iPhone 7 UK release date, price, specs & new features rumours
Space Black option could replace Space Grey iPhone 7 | iPhone 7 to feature software-based Force Touch Home button
iPhone 7 rumours are flying, and we've picked up lots of hints about new features that could appear in the iPhone 7 already, from wireless charging or a Smart Connector to a touchscreen with built-in Touch ID. It's believed that Apple is going to ditch the 3.5mm headphone jack but introduce a new Space Black model. Plus: iPhone 7 release date rumours, and the latest leaked photos.
iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus (and maybe iPhone 7 Pro) are getting closer. The web is full of speculation about new iPhone(s) that Apple will launch in 2016, and in this article we gather all the rumours about the iPhone 7: release date, design, specs and new features. Plus any leaked photos of iPhone 7 components we get hold of, and all the cool iPhone 7 concept illustrations and videos that designers have come up with.
In this article we talk about the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 (which will actually be the 14th iPhone) - the follow-up to the iPhone 6s. If you'd like to read about the next 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus, take a look at our iPhone 7 Plus rumour roundup. If you're looking for information about the current iPhone range, read our iPhone 6s review, Phone 6s Plus review, iPhone 6 review, iPhone 6 Plus review and iPhone SE review; and our iPhone buyers' guide.
For more rumour-mongering and future-gazing, take a look at Apple patents and the clues they offer about the future and Apple rumours and predictions for 2016. To peer even further into the future, see iPhone 8 and beyond: The future of smartphones.
2) The iPhone 7 is likely to get a substantial physical redesign after the largely identical iPhone 6/6s generations. It's too early to know what direction Apple will pick, but it's likely to be thinner than ever: removing the headphone jack would be one way to help achieve this, forcing music fans to use wireless Bluetooth headphones, or headphones that connect via the Lightning port, or an adaptor. The 'no headphone jack' rumour is starting to gather momentum, with multiple 'confirmations' via multiple (but anonymous) supply chain sources, and supported by leaked photos. Other design tweaks could include a flush camera and the removal of the antenna bars
3) Battery life in the iPhone 7 may be a little better than in the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, but Jony Ive's comments have made it plain that Apple doesn't consider a higher battery life to be worth significant sacrifices in other areas (we suspect that, if they're honest, most smartphone buyers would agree) and Apple's larger-screen iPhones have decent batteries already. You can always buy the lovely new battery pack case...
4) Higher screen resolution is a possibility - Apple undermined its own 'Retina is as sharp as your eyes can see' myth with the iPhone 6 Plus, and the company is playing catchup against many of its rivals in terms of screen resolution. Apple may well take the higher pixel density that was exclusive to the iPhone 6 Plus and 6s Plus (401 pixels per inch, as compared to 326ppi for all non-Plus iPhones), and apply it to all the models in the next generation; it could even raise the pixel density further than this, although we fear that this is unlikely. And a harder screen material would play well, whether Apple manages to resurrect the sapphire situation or goes with Corning's new Project Phire.
5) 16GB will surely be phased out as the lowest storage offering. It's nowhere near enough in this day and age. We hope and expect the iPhone 7 to start at 32GB, with 64GB and 128GB options.
6) The iPhone 7 could get a USB-C port, like the new 12-inch MacBook, but we think this is unlikely. The change from 30-pin to Lightning is recent enough (and was painful enough for many users) that to switch again now would be highly controversial.
7) Along with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, KGI Securities’ Ming-Chi Kuo claims (via a note obtained by MacRumours) that there will be a third (even more) premium option available, based on the already huge iPhone 7 Plus, which is leading some to call it the iPhone 7 Pro. Apparently that iPhone 7 Pro will have an amazing dual-camera system developed by LinX (which Apple now owns). Apple apparently can't produce enough LinX camera modules for both the 7 and 7 Plus, so creating a third option allows the company to still bring the technology to market. While this is only a rumour and there are no leaked images supporting the claim, Ming-Chi Kuo has something of an impeccable track record when leaking the latest Apple news.
8) And as for the other out-there rumours? 3D screen: no. Curved display: potentially. Flexible display: nope. Edge-to-edge screen: quite possibly. Spring-out gaming joystick in the Home button: definitely not. Wireless charging: quite possibly. Better waterproofing: a reasonable bet, although the self-healing ports aren't likely to appear for a while yet.
iPhone 7
iPhone 7 rumours are flying, and we've picked up lots of hints about new features that could appear in the iPhone 7 already, from wireless charging or a Smart Connector to a touchscreen with built-in Touch ID. It's believed that Apple is going to ditch the 3.5mm headphone jack but introduce a new Space Black model. Plus: iPhone 7 release date rumours, and the latest leaked photos.
