We’re now just one day away from Apple’s next event, however that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill as of yet. We still aren’t sure exactly what the new iPhone will bring to the table, however multiple rumors have pointed out most of the features, tweaks, and improvements coming by ways of the 2016 iPhone family. So as our official roundup, here’s what to expect from the iPhone 7.
Starting with the one change we’re all waiting for, multiple reports have confirmed that Apple will indeed remove the headphone jack from the iPhone 7. This change will be absolutely major since a majority of smartphone users tend to gravitate towards devices with headphone jacks and not ones that don’t. Whether this will affect the 2016 iPhone’s sales performance is undetermined at this point, however I’d expect at least some change if any.
To make the transition from a headphone jack-enabled smartphone to the iPhone 7 easier, Apple’s expected to include a Lightning-to-3.5mm jack dongle in the box of every 7 while also packing in a pair of Lightning-enabled EarPods. These headphones have been rumored to arrive alongside the iPhone 7 for quite some time now, and it looks like they will indeed make their way to consumers soon. If these earbuds aren’t included, headphones possibly called AirPods may land as available for purchase separately. These are expected to be Apple’s version of wireless Bluetooth earbuds, however they seem to be pretty sketchy in terms of actually existing, so take this with a grain of salt.
Design wise, the iPhone 7 is rumored to feature a very similar design to 2014’s iPhone 6 and 2015’s iPhone 6s (of course with the exception of the headphone jack). Redesigned antenna lines around the top and bottom of the back are expected, which compare to the iPhone 6 and 6s’ antenna bands which are pretty smack on the back of the phones. There’s also rumored to be a Force Touch home button rather a physically clicking one, resulting in a thinner design. Alongside that, there’s supposed to be two speaker grilles, however the one on the right will be the only speaker output (luckily, it looks like Apple will be improving the sound of their bottom-firing speaker). The reason for the second grille is to make the bottom of the phone look more uniform and store a new sensor that’ll improve the 3D Touch capabilities of the iPhone 7. Here at MBEDDED, we believe that this section of the phone’ll house the components necessary for the Force Touch home button, however that has yet to be determined.
Color options have been highly rumored lately for the iPhone 7, with the question of whether Space Gray will be going away or not. Recent reports have suggested that the iPhone 7 will come in Gold, Rose Gold, Silver, Dark Black, and a glossy Piano Black, with the last two ultimately replacing Space Gray. The latter color will reportedly be limited to upgraded models of the iPhone 7 like the rumored iPhone 7 Plus/Pro, so don’t expect to buy a standard iPhone 7 in this color option.
Spec wise, the iPhone 7 is currently set to feature an A10 processor, 2GB of RAM in the standard 7 and 3GB of RAM in the upgraded Plus/Pro model(s) (we think), the same 4.7 and 5.5-inch screen sizes and resolutions, the possibility of a slightly smaller or larger battery (it’s unlikely the battery capacity will remain the same), and (obviously) iOS 10 (that we know for sure). Storage capacities are supposed to be finally upgraded this year, with the removal of the baseline 16GB option and instead 32GB at the least. According to recent reports, the mid-range storage configuration will be 128GB, while the high-end will be a pretty massive 256GB. It’s unknown whether the last storage option will be exclusive to the iPhone 7 Plus/Pro, however this is how the rumor stands at the time.
Regarding the cameras, we’re not expecting too much improvement for the standard iPhone 7. The same 12MP sensor will be used, while slight tweaks and changes will be made to make pictures and video look noticeably better.
However, it’s not the same story for the upgraded iPhone 7 Plus/Pro. Apple’s bigger and better iPhone(s) will include a dual camera system consisting of a 12MP sensor also found on the standard iPhone 7 alongside another 12MP sensor that’ll help with bokeh, optical zoom, and overall picture and video quality. OIS is expected to land inside the second camera, while the sensor’s also expected to be bigger than the first camera. A quad-LED flash is also expected to land on the iPhone 7, however it’s unclear if it’ll be exclusive to one of the models or not. Of course, all of this information is simply collected from a bunch of reports, rumors, and leaks over the course of around 9 – 12 months, so take it as you will.
As far as the number of iPhones Apple will launch this year, there’s not much to go by. We’re more than likely going to see an iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, however Apple may or may not release an iPhone 7 Pro. This name may also replace the ‘Plus’ title mentioned earlier, however this information is unclear. A Smart Connector strapped to the back of the 7 Pro has also been highly rumored, however at this point it seems unlikely that this’ll happen. But hey, you never know. Apple may surprise us.
All of these leaks, rumors, reports, and “confirmations” have led up to this point. We obviously don’t know for sure that all of this stuff will be featured in the iPhone 7, however it seems pretty likely that most of it is on-point. Of course, only time will tell if we are correct, so stay tuned.
We’ll be covering Apple’s big September event as it happens by live tweeting over on my Twitter profile (@LegendaryScoop) and publishing regular articles about the company’s biggest announcements. Stay tuned to MBEDDED as we gain closer and closer to the time when Tim Cook will take the stage!
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