The
iPhone 7 will be released in September 2016 if history is anything to
go by. Here's everything we know so far about Apple's next smartphone,
including the expected iPhone 7 release date, specs, images and
features.
Both the
iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus
have been out around five months – and they're great. It's when Apple's
phones take on a whole new number that anticipation really mounts,
though. With the iPhone 7 release date creeping ever closer, and more
leaks appearing, the excitement is beginning to mount.
Apple is
gearing up to introduce some genuinely innovative features with its new
iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus update and it needs to. Both the
LG G5 and
Samsung Galaxy S7, announced at MWC 2015, are big improvements on last year's handsets.
Here is what do we know about the new iPhone 7 and its features based on early internet reports and rumours:
Latest iPhone 7 news in brief
When is the new iPhone 7 coming out? Release date will probably late September 2016, if Apple follows its usual pattern
What's new about the iPhone 7? (Rumoured)
1) Super-thin body
2) Hexa-core CPU
3) Water-resistant
4) No headphone jack: may include or be sold with wireless Beats earpods
5) Dual-rear cameras with no camera bump
How much will the iPhone 7 cost? Likely £540-700
Check out our iOS 9 feature run-down video below:
iPhone 7 Release Date UK & US – When will the new iPhone 7 come out?
There's
been absolutely no indication of when the iPhone 7 will be released,
but it's arguable that there doesn't need to be. We already know.
The
past four iterations of Apple's smartphone range have all launched in
late September - typically some time around the 20th. We'd be very
surprised if Apple opts to adjust that much, if at all.
We're pretty confident that Apple will stick with a release slot that has earned it millions of sales over recent years.
Related: iPhone 6S vs Galaxy S7
image: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/000034417/8503_orh616w616/iPhone-7-feature-trio.jpg
iPhone 7 Features – What's new about the iPhone 7?
The
new iPhone 7 will likely sport a slimmer and more compact design. This
could possibly come at the expense of the headphone jack, and maybe even
the home button.
Rumour has it that the iPhone 7 will be powered
by a six-core CPU and 3GB of RAM, with Apple finally keen to concentrate
on multithreading
– a feature that aims to improve both performance and efficiency. It'll probably be called the A10, if previous models are anything to go by.
Based
on previous improvements the new chipset should be 50% faster for CPU
tasks and at least twice as fast for graphical tasks.
An earlier
report indicates that Intel will provide the iPhone 7's modem chip,
which would see Apple ditching Qualcomm. This won't make much of a
difference to most people.
The cameras, on the other hand, will.
The new iPhone, at least the iPhone 7 Plus, could also come with a
dual-rear camera and do away with the camera lens bump in the phone's
case.
The iPhone 7's dual cameras may work in a similar way to the
LG G5. That smartphone has a traditional 16-megapixel rear camera for
normal shots and a second, wide-angle, camera that lets a lot more in
frame. It's a bit like having a GoPro on your phone.
It has also
been reported that Apple is working on a new wireless charging
technology which will allow handsets to be charged at a distance. It's
unlikely we'll see this in time for the iPhone 7, it's more likely to be
introduced with the iPhone 7S in 2017.
Should I wait for the iPhone 7?
Invariably,
the best iPhone to buy is the very latest available. From there it's a
matter of deciding how long a wait you have until the new model.
At
the time of writing, the iPhone 6S has been on the market for around
five months, so it's a safe bet for a purchase even if you missed the
hype-filled launch window. It really is one of the best phones on the
market, and is likely to remain that way deep into 2016.
You
probably have the best part of 7 months to wait until the iPhone 7.
That's an awfully long time to hold off if you're shopping for a new
smartphone right now - especially when there are virtually no solid
facts as to what it'll look or handle like.
Should you wait for
the iPhone 7, then? We'd say no, unless your phone contract or financial
situation dictates that you have to hold off for another six months or
more anyway. By then, we should know (or at least suspect) a lot more
about the iPhone 7.
Related: Best Selfie Smartphone 2016
iPhone 7 design: Is the iPhone 7 waterproof?
The
iPhone 7 should represent a completely new design following the iPhone 6
and iPhone 6S. What shape this will take is anyone's guess at this
point, but after four successive years of squared-off, straight-edged
phones, Apple went curvy with the iPhone 6. We'd be surprised if Apple
reverted to the iPhone 4 way of doing things so quickly.
One thing
we're hearing about the iPhone 7's design is that it'll be even thinner
than before. Apparently, Apple is looking to lose the 3.5mm headphone
jack in order to drop a millimetre or so from the chassis.
So how
are you going to plug in your headphones? This is something that's been
predicted ever since Apple introduced the Lightning connector in the
iPhone 5. Yep, you'll be using Apple's proprietary connector for your
headphones.
This will mean either buying a completely new set of
headphones or, more practically, investing in an adaptor for your
existing ones. Of course you could go wireless, instead.
Another
possible design feature, according to one report, is that the iPhone 7
will be waterproof. Since Samsung introduced its Galaxy S7 which boasted
a particularly high IP rating, we may be witnessing the resurgence of
waterproofing as a feature people care about, and Apple might be
thinking along the same lines.
After all, it's been proven that
the iPhone 6S is the toughest, most water-resistant iPhone yet. It's
even capable of surviving a spell of complete immersion, thanks to some
tight construction and well places rubber seals around its ports. This
means that keeping water out is clearly on Apple's mind, even if it
hasn't shouted about the fact as yet.
It also looks like Apple may
be introducing a dual rear camera design, at least on the iPhone 7
Plus. In January this year, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo released a research
note which suggested that Apple is working on two versions of the
handset – one with a single iSight rear-facing camera and another with
the dual camera design.
