Leak suggests Apple may bring back black color option for iPhone 7
Enjoying the feel of that sparkly rose gold iPhone 6S in your hand and the joy of 3D Touch? We don’t want to spoil that love affair, but Apple’s almost here with the iPhone 7 — and rumors about it are beginning to heat up.
Here’s what we think we know about Apple’s next major smartphone, which is slated to be launched at an event on September 7.
New design with key changes
If Apple follows its own trends, the iPhone 7 should come with an entirely new design. So far, rumors indicate that the next iPhone will be water-resistant, feature liquid metal, and eliminate antenna lines.
Not only that, but it seems as though Apple may be bringing back the black color option, rumored to be called “Space Black,” as an extension of the “Space Gray” option. A number of images have been leaked to Chinese social media site Weibo showing the color in all of its glory.
If accurate, the leaks are very interesting indeed. The camera bump seems a little less prominent than other leaks. Perhaps even more interesting is the fact that the phone seems to have the same smart connector found on newer generations of the iPad, confirming previous rumors that this would be the case.
Previously, a schematic leak from NowhereElse suggested that despite some hopes, the new iPhone will do away with the dual speaker. According to the schematics, on one side of the speaker grill it seems that there will be a microphone, and on the other side a single speaker.
In August, Bloomberg reported that the antenna lines will be removed from the back of the device. Rumors also arose in the article that the phone would sport a smart connector and do away with the headphone jack. Now it seems the mute switch could also disappear, though that’s debatable.
Another leak, published in August on French smartphone rumor site NowhereElse, appears to show many of those changes in the flesh. The photo of a reported iPhone 7 shows the smartphone on and functioning, running SwitchBoard, Apple’s internal development tool. It lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack, as rumored, and features repositioned antenna bands. It will also feature a large rear-facing camera.
A video comparison between the iPhone 6S and an iPhone 7 mockup, courtesy of YouTuber Autin Evans, highlights a number of the rumored aesthetic changes. The iPhone 7’s camera is larger — gone is the 3.5mm headphone jack of the 6S — and the hallmark antenna lines that run the current-gen iPhone’s rear casing have been relegated to the handset’s side for a much more spartan look. But in terms of thickness and length, the two seem appear largely similar, if not identical.
A second video by YouTuber Jonathan Morrison appears to confirm many, if not all, of those design rumors. It’s a hands-on of an iPhone 7 demo unit that takes an exhaustive look at the handsets’ exteriors. The unit doesn’t appear to have a 3.5mm headphone port, and the signature white antenna band of the iPhone 6s has been truncated. The camera module seems larger than the sensor on the previous iPhone, too, and there’s what looks to be a second speaker near the bottom of the device.
The iPhone 7 may be available in the same four colors as the iPhone 6S: silver, space gray, gold, and rose gold. That’s according to a leaked image from MacityNet, which shows four reported “dummy” iPhones in the aforementioned hues side by side. According to the source, those are, in fact, the only color configurations in which the new iPhone 7 will be available — refuting rumors of a new “deep blue” option. The snap also appears to show a bulging metal enclosure around the handset’s rear-facing sensor — 9to5Mac estimates it’s about 25 percent bigger in diameter than the previous iPhone’s camera cut-out — as well as a new antenna design. The iPhone 7’s radios seem to run along the top and bottom of the device, rather than, as on the iPhone 6s, around back.
Leaked images on Chinese social media from July appear to show an unfamiliar iPhone model — the iPhone 7 Pro, presumably — that shares curvature in common with the iPhone 6S. Notably, however, the pictured handset sports Apple’s three-pin Smart Connector near its lower rear cover, a potential indication that at least one model of upcoming iPhone will be compatible with newer third-party keyboards and charging docs. And the iPhone appears to lack a hardware mute switch. Otherwise, though, the pictures would seem to largely confirm a number of long-standing features including dual rear-facing cameras and retooled antennas.
