iPhone 7 review : release date, price, specification & new feature rumours



The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will likely be unveiled in September 2016, potentially alongside a third iPhone - and the fourth this year. Apple iPhone 7 UK release date, UK price and specification rumours. Also see: iPhone SE UK release date, price, new features and specifications.

Rumours at a glance:

What: The successor to the iPhone 6S
When: September 2016
How much: Starting at £539 for 16GB model
What's new: Faster processor, iOS 10, headphone jack removed (or not), Smart Connector
Below we have rounded up rumours from around the web as well as making our own predictions based on what Apple has done in the past. The formula is clearly working for the company so it's unlikely it will deviate from the tried and tested update process this year.

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Latest rumours: A leaked image of the supposed iPhone 7 shows what looks like a Smart Connector and a larger camera module. See the picture. Despite rumours of no headphone jack, a new image shows interals which do have one - check it out. Also, word has it that the design will be very similar to the iPhone 6 (and 6S) and that Apple will ditch the 'S' model and move staight to an updated design for the iPhone 8 in 2017. To further solidify the rumours on 26 April 2016 Logitech released its Logi Base for £89.99 / $99.99, a stand used to charge the iPad Pro via Smart Connector. We also have some dimensions for the iPhone 7.

iPhone 7 UK release date rumours: When is the iPhone 7 coming out?

With the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus unveiled on 9 September 2015, and the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus on the 9 September 2014, one might think the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will come on 9 September 2016. Except that will be a Friday, and it's much more Apple-like to unveil new products on a Tuesday. Our money is on either Tuesday 6 September 2016, or Tuesday 13 September 2016 - probably the latter.
But the latest reports say that Apple might struggle to meet demand for the iPhone 7 due todamage caused by an earthquake in Taiwain to Apple supplier TSMC's factories. In early February, reports emerged to suggest that Apple would use TSMC as its sole processor manufacturer, but the earthquake came just days later.
Don't be confused by the rumoured Apple iPhone launch event that took place on 21 March. This was for the iPhone SE, the 'mini' iPhone that is thought to be the first of several new iPhones launching this year. The firm also announced the new iPad Pro in a 9.7in size.

iPhone 7 UK price: How much will the iPhone 7 cost?

For its past two iPhone releases Apple has kept the pricing the same. That means we could well see the iPhone 7 costing £539 for a 16GB version, £619 for 64GB, and £699 for the 128GB iPhone 7. Rumour has it, though, that there may well be a 256GB model of iPhone 7, although we think that's unlikely. If there is, however, expect it to be well into the region of £800. We'll update this article as more rumours come to light.

iPhone 7 rumours: Design

The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus looked largely similar to the 6 and 6 Plus, which is usually the case with Apple's 'S' models. We are expecting to see something completely new for the iPhone 7, although it's very likely that it too will come in Silver, Gold, Space Grey and Rose Gold.
The latest design rumours to emerge claim that the iPhone 7 could actually have a ceramic back like the One Plus X. This could make wireless charging easier to impliment (read more on this below) but it could also make the iPhone 7 look rather different. The rumour came from Business Korea, but there's no real evidence to support the claim. There is, however, a rendering to give an example of what it could look like:
Earlier reports that also emerged in February claim that the iPhone 7's camera will be flush against the back of the phone rather than protruding as it is currently on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.
That's according to MacRumors, which claims to have spoken with a reliable source who says a second design change for the iPhone 7 will be the removal of the antenna stripes on the back of the iPhone, as demonstrated in the mockup below.

