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Everything we know about the iPhone 7
If the last five years are anything to go by, we'll probably see a new iPhone release this September, and it's likely to be called the iPhone 7.
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iPhone 7 rumors started emerging even before the iPhone 6s was released last September.
A schematic of the supposed iPhone 7 was leaked and it seems to confirm a bunch of existing rumors.
Want to know the latest? Here's everything we're hearing about the iPhone 7.
Based on Apple's historical nomenclature for its iPhone generations, it's likely the next iPhone will be called the iPhone 7. Every two years, Apple has used consecutive numbers to name its new iPhone generations ever since the iPhone 3G. The next generation was called the iPhone 4, then 5, and most recently, 6, with "S" editions every in-between year. So, this year should be the year of the iPhone 7.
We'll likely see the standard iPhone 7 with the same 4.7-inch screen as the iPhone 6s and an iPhone 7 Plus with a 5.5-inch screen like the iPhone 6s Plus.
It's unlikely that Apple would take away one of its two iPhones with different screen sizes.
So far, just about every rumor indicates that the iPhone 7 won't look that much different than the iPhone 6 and 6s, including rumors from 9to5Mac and case leaks from notorious gadget leaks Steve Hemmerstoffer.
Most recently, leaked schematics of the alleged iPhone 7 make it look almost identical to the iPhone 6/6s generation.
The iPhone 7 could be even thinner than the iPhone 6s, according to Fast Company.
One of the main supposed reasons that Apple is ditching the headphone jack is to make the iPhone thinner, but we wouldn't be surprised if the iPhone 7 is thinner for the sake of thinness.
The iPhone 7 Plus might come with a dual-lens camera, according to a report by the prominent Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from KGI Securities obtained by MacRumors, but it's unclear if only the bigger model will have the new camera architecture.
Leaked images apparently showing a dual lens camera module for the iPhone 7 were posted by Taiwanese Apple Blog, Apple.Club.tw and also discovered by MacRumors. There was also a case allegedly designed for the iPhone 7 showing a camera cutout that looks wide enough to accomodate a dual lens camera. The pictures were leaked via gadget Steve Hemmerstoffer's Twitter account, @onleaks.
A dual-lens camera could help with zooming, better low-light performance, and a thinner design so it doesn't protrude from the iPhone 7's body, like it currently does in the iPhone 6 and 6s.
The camera "wart," as many called it, might finally disappear in the iPhone 7.
According to MacRumors, Apple is using a thinner camera module that would let the camera sit flush against the back. The protruding camera on the back of the iPhone 6 and 6s were a big complaint people had with the iPhone's design.
So far, Apple has used three main materials for the iPhone: plastic, glass, and metal. Now, the iPhone 7 might be dressed in mysterious "new compound materials", according to DigiTimes. No one knows what these materials could be, or what they'll look and feel like, but they'll likely make the iPhone look and feel premium, if not, more premium than the current iPhone 6s' aluminum build.
A picture of the alleged iPhone 7's back, as well as the leaked schematics reveal three dots on the bottom of the device that look like the Smart Connector you'd find on the iPad Pro.
It's not entirely clear what a Smart Connector's role would be on an iPhone. On the iPad Pro, the Smart Connector lets you magnetically attach and connect the Smart Keyboard. Yet, the iPhone is too small to be a productivity machine like the iPad, so connecting a keyboard with the Smart Connector would be an odd choice.
Those white plastic antenna bands you see on the top and bottom of the iPhone 6 and 6s (as well as the Plus models) might be gone in the iPhone 7, according to DigiTimes.
But more recent rumors from Chinese site CN Beta via Phone Arena suggest the antenna bands will still be present, but they'll be redesigned so they're not as visible. They're necessary on metal iPhones to allow a cellular signal in and out, as the aluminum casing acts as a barrier. Getting rid of the antenna bands is one of the reasons being reported for Apple's "new compound materials."
The next iPhone might not have a headphone jack, according to Japanese Apple blog Mac Otakara via Apple Insider, which could make your old pair of headphones with a 3.5mm connector obsolete.
Leaked images of a case supposedly designed for the iPhone 7 have also surfaced more recently, and they also suggest the headphone jack will be missing in the iPhone 7. That means we could be using the iPhone's Lightning port for listening to music, which is usually used for charging. The other option is to use Bluetooth headphones.
If the rumors are true, Apple and other audio hardware companies would probably sell adapters so you can connect your old 3.5mm headphones to the iPhone's Lightning port.
A second speaker might reside where the old 3.5mm used to be, according to a Barclay's report obtained by MacRumors.
The same leaked images of the purported iPhone 7 case showing a missing headphone jack also show gaps in the case for two speakers. Currently, the iPhone 6s only has one speaker on the bottom right.
If Apple will indeed ditch the headphone jack, it might as well fill that space with something useful!
The iPhone 7 could make any of your headphones noise-canceling with special software running with new audio components to make the Lightning port better suited for audio, according to Fast Company.
The current iPhone already uses noise-canceling technology to drown out ambient sound during phone calls so you can hear, and be heard, more clearly, even in a noisy environment.
We might be charging the iPhone 7 wirelessly, according to Fast Company.
Wireless charging could be another option for charging the next iPhone now that its main method of charging (with the Lightning port) could be used for listening to music.
Indeed, I tried using Lightning headphones for a week, and I found myself unable to charge my iPhone while I was listening to music.
The "new compound materials" combined with a lack of headphone jack could make the iPhone 7 the most waterproof iPhone yet, according to DigiTimes.
As with every new iPhone, the iPhone 7 will run on a new chip that's being called the "A10," according to Cult of Mac.
The iPhone 6s' A9 chip makes it the most powerful phone you can buy at the moment, and the A10 is supposedly even more powerful and efficient. It also has technology that will give the iPhone 7 better cellular performance, which means it could have better reception and retain stronger data and cellular connections than previous iPhones.
If the iPhone 7 doesn't have a headphone jack, that means the EarPods Apple includes with the iPhone will need a Lightning connector. So, we'll probably see new EarPods with Lightning connectors come with the next iPhone, according to 9to5Mac.
Like the last several iPhone models, Apple will probably announce the iPhone 7 in early September. It should come out a week or two after that.
The iPhone 6s without a two-year contract sells for $649, and the iPhone 6s Plus $749. Most iPhones before them cost the same, so we predict that Apple will sell the iPhone 7 for a similar price.
Now that US carriers aren't offering two-year contracts anymore, you can't buy iPhones for $200.
From now on, you'll either pay the entire cost of the iPhone up front, or pay for it in monthly installments using either your carrier's monthly payment plan, or Apple's own payment plan.
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