Another image from Nowhere Else shows what the back of the device may look like. It looks like the iPhone still has the rounded design, but you’ll notice the missing antenna lines on the back. Instead, it looks like the antennas are placed on the bottom and top of the device, and are made to look a little like bumpers. The camera also looks different, as it now is larger and looks like it protrudes a little more than before. The bigger camera could be for a wider lens like on the LG G5.
This could also very well be the iPhone version with the dual-lens camera — which is rumored to be
exclusive to the iPhone 7 Plus.
One of the more prevalent early rumors concerns a waterproof iPhone 7. The Wall Street Journal reported that the upcoming handset sports a design “more water-resistant” than Apple’s current crop. DigiTimes reported on evidence that Catcher Technologies will supply waterproof iPhone 7 chassis components. In addition, TrendForce published a press release asserting the iPhone 7 will be waterproof, and another post on Weibo, which was reported by Mac Otakara, also said the iPhone 7 will have a waterproof and dust-proof body.
There’s new evidence to support this claim — a presentation slide out of Foxconn shows that the iPhone 7, or at least one of them, will feature a water-resistant body, according to MyDrivers.
Previously, a report from inside China suggested that five iPhones were being tested, each with one particular feature of interest. Those features include wireless charging, fingerprint recognition on the display, multi Force Touch, dual-cameras, and a USB Type-C connector. Previous patents have suggested Apple is working on wireless charging andfingerprint recognition technology on the display, though the patent for wireless charging was filed three years ago.
The same Foxconn slide also mentions that wireless charging will be available in one of the models. Take this information with a grain of salt, but if the new iPhone comes with any of those technologies, it’ll be sure to be popular.
Now it seems that at least the lack of a headphone jack may be true. The Wall Street Journal said in mid-June that although the iPhone 7 won’t bring huge changes, it will do away with the headphone jack to slim the phone down and increase water resistance.
Leaked schematics from Techtastic slightly contradict that report. They reveal an iPhone 7 prototype with thicker casing than that of the iPhone 6S — 7.15mm compared to 7.1mm. They also appear to show a rear-facing camera that’s both larger and nearer the iPhone’s top edge than the shooters on previous models.
Another image leaked by French tech blog Nowhereelse.fr would seem to substantiate the Wall Street Journal’s claims about the lack of audio jack, though. It shows iPhone casing that distinctly lacks a 3.5mm port. In addition, the pictured iPhone seems to pack a second speaker grill for stereo audio. It shows a dual camera lens, too, and reconfigured antenna lines that run along the phone’s edge rather than across the back panel.
Another leak from a case manufacturer shows an iPhone without a headphone jack. The device does appear to have a rear smart connector, along with a dual-lens camera. The case appears to be for the iPhone 7 Plus, and its shape looks relatively similar to the current models, but the removal of the headphone jack and addition of a smart connector may mean there are bigger changes elsewhere.
However, before we get too carried away, there’s no evidence these cases are based on official details, and may have been made according to previously leaked specs. That means we’re just looking at a visualization of what we’ve been hearing for the past few months. That doesn’t make it less interesting, just treat it as speculation, and not confirmation a smart connector and dual camera will make it ont the final phone
Near the end of May, a few leaked photos surfaced online that are supposedly of the iPhone 7. An image from a Weibo user shows off the repositioned antenna lines, which now curve along the edges of the phone instead of striping across the back of it. The camera clearly bulges out of the device in the photo, too; in previous leaks, the camera bulge was absent on the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 model.
Related: 22 photo apps to supercharge your iPhone camera
It’s hard to say whether this photo is the real deal, especially since the source is unknown. This could very well be a photoshopped image of an iPhone 6S, so bear that in mind. However, the image does bear a striking resemblance to an earlier leaked design render spotted by Nowhereelse.fr in March — minus the camera bulge.
In late May, Nowhereelse.fr got its hands on a mockup of the iPhone 7 that an Italian case maker is supposedly using to develop accessories for the iPhone. The mockup would appear incongruous with the leaks of supposed iPhone casing so far: it boasts a total of four speakers, two on the top edge of the phone and two more on the bottom. But considering Apple recently upped the speaker count on its iPad Pro models, too, it’s not out of the question that Apple may put four speakers on the iPhone 7.
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