The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus only
launched September 2015, but a few months on we're starting to excitedly think
about what this year's iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Pluscould bring. 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, from wireless charging to
a touchscreen display with built-in Touch ID. 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.
We're sure to see a next-generation iPhone in 2016, but
what will the new iPhone 7 look like? (Traditionally, Apple alternates between
internal upgrades for the 'S' update, then a physical redesign for the
full-number update, so a completely redesigned chassis is likely.) What
new features should we expect? And when will the iPhone 7 come out?
We round up the evidence to bring you everything there is to know about the
iPhone 7 so far.
In this article we talk about the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 - the
follow-up to the iPhone 6s. If you'd like to read about the 5.5-inch
iPhone 7 Plus, take a look at our iPhone 7 Plus release date and new
features rumour roundup.
Bookmark this page for a regularly updated summary of all
the information currently available - and all the rumours doing the rounds -
related to the iPhone 7: details, clues, hints and rumours, as well as any
leaked photos of the iPhone 7 that emerge. We'll update the article
whenever we hear worthwhile new information (or scurrilous but interesting
gossip) on the subject of Apple's next iPhone.
Also read: Apple rumours and predictions for 2016.
Main sections in this article:
Family Chat's verdict on the iPhone 7
Introduction: What is the iPhone 7?
iPhone 7 launch date rumours
iPhone 7 design rumours (updated, 15
Jan, with more reports that Apple is ditching the headphone jack and
flexible display speculation)
iPhone 7 new features rumours (updated 19 Jan with
iOS 10 rumours)
iPhone 7 specification rumours (updated 19 Jan
with LiFi rumours)
iPhone 7 images and videos: leaked images, concept
illustrations etc
If you're looking for information about the current iPhone
range, by the way, read our iPhone 6s review, Phone 6s Plus
review, iPhone 6 review, iPhone 6 Plus reviewand iPhone 5s
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 of iPhone,
iPad, Apple Watch & Mac.
In a nutshell: Family Chat's verdict on the iPhone 7
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. Consider
it a sort of TL;DR for the article as a whole.
In a nutshell, then, we reckon:
1) Apple will launch two new iPhones in September
2016, and just possibly three. The theory that Apple will push the
main iPhone 7 launch forward to summer 2016 seems thin to us, but it is
possible we will see an update to the 4-inch iPhone line earlier than the
autumn, and maybe even as soon as March 2016.
2) We expect a 4.7-inch phone (called the iPhone 7),
and a 5.5-inch model (theiPhone 7 Plus). If Apple does make another 4-inch
iPhone (which, thanks to the success of the larger iPhones, is by no means a
certainty) then we think it'll be called something like the iPhone 7 mini, but
iPhone 6c and iPhone 6e are possibilities too.
3) 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, although
we've yet to see firm evidence ourselves.
