With the expected release date of the iPhone 7 closing in, some new leaked design specs differs an interesting impression on how the iPhone 7 Plus phablet will turn out. While the smartphone-sized version of the iPhone 7 remains the mass-market device for Apple, the iPhone Plus range has also become a big seller for the corporation, and a valid source of revenue in its own right.
iPhone 7 Plus’ china leaks
The Chinese site MyDrivers is the source of this new leak which provides some interesting information on the potential build of the next generation phablet. Interestingly, it seems that the iPhone 7 Plus will be thicker than the previous generation of the device, but this could be due to improved specifications and features.
It seems that the iPhone 7 Plus will be compatible with the Apple Smart Keyboard, while Apple is also expected it to beef up the capabilities of this phablet contender. The renderings suggest that the iPhone 7 Plus will be 0.2mm thicker than the iPhone 6S Plus, which would be considered a rather minor inconvenience if the improvements in the device are also delivered satisfactorily.
The source from close to the Apple supply chain also believes that the iPhone 7 Plus will be fitted with 3GB of native RAM, and feature a dual-camera setup. This latter suggestion is particularly interesting, as dual-camera technology has been linked with the iPhone range for some time, yet there are still disagreements over precisely which models will benefit from this camera upgrade.
Some analysts have suggested that the iPhone 7 Pro will be the sole beneficiary of this dual-camera technology. Yet this third Apple smartphone release has not even been confirmed yet, and it could be that the dual-camera system will ultimately appear in the iPhone 7 Plus, as this may be the only Apple phablet release in this generation.
Headphone jack
As has been widely reported, the Chinese leaks also suggest that Apple will eliminate the 3.5mm headphone jack completely in the iPhone 7 generation. This will apply to both the iPhone 7 smartphone and iPhone 7 Plus phablet. Apple will instead rely on wireless technology in order to enable users to listen to music privately, and this system will enable Apple to make design improvements to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
Elsewhere, the source makes a surprising claim regarding the display included in the iPhone 7 Plus. The Chinese source reports that AMOLED technology will be incorporated into the iPhone screen for the first time, and that this will be ultra-HD resolution and fully compatible with 3D Touch technology.
While it seems feasible that Apple could increase the resolution of the iPhone 7 Plus display, the suggestion that Apple will embrace AMOLED in the iPhone 7 generation will certainly come as a surprise. The general consensus of opinion is that this technology will be delayed until 2017, with Apple apparently still in negotiations with Samsung to supply some of the displays for the AMOLED iPhone.
It would be exciting for Apple to produce the first smartphone without an LCD display this year, particularly if it features quad HD resolution and touch sensitivity, but this seems somewhat unlikely.
Galaxy Note 7 scrap
One of the interesting aspects of the iPhone 7 is that it will be up against a Samsung device that was certainly not anticipated by the majority of market observers. The Korean rival of Apple has chosen to completely scrap the Galaxy Note 6, at least according to reports, instead skipping a generation to the Galaxy Note 7. At least part of the motivation for this is thought to be Samsung essentially pitting the seventh generation of its phablet against the iPhone 7 Plus, so it will be interesting to see how the two handsets fare this time out.
While Apple retains its position at the head of the mobile marketplace, the picture has becomes a little more complicated in recent months, with Samsung recovering significantly while Apple’s sales and share price have tumbled. The corporation has already predicted that it will shift less iPhone 7 units in 2016 than during the previous calendar year; the first time that this will have been the case since the first iPhone was released back in 2007.
Thus, it is likely that the iPhone 7 Plus will benefit from a relatively meager spec upgrade when the phablet is released. With Apple having already made gloomy prognostications regarding its 2016 iPhone sales, it seems extremely likely that the corporation will settle for a relatively conservative iPhone 7 Plus release.
Nonetheless, Apple is expected to upgrade the RAM, processor and memory included in the device, with storage also getting a big boost in order to support the music-playing focus of Apple in 2016. Apple will be strongly pushing its Apple Music service during the remainder of the calendar year, as the corporation attempts to close the 19-million subscriber gap which exists between himself and the market-leading Spotify.
iPhone 8 looms
What this means is that some of the more revolutionary features which have been linked with the iPhone 7 Plus will probably not be present in the phablet. In particular, wireless charging is probably out in this iPhone generation, and the likelihood of Apple producing a curved screen variant of either its smartphone or phablet seems extremely slim.
While this may be something of a disappointment for Apple fans particularly anticipating the iPhone 7, it just does point to a revolutionary iPhone 8 release next year. This would be perfect timing for Apple, as the corporation will be celebrating the tenth anniversary of the first iPhone release next year, and this notable date may have contributed significantly to the decision to delay much of the revolutionary iPhone material until next year.
Nonetheless, the iPhone 7 Plus will make significant strides forward over the existing iPhone 6S Plus, with the phablet expected to be slicker, more powerful and yet still launched at the same price point as the previous unit. Although some of the Chinese claims should be taken with a pinch of salt, the latest leaks certainly provide an interesting insight into the potential of this device, all that remains now is for Apple to finally unveil it.
