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Everything we know about the iPhone 7
Rumors about the iPhone 7 started emerging even before the iPhone 6s was released last September.
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Since then, new rumors have been flowing thick and fast — like a lava flow, constantly moving forward and plowing through everything in its path.
Some of these rumors are more credible than others. But one of the latest major leaks is a schematic apparently showing the iPhone 7 design, and it falls in line with a bunch of the iPhone 7 rumors we've seen.
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 Plus might come with a dual-lens camera, according to a report by the prominent Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from KGI Securities (via MacRumors), but it's unclear if only the bigger model will have the new camera architecture.
Leaked images of a dual camera module apparently destined for the iPhone 7 came from a Taiwanese Apple Blog, Apple.Club.tw, and another set was also discovered by MacRumors.
There was also a case allegedly designed for the iPhone 7 leaked from Steve Hemmerstoffer's Twitter account, @onleaks. showing a camera cutout that looks wide enough to accommodate a dual lens camera. The pictures were leaked via gadget Steve Hemmerstoffer's Twitter account, @onleaks.
Most lately, the schematics pictured above showing an alleged iPhone 7 "Pro" with a 5.5-inch screen and a dual lens camera were leaked from a Japanese Apple magazine.
The iPhone 7 could be even thinner than the iPhone 6s, according to Fast Company. However, this is one of the few rumors the leaked schematics don't back up, as it shows a 7.3mm iPhone "Pro," whereas the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus are 6.9mm and 7.1mm, respectively.
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.
Yet, a leaked photo intercepted by AppleInsider suggests that the dual camera in the iPhone 7 Plus, or "Pro" as some called it, will protrude.
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 mentioned earlier, reveal three dots on the bottom of the device that look like the Smart Connector you'd find on the new 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.
Rumors from Chinese site CN Beta via Phone Arena suggested the antenna bands will still be present, but they'll be redesigned so they're not as visible.
Indeed, the leaked schematics shows the bands going across the iPhone's back itself have been banished, leaving only the bands that go along the top and bottom edges of the iPhone.
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, as well the aforementioned leaked schematics, 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.
However, this is another rumor the leaked schematics don't back up, as they show only one set of speakers, like the current iPhone 6s generation has.
If Apple will indeed ditch the headphone jack, it might as well fill that space with something useful!
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.
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.
The iPhone's home button that you mechanically press down, as well as the fingerprint sensor, could be replaced by an invisible touch sensor, according to DigitTimes via tech site i4U.
Yet, we still clearly see a home button in the leaked schematics, but there's no indication whether or not it's a touch button rather than a mechanical button.
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.
Rumors from Chinese site MyDrivers.com claim the iPhone 7 will have a bigger battery than the iPhone 6s generation battery.
Above is an image leak from 9to5Mac of the alleged battery destined for the iPhone 7 that's also bigger than the iPhone 6s generation.
However, the first leak claims the iPhone 7 Plus will get a 3,100 mAh battery while the second leak claims it'll have a 2,810 mAh battery. Obviously, it's not clear which leak is true, or if either are true at all.
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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