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In 2016, Apple will most certainly treat us to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, the next chapter in its smartphone history. Rumors about these devices were already floating around even before the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus were released, which is usually the case with anything related to Apple. That's rather normal considering that iPhones are usually the among the most popular devices on the market and are usually highly anticipated by users and everyone, actually. The device will likely feature fresh new design and certainly some additional horsepower under the hood, and hopefully, something fresh to woo us with! Without further ado, let's summarize all we know so far about next year's iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus champs. Have in mind that this post will be regularly updated with the latest leaks and rumors as they become available.
TL;DR
We hereby warn you - we have an ample amount of rumors below. In a nutshell, here are the most sound rumors about the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus:
- Design: The iPhone 7 is bound to have a completely new design, rumored to be made of extremely strong new aluminum alloy or liquidmetal. It could be a waterproof device with Touch ID embedded into the display, and no 3.5mm audio jack.
- Hardware: The device will most certainly arrive with a 16nm Apple A10 chipset, manufactured by TSMC. We expect 2GB of RAM for the iPhone 7, while the iPhone 7 Plus is said to sport 3GB.
- Display: Display size and resolution are likely to remain the same; 3D Touch might score multi-touch support. AMOLED displays are highly unlikely at this point.
- Camera: As Apple made quite the huge specs leap in 2015, we don't expect the iPhone 7 to sport a more megapixel-reich camera. This means that the device will likely arrive with a 12MP iSight camera at the back and a 5MP FaceTime snapper up front.
- Release date and pricing: We are gearing for an early September 2016 announcement, while the actual release of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will most likely take place in late September 2016.
Contents:
1. Design
2. Hardware3. Display4. Camera5. Release date and price
Fresh new design
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Apple iPhone 7 concept
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While we don't know to what extent the iPhone 7 will shake things up in the design department, we are somewhat certain that the next iteration of the venerable iOS flagship won't stray away that much from the exterior looks of the 6/6s and 6 Plus/6s Plus. Still, this is a wild guess at best, and we will have to wait for the first leaks and renders of the iPhone 7 to pop up before we can say whether it will succeed the iPhone 6 in the design department or be something entirely different.
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 are the strongest aluminum alloys around. There are a handful of theories about the next iPhone floating around:
Conceptual iPhone 7 render
No home button
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Conceptual iPhone 7 render
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We heard that the next crop of iPhones might come sans a home button. Instead, the new 3D Touch feature might be used to emulate the home button behavior. As far as the credibility of this rumor is concerned, we are skeptic that the iPhone 7 will be the one to ditch it, but who knows.
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 iPhone 7?
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.
USB-Type C port
We heard that Apple is reportedly testing five different prototypes of the iPhone 7, one of which is allegedly sporting a USB-Type C port. We are quite skeptical that this rumor will turn out to be true, as Apple is extremely unlikely to ditch its own Lightning standard for the USB-Type C one. This would be rather counter-intuitive and doesn't sound plausible to us at all.
Thinnest iPhone ever?
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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 alleged removal of the 3.5mm audio jack - the iPhone 7 is rumored to come without the universal connector and use a proprietary Lightning one in order to slim down some bulk. Reportedly, Apple wants to make the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus the thinnest iPhones ever.
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 liquidmetal 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 liquidmetal as a part of a test.
Can we say miniscule bezels?
Apart from thinner footprint, the next crop of iPhones might feature thinner bezels due to the alleged nixing of in-cell touch panels. Instead, Apple is rumored to use a vastly improved version of the well-known glass-on-glass technology. The use of liquidmetal 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 have 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.
Two camera units at the back?
Duo camera setup for the iPhone 7, with one regular snapper and the other one capturing depth information (like the one on the HTC One M8 and other devices)? We won't hold our breath for the time being. Until we get hold of a leaked image of the device's chassis, we will refrain from keeping our hopes high.A flexible wrap-around display might be too sci-fi
Previously, Apple patented a device with a wrap-around display and the rumor mill was quick to jump to conclusions and claim that the iPhone 7 will feature such a design feature. Well, we are certainly skeptic about such a design innovation from Cupertino at this point, but nonetheless, renders of an iPhone with a display of that kind popped up. At this point, we are convinced that Apple won't release such a device in 2016.
A concept iPhone 7 with a wrap-around display, compared with Apple's patent application
And here are the major design rumors, ranked in terms of their likability to become reality:
| Rumor | Probability | |
| 1) Liquidmetal or custom aluminum alloy build | likely | |
| 2) Touch ID embedded in the display | likely | |
| 3) Waterproof (self-sealing ports, nano-coating) | likely | |
| 4) thinnest iPhone ever | likely | |
| 5) Sapphire display | likely | |
| 6) Inductive wireless charging | likely | |
| 7) No 3.5mm audio jack on board | unlikely | |
| 8) Flexible wrap-around display | unlikely | |
| 9) USB-Type C port | unlikely | |
| 10) Duo camera setup | unlikely | |
| 11) No home button | unlikely | |
| 12) AMOLED display | unlikely | |
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