2016 will be an extremely busy year for Apple, with three iPhone 7 variants expected. The standard iPhone 7 smartphone will launch alongside the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 7 Pro in September, at least according to media reports. So what can we expect from these three major device releases? Here is a rundown of everything that we know so far.
iPhone 7, Plus, Pro Design
It is generally believed that the iPhone 7 generation will look rather similar to the existing iPhone 6S. Apple is bound to tweak the appearance of the iPhone 7 to a certain extent, and it has been widely reported that the market-leader will slimming down the iPhone 7 from last year’s iPhone 6S.
But all three versions of the iPhone 7 will likely utilize an aluminum chassis with smooth, curved edges, in common with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S. However, it is expected that the antenna bands which wrap around the rear of the most recent Apple releases will be decommissioned, with a more nuanced look instead replacing it.
Apple will also eliminate the headphone jack in the iPhone 7, with reports indicating that the consumer electronics giant is instead contemplating replacing this familiar feature with wireless technology.
Display
Reports on the iPhone grapevine suggest that the smartphone will be a 1080p full HD device, and that the larger phablet versions will both be quad HD. True Tone, the color temperature shifting feature seen on the 9.7-inch Pad Pro, could also migrate as Apple aims to make improvements in its next generation smartphone.
It is also expected that Apple will retain the display size from the last generation, and that the iPhone 7 Pro will fit in with this by featuring a 5.5-inch display. Future iPhone generations have also been strongly linked with the introduction of OLED technology, but Apple is expected to delay this until the iPhone 8 in 2017, with negotiations continuing over the manufacturing of this technology.
So expect the iPhone 7 to feature the existing LCD technology, with the more advanced and energy efficient OLED iPhone 8 to follow next year.
Camera
The general consensus of opinion is that Apple will make significant improvements to the camera capabilities of the iPhone 7 generation, particularly with an intention to respond to the dual-pixel technology included in the Galaxy range. However, it seems increasingly likely that only the phablet versions of the iPhone 7 will benefit from the dual-camera technology that has been widely reported in the media.
Conflicting reports have suggested that just the iPhone 7 Pro will get dual-lenses, or that both of the phablet variants of the iPhone 7 will receive dual-camera functionality. It does seem fairly certain that this feature will not be included in the standard iPhone 7.
Processor
Naturally enough, the processing power of the iPhone 7 is expected to jump significantly over the previous releases. New A10 and M10 units will be introduced, and these will be clocked at significantly higher speeds than previous iPhone variants. There is no evidence to suggest, at least at the time of writing, that these will differ significantly between the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 7 Pro.
Memory
The iPhone 7 range has been linked with an increase in memory, but it remains unclear whether this will apply to the smaller smartphone versions, albeit limited to the phablet. A 3GB phablet is particularly expected, and this should apply to both the iPhone 7 Pro and iPhone 7 Plus. There have been a few either analyst or media suggestions that Apple will consider including 4GB of RAM in the new iPhone 7 Pro, so we can probably expect both the phablet versions to feature the same memory.
Whether the standard iPhone 7 smartphone will be upgraded in this department is debatable, but it is notable that both the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S+ featured 2GB of RAM as standard.
Wireless charging
Wireless charging has been expected in the iPhone range for some time, but may not emerge this year. Analyst reports suggest that the iPhone 7 generation will not be a huge step forward from last year’s iPhone 6S, and this suggests that revolutionary features such as wireless charging could be held back for the iPhone 8.
Apple certainly has the technology in place in order to include this in the iPhone, with the Apple Watch already making use of the innovation. The Verge also suggests that Apple is currently hiring wireless charging experts from the technology start-up uBeam. This would indicate that wireless charging is coming in the iPhone series sooner rather than later, but don’t necessarily expect it to materialize in the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus or iPhone 7 Pro.
There is just the slightest possibility that Apple could consider it for the premium of these three devices in an attempt to ensure that the iPhone 7 Pro stands out from the crowd.
Software
iOS 10 is naturally coming for the iPhone 7 generation, and all three models will benefit from this new operating system. The ability to remove Apple bloatware from the home screen should be included, while iCloud voicemail with Siri integration is expected. Overhauls to Apple Music and HomeKit are also anticipated.
Storage and micro SD
Apple is believed to be tinkering with the idea of 256GB of native storage in the iPhone 7 generation, and reports have indicated that this will be instigated across all three models of the range. It seems that there are no plans for Apple to include micro SD in its smartphones in the foreseeable future, so the flexibility and expandability of this technology will remain out of reach of Apple fans.
Release date and price
The iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 7 Pro are expected to launch alongside one another in September. With Apple having increased the price of the smartphone range last year, and considering the fact that the corporation has already predicted a slowing in sales in 2016, it is likely that the launch price tag of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be frozen. The iPhone 7 Pro will probably launch at a price of $100 more than the iPhone 7 Plus phablet.
