Apple iPhone 7 & iPhone 7 Plus
Apple iPhone 7 & iPhone 7 Plus rumor review: specs, features, release date, and everything we know so far
 |
In
2016, Apple will most certainly treat us to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus,
the next highly-anticipated page in its smartphone book. Rumors are
already shaping up a believable picture of what the next iOS flagships
will be. At this point, we are not expecting an exterior redesign -
reportedly, this is reserved for 2017, when the Apple iPhone 8 will
reportedly get unveiled (yep, it might not be an "s" year). Yet, we are
hopeful some intriguing new features will be making the cut this year!
Without
further ado, let's summarize all we know so far about next year's
iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, which might also be called the iPhone 7 Pro.
We are now somewhat convinced that the latter might arrive with an
intriguing dual lens camera, dubbed the iPhone 7 Pro, which will
reportedly amp up its photography game. How, exactly? Read on to find
out!
TL;DR
We hereby warn you - we have an ample amount of rumors below. In a nutshell, here are the most believable and logical rumors about the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and iPhone 7 Pro:
- Design: At this point, we suppose the iPhone 7 will not introduce a major redesign, but will be mostly similar to the iPhone 6/6s. It could be a waterproof device with Touch ID embedded into the display, no 3.5mm audio jack, and possibly a Smart Connector port.
- Hardware: The device will most certainly arrive with a 16nm Apple A10 chipset, manufactured by both TSMC and Samsung. We expect 2GB of RAM inside the iPhone 7, while the iPhone 7 Plus/Pro is said to sport 3GB of RAM for improved camera performance.
- Display: Display size and resolution are likely to remain the same. 3D Touch might score multi-touch support. IPS LCD displays are likely to stick around for another year.
- Camera: We expect the iPhone 7 to sport similar camera setups as the 6s/6s Plus (a 12MP iSight camera at the back and a 5MP FaceTime snapper up front) while the iPhone 7 Plus/Pro is rumored to arrive with a dual-lens camera.
- Release date and pricing: We are gearing for an early September 2016 announcement while the actual release of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus/Pro will most likely take place in late September 2016.
Contents:
1. Design
2. Hardware3. Display4. Camera5. Release date and price
Design
 |
iPhone 7 render based on CAD drawing
|
 |
iPhone 7 render based on CAD drawing
|
 |
iPhone 7 CAD drawing
|
 |
iPhone 7 Plus CAD drawing
|
 |
However, the majority of
rumors that have been hitting us recently suggest this won't be the
case. The iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus/Pro are largely expected to
look mostly similar to their predecessors, with only minor design
changes on board.
Even one of the leakers with
a very good track record, Ming-Chi Kuo, claimed the iPhone 7 won't have
"many attractive selling points".
Yes, we
wouldn't mind it if Apple decided to come back to the 90-degree edges of
the iPhone 5/5s era - in this day and age where most manufacturers are
largely employing rounded frames, it would be a breath of fresh mountain
air. Still, we will have to wait a bit before we get our first glimpse
of iPhone 7/7Plus' looks. As far as build materials are concerned, Apple
is most likely sticking with aluminum, and judging by the iPhone 6s,
that'd be a member of the series 7000 aluminum, which is one of the
strongest aluminum alloys around.
There are a
handful of theories about the next iPhone floating around, and though
some are rather unbelievable, we ought to explore them:
Smart Connector
Last year, Apple introduced the large iPad Pro and it arrived with a Smart Connector,
which allows you to connect the Smart Keyboard to the tablet. It's
speculated that the large iPhone 7 Plus/Pro might also feature this
connectivity port, but as to what accessories might be available for it,
we can only speculate. Probably a case or something completely else? Another rumor claims there won't be anything of the kind on board. Go figure.
Touch ID embedded in the display
We might also have a Touch ID fingerprint scanner embedded inside the display, which falls in line with a certain patent application
that we got hold of earlier in 2015. Well, seems to be entertaining the
idea, so a display with an embedded fingerprint scanning functionality
is neither too sci-fi or far-fetched.
Waterproof body
What's more, it is also suggested that Cupertino might finally jump on the waterproofness train
and make the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus watertight. This was somewhat
suggested by the abundance of silicone seals and gaskets that make the
current iPhone crop able to withstand a lengthy dunk in the water to
some extent. Apart from physical evidence found in the 6s and 6s Plus, we also have a patent that allegedly reveals that Apple is entertaining the idea of making its devices resistant to the water element.
The
iPhone 7 might feature a technology that would seal the ports, thus
blocking water or any other liquid from getting inside the phone, and
consequently damaging its internals.
No 3.5mm audio jack
The
iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are rumored to come without the universal connector
and use a proprietary Lightning one in order to slim down some bulk.
This will theoretically allow Apple to slim down the devices a bit, as
well as make them waterproof - one less port to worry about is a massive
plus, engineering-wise!
Thinnest iPhone ever?
Cupertino is reportedly aiming poised to make its next devices roughly 6mm-thick.
As a reminder, the iPhone 6 was 6.9mm thin, while the 6s clocks in at
7.1mm. One of the changes that might unlock the possibility for an even
thinner iPhone 7 body is the aforementioned removal of the 3.5mm audio
jack.
Liquidmetal or a new custom aluminum alloy build
 |
 |
There's
also a rumor claiming that the iPhone 7 could be made of Liquidmetal
and not aluminum. Liquidmetal is tougher and sturdier than aluminum with
the same thickness, which is a win-win scenario no matter how you look
at it.
The nitty-gritty of liquid metal is
that it employs metal atoms of different sizes, which form a dense mix
with low free volume. This results in an ultra-strong material that has
extremely high tensile strength, scratch, and corrosion resistance while
remaining easily moldable. Fun fact: Liquidmetal is no stranger to
Apple, as the SIM ejector that were bundled with some iPhone 3GS unit
were made of liquid metal as a part of a test.
Minuscule bezels
Apart
from a thinner footprint, the next crop of iPhones might feature
thinner bezels due to the alleged removal of in-cell touch panels.
Instead, Apple is rumored to use a vastly improved version of the
well-known glass-on-glass technology. The liquid metal material might
also pave the way for thinner bezels.
Sapphire display might finally become reality
We were expecting the iPhone 6 to arrive with a tough sapphire display, but this did not happen.
The
iPhone 6s also did not get one, but meanwhile the Apple Watch was
coated with sapphire. As a result, the rumor mill is once again claiming
that the iPhone 7 will arrive with sapphire on board. Here's to hoping.
Inductive wireless charging? Count us in!
Wireless charging might also make the cut in 2016 - certain hearsays claim that the iPhone 7 might feature inductive wireless charging, similar to the one on the Apple Watch.
Why
no previous iPhones arrived with wireless charging? Well, one of the
reasons is that until mid-2015, inductive wireless charging could not
transfer power through metal, but thanks to Qualcomm's WiPower
technology, announced in late July, all metal handsets can score
wireless charging. Qualcomm employed a new wireless charging standard, called Rezence.
| Rumor | Probability |
| Dual camera setup | likely |
| Waterproof (self-sealing ports, nano-coating) | likely |
| Thinnest iPhone ever | likely |
| Sapphire display | likely |
| Inductive wireless charging | likely |
| No 3.5mm audio jack on board | likely |
| Flexible wrap-around display | unlikely |
| USB-Type C port | unlikely |
| AMOLED display | unlikely |
| No home button | unlikely |
Comments
Post a Comment