But these design changes could well apply to the same ceramic back rumour, as the rendering from Business Korea also ditches the antenna lines and has a flush camera.
In terms of dimensions for the iPhone 7, a shot via nowhereelse, appears to show that the iPhone 7 will be 67.12x138.3mm in size. That matches the iPhone 6S so the phone won't be changing in size if this is correct. It also shows a single hole for the camera which looks larger than previous models.
iPhone 7 dimensions
More recently, Nowhereelse.fr shared a photo apparently taken at Catcher technologies (a case supplier for Apple) showcasing an iPhone 7 chassis render. While the images are blurry and could be very easily faked, if true, the leak confirms a number of rumoured changes in the next generation Apple smartphone. Most notably, the photo 'confirms' the decision to move the antenna lines from the back of the iPhone to the edges, along with a slight change in the camera setup.
While the camera bump still appears to be present, the renders show the chassis bulging out around the camera - but why? One possibility is to protect the protruding lens from becoming damaged, or it could just be to make the camera bump look a little more appealing. However that's only a small change when you realise that the purported iPhone 7 chassis don't include a 3.5mm headphone jack, which if true, will disappoint many Apple fans.
However, there are various rumours about the headphone jack, so it's very much up in the air as to whether it will stay or go.
Only days after the iPhone 7 chassis render leaked, another photo of the iPhone 7 surfaced online. However unlike with the above photo, the source can't be easily tracked and as such, could be a (very well made) Apple fan edit. If that isn't the case and the photo is genuine, it too confirms Apple's decision to move the antenna lines from the back of the iPhone to its edges. 
It wasn't the last leaked image either. The very next day, another leaked image appeared online claiming to showcase the unreleased iPhone 7, though this one showcases different features to the above leaks. The image has been circulating around Chinese forums, and is far from confirmed, although if true could confirm a headline feature of the iPhone 7 - a dual lens setup.
According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, however, this dual-lens camera will be exclusive to the 5.5in iPhone 7 Plus.
The leaked photo appears to show a much wider camera slot that seems to house not one but two camera lenses. Though no one has any idea what Apple is planning with a dual-lens setup, companies in the past have used them for features including 3D photography, and the ability to refocus an image after it has been taken.
The three dots at the bottom look like the Smart Connector on the iPad Pro modles so perhaps the iPhone 7 will work with some kind of smart case or it could be used for easier charging via a dock.
Update 5/6/16: The below YouTube video is a concept video from ConceptsiPhone that amalgamates all those design rumours - if true, this is what the iPhone 7 will look like:

iPhone 7 rumours: Specs & features

With the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus Apple finally budged on some of the specifications it has refused to change for years, such as the 12Mp iSight camera, up from 8Mp in the 6 and 6 Plus. It's likely that Apple will stick with that 12Mp camera for some time to come, although one thing it still refuses to improve is the screen resolution. With rival smartphones now offering Quad- and Ultra-HD screens, we hope that Apple might bump up its pixel count in the iPhone 7 - perhaps to the 400ppi level of the Plus models.
Apple might stick with the 4.7in and 5.5in screen sizes, but with so many phones having a 5in or larger screen it could well move to 5- and 5.7in models and look at ways of increasing the screen-to-body ratio, which is fairly low compared to some phones right now.
In early March we heard rumours that there would be not just two iPhones launching in September, but three, with the third dubbed the iPhone Pro. This is expected to be based on the iPhone 7 Plus, but even more premium with a dual-lens camera.
Some of the latest rumours we've seen talk of an OLED screen, with Apple having been in talks with LG and Samsung, although this is expected to make an appearance in 2017's iPhone 7s rather than the iPhone 7 that will launch in September 2016.
Expect the usual performance upgrades, with the new Apple A10 processor and embedded M10 motion co-processor. The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus were the first iPhones to finally get 2GB of RAM, and expect this to stay the same in the iPhone 7.
The iPhone 7 will ship with iOS 10 installed. Expect Apple to unveil iOS 10 (or iOS X?) at WWDC in June 2016.

iPhone 7 with new headphone jack? D Jack

When Apple announced the iPhone 5 with a new style of power connector it angered many fans who would now need to purchase an adaptor to fit their old accessories. We could be about to see Lightning-gate all over again with headphone-gate, as it's rumoured that Apple will shake things up once again with a new style of headphone jack, leaving older accessories incompatible. According to Apple Insider, Apple has patented a new slimmer headphone jack technology called D Jack, which has a diameter of just 2mm.
iPhone 7 D Jack headphone jack

iPhone 7 with no headphone jack at all?