When will the iPhone 7 come out? (And when will the iPhone 7 launch in the UK?) What new features and design changes are expected in the new iPhone for 2016? And what will Apple's next iPhone be called? Will it be iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 7 Pro, iPhone mini or something new? Read on to find out the answers to all of these questions and more in our iPhone release date and rumour round-up.
iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus (and maybe iPhone 7 Pro) are getting closer. The web is full of speculation about new iPhone(s) that Apple will launch in 2016, and in this article we gather all the rumours about the iPhone 7: release date, design, specs and new features. Plus any leaked photos of iPhone 7 components we get hold of, and all the cool iPhone 7 concept illustrations and videos that designers have come up with.
In this article we talk about the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 (which will actually be the 14th iPhone) - the follow-up to the iPhone 6s. If you'd like to read about the next 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus, take a look at our iPhone 7 Plus rumour roundup. If you're looking for information about the current iPhone range, read our iPhone 6s review, Phone 6s Plus review, iPhone 6 review, iPhone 6 Plus review and iPhone SE review; and our iPhone buyers' guide.
For more rumour-mongering and future-gazing, take a look at Apple patents and the clues they offer about the future and Apple rumours and predictions for 2016. To peer even further into the future, see iPhone 8 and beyond: The future of smartphones.
iPhone 7 UK release date, price, specs & new features rumours: Summary
In our iPhone 7 rumour roundup we cover a lot of ground: you'd be amazed by the clues, hints and general speculation about the iPhone 7 that people have managed to dig up. But for those who don't want all the detail, the following section sums up our verdict on the whole thing:
1) Apple will launch two new iPhones in September 2016, and just possibly three as we discuss in more detail in point 7. We expect a 4.7-inch phone (called the iPhone 7), and a 5.5-inch model (the iPhone 7 Plus). If Apple does update its 4-inch iPhone line in autumn it'll be a minor update, after the launch of the iPhone SE at a special press event in March 2016. It seems more likely to us that Apple has now settled on a twice-yearly update cycle: 4.7- and 5.5-inch iPhones in the autumn, and 4-inch iPhones in the spring.
2) The iPhone 7 is likely to get a substantial physical redesign after the largely identical iPhone 6/6s generations. It's too early to know what direction Apple will pick, but it's likely to be thinner than ever: removing the headphone jack would be one way to help achieve this, forcing music fans to use wireless Bluetooth headphones, or headphones that connect via the Lightning port, or an adaptor. The 'no headphone jack' rumour is starting to gather momentum, with multiple 'confirmations' via multiple (but anonymous) supply chain sources, and supported by leaked photos. Other design tweaks could include a flush camera and the removal of the antenna bars
3) Battery life in the iPhone 7 may be a little better than in the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, but Jony Ive's comments have made it plain that Apple doesn't consider a higher battery life to be worth significant sacrifices in other areas (we suspect that, if they're honest, most smartphone buyers would agree) and Apple's larger-screen iPhones have decent batteries already. You can always buy the lovely new battery pack case...
4) Higher screen resolution is a possibility - Apple undermined its own 'Retina is as sharp as your eyes can see' myth with the iPhone 6 Plus, and the company is playing catchup against many of its rivals in terms of screen resolution. Apple may well take the higher pixel density that was exclusive to the iPhone 6 Plus and 6s Plus (401 pixels per inch, as compared to 326ppi for all non-Plus iPhones), and apply it to all the models in the next generation; it could even raise the pixel density further than this, although we fear that this is unlikely. And a harder screen material would play well, whether Apple manages to resurrect the sapphire situation or goes with Corning's new Project Phire.
5) 16GB will surely be phased out as the lowest storage offering. It's nowhere near enough in this day and age. We hope and expect the iPhone 7 to start at 32GB, with 64GB and 128GB options.
6) The iPhone 7 could get a USB-C port, like the new 12-inch MacBook, but we think this is unlikely. The change from 30-pin to Lightning is recent enough (and was painful enough for many users) that to switch again now would be highly controversial.
7) Along with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, KGI Securities’ Ming-Chi Kuo claims (via a note obtained by MacRumours) that there will be a third (even more) premium option available, based on the already huge iPhone 7 Plus, which is leading some to call it the iPhone 7 Pro. Apparently that iPhone 7 Pro will have an amazing dual-camera system developed by LinX (which Apple now owns). Apple apparently can't produce enough LinX camera modules for both the 7 and 7 Plus, so creating a third option allows the company to still bring the technology to market. While this is only a rumour and there are no leaked images supporting the claim, Ming-Chi Kuo has something of an impeccable track record when leaking the latest Apple news.
8) And as for the other out-there rumours? 3D screen: no. Curved display: potentially. Flexible display: nope. Edge-to-edge screen: quite possibly. Spring-out gaming joystick in the Home button: definitely not. Wireless charging: quite possibly. Better waterproofing: a reasonable bet, although the self-healing ports aren't likely to appear for a while yet.
iPhone 7 UK release date, price, specs & new features rumours: Podcast - what to expect from iPhone 7
The UK Tech Weekly Podcast team discuss the prospects for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus - as well as the Samsung Galaxy S8, and the nature of smartphone leaks and the rumour mill in general - in episode 20. The section about future smartphones starts at 22:00.
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