A photo of a device said to be the iPhone 7 Plus surfaced on a Chinese website in March. It features a design that's similar in shape to the iPhone 6s, but without rear antenna bands. It has a protruding, pill-shaped camera enclosure that includes two cameras inside, as is rumored for the larger-screened device, along with a round flash.
It also depicts a Smart Connector on the back of the iPhone, which is an unusual inclusion. There's a Smart Connector on the iPad Pro for connecting accessories, but it is unclear how a similar feature would be used on iPhones.
It is not known if this is a genuine iPhone 7 Plus prototype, a dummy based on iPhone 7 Plus specifications, or a completely fake device, but it's possible this is our first look at Apple's new iPhone design. As September nears, additional rumors will confirm whether or not this is a genuine image.
Images depicting what could potentially be the dual-lens camera component for the iPhone 7 Plus surfaced from multiple sources in the early months of 2016. The part has an "821" number on it, which has been associated with Apple in the past, suggesting it could be a legitimate component.
An image of the battery said to be for the iPhone 7 has surfaced, listing a capacity of 7.04 watt-hours. That's slightly larger than the equivalent battery capacity listed for the iPhone 6s (6.61 watt-hours) and almost identical to the iPhone 6 (7.01 watt-hours). Voltage is not visible on the alleged iPhone 7 battery, so the exact charge capacity is not yet available, but should be similar to the iPhone 6 battery.
We've seen a backlight assembly said to be destined for the iPhone 7, which surfaced in January of 2016. We can't really glean any information about the iPhone 7 from the backlight component, but it is similar in design to the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus backlight assembly with the exception of relocated LCD flex cables and 3D Touch chip. Though the backlight assembly doesn't give us any information about the iPhone 7, it suggests that components are now in production and additional part leaks will follow.
Case Leaks and Renderings
An image allegedly sourced from Apple manufacturer Catcher Technology depicts the body of the iPhone 7, showing a design that's similar to the iPhone 6s. In line with other rumors, the image shows antenna bands that are limited to the sides and top of the device, no longer spanning across the back.
here also appears to be a larger hole for the camera, which may protrude slightly. Some iPhone 7 rumors have suggested the camera will not protrude at all. It appears that if there is a protrusion, it will be less pronounced than the camera bump on the iPhone 6s.
Nowhereelse.fr's Steve Hemmerstoffer created a rendering of the camera design based on the drawing, which can be seen below. While the iPhone 7 is said to have a single camera as shown, the iPhone 7 Plus is rumored to have a dual-camera design.
Feld & Volk, a company that creates luxury enclosures for the iPhone, has used a leaked image of what issaid to be the iPhone 7 Plus (depicted in the section above) to create a set of detailed renderings that give a clearer picture of what the larger-screened device might look like.
The renderings depict a phone that is a good deal thinner than the iPhone 6s, which is in line with rumors suggesting the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will be up to 1mm thinner. It includes a dual camera with a protruding enclosure and a Smart Connector, the purpose of which is not known.
Overall, the device, while thinner, looks much like the iPhone 6s. Design changes include no rear antenna bands, but there continue to be bands at the bottom and the sides. Volume buttons, mute switch, and power button remain unchanged. It is not clear if this is the actual design of the iPhone, but it is a possibility and is in line with rumors.
The first alleged case for the iPhone 7 surfaced in March, with the overall design appearing to be similar to the iPhone 6s. It features the same pill-shaped volume buttons and side-located power buttons, but it has cutouts for two speakers, in line with a rumor suggesting the iPhone 7 will have stereo speakers.
The two speaker cutouts replace the cutout for a headphone jack, which is said to be eliminated in the iPhone 7 in favor of an all-in-one Lightning port.
The iPhone 7 case was compared to an iPhone 6s on YouTube, and while the older device fit into the iPhone 7 case, there were some differences. The iPhone 7 case appears to have a larger opening for the camera, which could be designed to accommodate a larger single-lens camera on the iPhone 7.
Because the iPhone 6s fit almost perfectly into the iPhone 7 case, it's possible that it won't be quite as thin as rumored. Current rumors suggest the iPhone 7 could be as thin as 6.1mm.Early cases for new devices are often based on schematics obtained from factory workers and other inside sources and can give a solid picture of upcoming iPhone designs, but they are not accurate 100 percent of the time.
Design
The iPhone 7 is expected to be thinner than the iPhone 6s, with Apple using the elimination of the headphone jack, advances in in-cell panel technology, and a slimmer Lightning port to make the iPhone 7 slimmer, perhaps as thin as the iPod touch. Rumors suggest the iPhone 7 will be between 6.0mm and 6.5mm. Apple's current iPod touch measures in at 6.1mm, compared to 7.1mm for the iPhone 6s and 7.3mm for the iPhone 6s Plus.
Information obtained by MacRumors and confirmed by additional reports indicates the iPhone 7's design will be somewhat similar to the iPhone 6s, adopting the same general design language.
Apple may be planning to change the design of the antenna bands on the device, doing away with the thick white antenna bands that are located across the back of the Phone 6s rear shell. The bands located at the top, bottom, and sides of the device are rumored to remain on the iPhone 7, but the rear bands are eliminated for a cleaner look. As for the thinner Lightning port, while Apple plans to slim it down, it will continue to be compatible with existing the Lightning connector and Lightning cables.
Rumors on the rear camera have varied. Some rumors point towards a camera that protrudes less or not at all, while an image of an alleged iPhone 7 Plus features a camera that continues to protrude.
Early rumors about the iPhone 7's design suggested the device could have a strengthened, water resistant frame that ditches Apple's traditional aluminum casing for "new compound materials, but a report from Mac Otakara says that is not the case. The iPhone 7 will use the same aluminum that's used in the iPhone 6s and it will be no more water resistant.
Apple is planning to implement improved electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding techniques in the iPhone 7, with the goal of individually shielding most of the major chips in the device. EMI shields are used in iPhones and all other electronic devices to prevent wireless interference between different products.
Improved EMI shielding will perhaps allow Apple to place the various chips in the iPhone 7 closer together, allowing it to shrink down the device or leave room for new components or a larger battery. This could be one of the ways the company will find extra space to make the iPhone 7 thinner than the iPhone 6s.
Apple is rumored to be working on AMOLED displays for future iPhones, but the technology will not be ready for the iPhone 7. The iPhone 7 will continue to use the same TFT-LCD display technology used in the iPhone 6s.
No Headphone Jack
Apple may be able to decrease the thickness of the iPhone 7 byeliminating the headphone jack and instead adopting an all-in-one Lightning port that will support both charging and music playback with Lightning-equipped headphones.
With the iPhone 7, headphones will need a Lightning connector or a 3.5mm jack-to-Lightning adapter to connect to the Lightning port on the bottom of the phone. The device will also support wireless Bluetooth headphones.
In addition to allowing Apple to shave some thickness off of the iPhone 7 and saving valuable internal space, requiring headphones to connect through the Lightning port will boost overall audio quality. Apple is also rumored to be considering some new noise-canceling technology to remove background noise during music playback and phone calls, but rumors have disagreed on whether this will be introduced in the iPhone 7 or the next-generation iPhone.
Apple is said to be working on Lightning-equipped EarPods that will ship alongside the iPhone 7. They will be similar to the existing EarPods that are included in the iPhone box, but with a Lightning connector instead of a headphone jack. As for the empty space left by the headphone jack, Apple may be planning to replace it with a second speaker to introduce stereo sound in the iPhone 7.