If you thought that was bad news, it gets worse - according to Japanese site Mac Otakara, Apple is thinking about ditching the headphone jack completely, enabling the company to shave 1mm from the device's thickness.
The rumours about Apple ditching the headphone jack for the iPhone 7 don't seem to be slowing in 2016, either. Throughout the first week of the year, we've heard numerous rumours and reports backing up the theory.
But how will we listen to our music without a headphone jack? It leaves consumers with two choices; you can either use wireless Bluetooth headphones (like many consumers are already doing) or you can use a pair of headphones that connects to your iPhone via the Lightning port - and potentially a new, slimmer Lightning port. The issue with using a Lightning-port enabled pair of headphones is that a) these are quite expensive, with the likes of the Philips Fidelio headphones costing £184.99, b) it limits the use of the headphones to the iPhone 7, and the iPhone 7 only.
Of course, there's always a possibility that Apple will include some kind of adaptor that'll allow users to use their standard headphones, but we imagine this will come with a large price tag. 
But how plausable is this idea? Music is a big part of the history of the iPhone, and we're not too sure Apple would jeopardise that just to shave 1mm off the width of its next iPhone. But with this being said, Apple did replace multiple ports with a single USB-C port on the 12in MacBook all in the name of shaving a a few millimetres off its' latest MacBook.
Consumers certainly seem to be convinced that it's possible, but they've been flocking to signan online petition in the hopes that they can stop Apple from removing the headphone jack. So far there are more than 280,000 signatures in the petition.
Plus, on 20 January even more evidence arrived to suggest that the headphone jack port is on its way out. Code spotted in the iOS 9.3 beta 1.1 software release by Twitter user Chase Fromm reads "Headphones.have.%sinput.NO." which could well be a reference to the future removal of the port.
Then, on 10 March, the first purported iPhone 7 case leaked online. At first glance, you'd mistake it for an iPhone 6s case, but a closer look reveals that there is no space for a 3.5mm headphone jack. Instead, it looks like the iPhone 7 will have two speaker grilles along the bottom.
The leak comes from @OnLeaks, and could well prove to be inacurate, but it's the first case leak we've seen so far and we expect it'll be the first of many.
Despite all the above, new information (May 2016), suggests Apple will indeed keep the headphone jack. An image published by MyDrivers, supposedly shows the internals of the next-gen iPhone 7 and you can see the grey headphone jack at the top. It's almost impossible to tell whether the image is legit or fake.

iPhone 7 to come with Lightning EarPods & wireless AirPods?

Of course, if Apple does decide to ditch the headphone jack then it's going to need to supply some new EarPods with the iPhone 7, and the current rumours are suggesting some Lightning EarPods which will probably be similar to the EarPods we already know but will have a Lightning connector instead of the 3.5mm jack.
More excitingly, though, rumours say that Apple is working on AirPods that will be so completely wireless that they won't even have a wire connecting the left bud with the right bud. Instead they will both individually connect with the iPhone 7 over Bluetooth.
Latest update (21/03/2016): An image has been floating around the internet over the past few days showcasing what is claimed to be a Lightning-enabled pair of Apple EarPods, with many citing Weibo as the source of the 'leak'. The image, if true, shows a pair of fairly standard Apple EarPod earphones with a lightning jack at the bottom in place of the standard 3.5mm jack, seemingly confirming the elimination of the jack on the upcoming iPhone.
However, all isn't what it seems. While many publications reported on the above image as being a genuine leak, we have our reservations. This is mainly due to infamous leaker (what a title!) OnLeaks tweeted the exact same image on Friday 18 March 2016 without the Weibo watermark seen elsewhere online while inferring that it's a fake image. The tweet in question was in response to another headphone 'leak', and OnLeaks uses the photo in question as an example of a photo that was "easy to set up". While this is far from confirmation that it's a fake, it suggests to us at least that this is the case.