With Apple's recent acquisition of Israeli
camera tech company LinX Imaging, the report makes a lot of sense.
Particularly considering Apple was granted permission for a smaller
spherical photosensor and lens array which will mean an end to the
unsightly camera bump in the phone's casing.
Related: Apple Watch 2 rumour round-up
image: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/000034416/19cf_orh616w616/iPhone-7-feature-home.jpg
iPhone 7 specs
One
thing the iPhone 7 most likely won't have is an AMOLED display.
Numerous sources are in agreement that Apple wants to eventually switch
to the vibrant screen tech (as seen in Samsung's flagship phones), but
that this won't occur until the iPhone 8 in 2018.
This one falls
into the realm of hope more than expectation, but we'd quite like to see
the iPhone 7 bringing the iPhone 6 Plus's 1080p display resolution to a
smaller form factor.
Yes, we're still expecting the iPhone 7 to
retain the sub–5-inch display size. Apple has only just switched to this
size, following a fair amount of arm-twisting from consumers. The
company has been successful in giving people what they want, without
alienating too many staunch 4-inch apologists.
This just leaves
the matter of resolution. It's true that the iPhone 6's 1,334 x 750
display looks great and is sharp enough. However, place it next to the
iPhone 6 Plus and the difference in pixel density becomes apparent.
Apple
made an effort to maintain the same 326ppi rating as previous iPhone
Retina displays. Now that the screen is significantly larger, though, we
reckon it would benefit from a bump-up.
There'll also be support
for Force Touch, and we expect a load more apps will be on board with
the pressure-sensitive tech by then.
As for performance, we're
expecting the iPhone 7 to run on an A10 CPU given Apple's rigid
numbering system for such things. A report from China suggests that the
move to double-figures could be accompanied by a move to six cores.
Apple's
mobile chips tend to sport a dual-core set-up, with the odd departure
into tri-core territory for certain iPads. Now however, it could be
ready to embrace multi-threading, utilising multiple cores for single
tasks.
It's also claimed that the A10 will be built to a
teeny-tiny 14nm or 10nm standard, while a separate report claims that
it'll be backed by 3GB of RAM. You wait years for an iPhone RAM
increase, then two come along in quick succession.
image: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/000036b7a/ccb5_orh616w616/iPhone6S-screen.jpg
iPhone 7 battery life
The
new super-skinny MacBook is a true feat of engineering, even if it
isn't quite the MacBook Air replacement we'd been hoping for.
One
of the most exciting bits of tech in this slender notebook is its
battery. Its sculpted, terraced design grants the maximum amount of
charge possible from the space on offer, which is limited by the
dimensions of the device.
The result is 35% more battery capacity than would be achievable using regular battery technology.
This
technological breakthrough could have major ramifications for future
iPhones. The iPhone 6s was largely built to the same standards as the
iPhone 6, but the iPhone 7 will be able to employ many of the new tricks
Apple has picked up over the past year or so.
Imagine what you
could do with 35 per cent more battery capacity from your iPhone? You
could last through a long day of intensive use with power to spare,
watch a movie and play games on the train without fear.
More
likely - unfortunately, in our opinion - would be that Apple would use
that 35 per cent as part of the above-stated plan to make the iPhone 7
even slimmer than its predecessors.
That being the case, you could
probably expect the iPhone 7 to feature similar battery life to the
iPhone 6S, which in our experience means 15 to 17 hours per day.
Related: Why the e-SIM could be the iPhone 7’s killer feature
image: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/000034414/a3df_orh616w616/iPhone-7-feature-ddds.jpg
iPhone 7 screen and features
One
recent report suggests that there are as many as five prototype iPhone 7
handsets currently in testing, and that each sports a different
combination of components. If so, it would suggest that even Apple
hasn't decided upon a final feature set of the iPhone 7 just yet.
Apparently,
this prototype roster includes a USB Type-C connector (as found on the
MacBook), wireless charging, a dual-camera configuration, and a Touch ID
system that's embedded in the display.
The latter configuration
could suggest that Apple is pondering dropping its iconic home button,
we we can't quite see that happening just yet. Not when there exist
Apple patents that run through a number of extended usage situations for
the physical button.
These include holding your finger on the
Home button (without pressing it) to launch a Spotlight search. It also
mentions moving your thumb on the pad to aim in games, eliminating the
longstanding issue of obscuring the display with your fingers.
On the wireless charging front, more hope is given in the shape of the
Apple Watch.
The charging system for the company's first smartwatch is based on the
open Qi wireless charging standard, so Apple is already experienced in
this area.
Speculation is rife on the end of the physical SIM card, and Apple is right at the forefront of that effort.
After
fitting its latest iPads with e-SIM technology – a virtual SIM card
that operates exclusively in software – the Financial Times speculates
that next year’s iPhone 7 could be the first smartphone to go SIM-free.
This follows news that both Apple and Samsung are working with the GSMA to agree upon a universally accepted e-SIM standard.
With
this standard said to be about a year away from realisation, the timing
would be perfect for the iPhone 7 to become the first big smartphone to
drop the SIM card.
This might sound a little dull, but the knock-on effects could be a slimmer, lighter smartphone design.
There's
also a report which suggests Apple is working on an advanced wireless
charging technology that will allow you to charge the handset at a
distance from the charging dock. According to a 2010 patent application,
Apple is exploring near-field magnetic resonance (NFMR) to operate over
a distance of one metre.
It remains unclear whether the
technology will make it into the iPhone 7, with some reports suggesting
it won't be introduced until the iPhone 7S in 2017.
What would you like to see Apple add to its next-generation iPhone? Let us know in the comments section below.
The handset is a long-awaited successor the 2015’s LG G4, and is facing stiff competition from the new 
