clearest picture possible of what you can expect from the new iPhone.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? Apple's next all-new iPhone
- When is it out? Likely September 2016
- What will it cost? Probably the same as the iPhone 6S
iPhone 7 release date
If we were betting people we'd say the iPhone 7 will probably arrive in September 2016. Apple tends to stick to a schedule, and the last few iPhones have all been launched in the month of September.
But according to a 'reliable source' Apple might actually bring it to market earlier. Sadly, how much earlier is unclear, but it will take a while to even finish development and manufacture of the phone, so we wouldn't expect to see it before the summer. September is still the best bet for now.
iPhone 7 design
Hottest leaks:
- A super slim build
- Water resistance
- No more antenna lines
The iPhone 6S looked a lot like the iPhone 6,
but it's likely to be all-change with the iPhone
7. Exactly what form that change will take remains to be seen, but there are some rumors.
but it's likely to be all-change with the iPhone
7. Exactly what form that change will take remains to be seen, but there are some rumors.
For one thing, it could be even slimmer than the 7.1mm-thick iPhone 6S; Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities reckons it'll be dropping to between 6mm and 6.5mm thick. That sounds unnecessarily slim to us, especially as it could cause the battery life to take a hit, but the Samsung Galaxy S6 is only marginally thicker at 6.8mm, so it's possible.
If TSMC makes the chips, as has been rumored, then some space could be saved, which might help Apple slim it down without making sacrifices in other areas, while another report claims Apple will use fan-out technology to save space and reduce the thickness of the iPhone 7.
Another rumor suggests the iPhone 7 will have
an all-metal design with a bezel-less display. It
would be a big change for the iPhone design, but bringing in a new kind of screen technology would be a sensible move for Apple.
an all-metal design with a bezel-less display. It
would be a big change for the iPhone design, but bringing in a new kind of screen technology would be a sensible move for Apple.
Like it or not, Apple is still the company that dictates the future of the smartphone, even though the iPhone isn’t the dominant platform by market share. The features introduced by the iPhone are often found on devices from Apple’s rivals, and the same thing will happen with the iPhone 7.
The handset is reportedly going to lack a 3.5mm headphone jack, a standard feature across just about all consumer devices that output audio. And it’s likely that other smartphone makers are going to follow suit in the future. But one company seems so certain that the 3.5mm headphone port is going to die that it just launched no less than three new Android handsets that all lack the audio jack.
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Apple may have different reasons for wanting to get rid of the old 3.5mm headphone jack standard. The company could reduce the thickness of the iPhone with the headphone jack out of the picture, and shrink the iPhone in future generations once the home button is also removed for good.
Meanwhile, Chinese Android vendor LeEco, formerly known as LeTV, just launched three new Android devices that only come with microUSB (Type-C) wired headset support (see top image). They are the Le 2, Le 2 Pro and Le Max 2. You’re unlikely to find them outside of China, so you shouldn’t get excited about these affordable high-end devices – the Le Max 2 offers the best configuration: 5.7-inch 2K display, Snapdragon 820 processor, 6GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, 21-megapixel camera and a 3,100 mAh battery.
How is this an indication that the next iPhone 7 will also lack a headphone jack? Well, this has happened before just last year when Huawei beat Apple to market with a Force Touch display. The Mate S was announced a few days before the iPhone 6s came out, and it included Force Touch features. But Huawei already knew the iPhone will get 3D Touch support since nothing ever really remains a secret when China-based hardware manufacturers are involved.
Of course, as Phone Arena points out, these LeEco phones won’t be the first handsets to lack a headphone jack. The Oppo R5, once the “world’s thinnest smartphone,” didn’t have one either. But it’s probably no coincidence that LeEco decided to come out with not one but three new phones that lack the standard headphone jack when most iPhone 7 rumors agree the phone will not have a 3.5mm audio port.