iPhone 7 rumours: Waterproof protection

It's possible the new iPhone 7 could be waterproof. In March 2015 a new patent revealed that Apple is investigating ways to make future iPhones waterproof without needing to compromise on the design, a change that never made it into the 6s and 6s Plus. Instead of adding armour to the outside of the iPhone to protect it from water, the method would coat electronic components found inside the iPhone in a protective waterproof material that would prevent them from getting damaged should water find its way in. Clever.

iPhone 7 to 'dry itself by shooting water out of its speakers'

If waterproofing the internals of the iPhone 7 doesn't sound impressive enough to you, the next rumour might. A patent was published on 12 November which suggests that the iPhone 7 could be waterproof - but not by creating a watertight body, or even waterproofing the internals. Instead, the patent suggests that the iPhone could dry itself by pumping water (or any other liquid, for that matter) out of the device via its speaker grills. Pretty cool, eh?
The concept is centred around modules within the speakers that can be made more or less hydrophobic, depending on the electrical charge applied to them. That way, when liquid is detected in the iPhone, the modules would be activated in such a way that it'd move the liquid across them and eventually out of the speaker grills. We love this idea, but we're not holding our breath that this will be featured in the iPhone 7 - maybe the 8 or 9, though. 

iPhone 7 rumours: Wireless charging

New reports that emerged at the end of January 2016 suggest Apple is working on wireless charging behind the scenes, but the bad news is this special type of wireless charging that doesn't require users to place the phone on a charging mat isn't expected to arrive until 2017.
It's been rumoured that wireless charging is coming to iPhone for a long time now, but the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus arrived in September with no such feature, disappointing many. One of the reasons the iPhone doesn't currently offer wireless inductive charging is because the technology has never previously worked through aluminium, which the iPhone is made with. But in July, Qualcomm revealed that its latest wireless breakthrough now does work through metal, so it's finally a possibility for Apple.
But Apple reportedly wants to take wireless charging one step further. Bloomberg says thatthe company is "exploring cutting-edge technologies that would allow iPhones and iPads to be powered from further away than the charging mats used with current smartphones."

iPhone 7 rumours: e-SIM

Another touted feature for the latest iPhone that didn't see daylight and may be reserved for the iPhone 7 is that it will have an e-SIM. Recent reports suggest that it could be the end of days for the traditional SIM card, with a possible introduction of a simpler option. An e-SIM is an electronic SIM card which would replace the physical SIMs used today and instead will opt for a virtual embedded equivalent. Rumours suggest that both Apple and Samsung are in talk with the GSMA (organisation that represents the interest of mobile operators) to use a standardised e-SIM in future handsets.
What are the benefits of having an e-SIM? First things first, it'll make switching carriers easy and should allow for more flexible roaming. The idea is that with a standardised e-SIM, you'll be able to make a call and switch operators without having to insert a specific SIM card. This idea translates to roaming too, as it'll be much easier to switch to a local network if you're looking to spend a long period of time in a particular country. 
You can also wave goodbye to SIM adaptors! If you've ever had to go from a nano-SIM device to a micro-SIM device, you'll know exactly what we mean. 

iPhone 7 with a glasses-free 3D display?

According to Economic Daily News, the iPhone 7 could feature a 3D display - but not just any 3D display, but one that doesn't require the use of those annoying 3D glasses. The website claims that Apple supply chain partner TPK is working on a project that could produce a glasses-free 3D display, though we're not holding out much hope for this as its been done before (remember the LG Optimus 3D?) and has never done well.

iPhone 7 with sidewall display: Apple's answer to the Galaxy Note Edge, S6 Edge and S6 Edge+?

There are some rumours to suggest that the iPhone 7 could have some new design features, though we'd take these rumours with a pinch of salt.
The speculation about a new design stems from an Apple patent that was published in 2015. It describes what Apple calls "sidewall displays," similar to the display found on the Galaxy Note Edge, S6 Edge and S6 Edge+.
The patent hints at a future iPhone with a display that extends onto the sides of the device, providing interactive or touch sensitive portions that give access to slide-to-unlock functionality, music player controls, messaging readout, called ID, system controls and more.
Perhaps Apple will decide to introduce the sidewall display to the iPhone 7, offering even more screen estate.


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