iPhone 7: Apple’s Next Killer Phone [RUMORS]

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says the next iPhone will have an improved TouchID sensor

Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are now five months old. These devices helped Apple report the biggest ever profit in corporate history. But Apple fans and analysts have started looking forward to the next flagship smartphone, which could be the iPhone 6S or iPhone 7. Some rumors claim that the Cupertino company would launch the iPhone 6S this year, followed by the iPhone 7 in 2016.

But a report from Know Your Mobile suggests that the tech giant may halve its release cycle to further challenge Android vendors. Supply chain sources have told Jerry Miller of Stabley Times that the iPhone 6S will accompany the Apple Watch. That’s because Apple didn’t want to bring the wearable device without a new smartphone to go with it. Here are the latest rumors doing rounds on the Web about the iPhone 7.

An improved TouchID sensor

The always trusted and well-connected KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said last week that he has learned from supply chain sources that Apple was preparing to add a new and improved TouchID sensor to the iPhone 7. It will enable a “better and safer Apple Pay user experience.” The new TouchID will reduce reading errors. Kuo says it will enter mass production in the second quarter this year.

A DSLR-quality camera

According to John Grubber of Daring Fireball, the iPhone 7 will see the “biggest camera jump ever.” It will have a two-lens system, similar to the Duo Lens in HTC One M8, that will improve the camera to take DSLR quality imagery. The iPhone 7 camera is expected to undergo a significant upgrade from 8 megapixel to 21 megapixel.

A Samsung-made A9 processor

Samsung has reportedly won the contract to make A9 processor for the next-gen iPhone. Apple relies on TSMC for the current A8 processor. But the A9 chip will be based on Samsung’s 14nm FinFET technology that will offer a beastly performance while consuming far less power. TSMC uses 20nm process for A8. According to Geek, Samsung has already started production of A9 at its Austin manufacturing facility.

2GB RAM

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus come with only 1GB RAM. If a report from Taiwanese website TechNews is to be believed, the iPhone 7 will have 2GB LPDDR4 RAM. The upgrade will ensure a smoother performance, especially for app launch speeds and multitasking.

More focus on health

UDN reports that the iPhone 7’s screen will have a 3D pressure sensor. It will monitor the pressure applied to the display to measure pulse rate and blood pressure. Further, Apple will make the iPhone 7 waterproof to encourage its use by swimmers and other athletes.

iPhone 7 to come with OLED display

Apple couldn’t bring sapphire display to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus due to supply issues. But Japanese newspaper Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun reports that the iPhone 7 will feature an OLED display. In November last year, there were rumors that Apple’s biggest supplier Foxconn was building a $2.6 billion display production facility in Taiwan that will be dedicated exclusively to Apple. Mass production is expected to begin in the second half of 2015.

Accident-free buttons

Volume, power and other physical buttons in previous iPhones are prone to accidental inputs. Sometimes the volume buttons are accidentally pressed when the phone is in your pocket. But you may not have to worry about such accidental inputs with the iPhone 7. Apple has been awarded a patent that can prevent such incidences. It describes a touch sensor that can recognize whether a button is being pressed by a user’s finger or any other object.

Visual control technology

Last month, the U.S. Patent & Trademarks Office granted Apple a new patent for visual control technology, which could be used in the iPhone 7. The technology will let you control the UI elements with your eye movements. The gaze-based control system involves a built-in camera to track your eye movement and then relate it to elements on the phone’s screen.