The big revelation of 2016 in the smartphone marketplace may be the release of the iPhone 7 Pro. This new top of the range smartphone has been widely rumored over the last couple of months, with Apple seemingly intent on sprucing up its product range. The iPhone 7 Pro will effectively become the premium smartphone released by the consumer electronics giant, replacing the existing iPhone 7 Pro phablet, which will nonetheless still be released.
Both of these devices are expected to launch alongside one another, which begs the question of how Apple will differentiate the iPhone 7 Pro from the iPhone 7 Plus. So here is a rundown of some of the possible ways in which Apple could distinguish this new phablet contender from the existing device.
iPhone 7 Pro vs iPhone 7 Plus – Camera
The first and most obvious place to begin with this distinction is with regard to the camera technology included in the two devices. It has been widely reported that the iPhone 7 Pro will feature a dual-camera setup, and that this will be excluded from both the iPhone 7 Plus and standard iPhone 7 smartphone. This would be the most obvious physical difference between the two devices, although considering that Apple is making outstanding camera technology a focus of the iPhone 7 Pro, it could also consider going the extra mile.
Over the years, the iPhone range has been linked with a wide variety of revolutionary camera technology, and it could be that Apple will consider really pushing the boat out and including some of this in the iPhone 7 Pro. This could mean that the phablet benefits from a DSLR snapper that has been mentioned in the past, or even possibly the revolutionary periscope design that was whispered about at one time.
Perhaps the suggestions are rather far-fetched, particularly considering that the legendary analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has already offered his personal prediction that the iPhone 7 will be somewhat conservative when it is released. This means that such innovations are possibly more likely to be delayed until the iPhone 8 in 2017, but with Apple making camera technology a focus of the iPhone 7 Pro, don’t bet against it featuring a rather spectacular system. At the very least, Apple could consider upping the megapixel quotient included in the iPhone 7 Pro as compared to the iPhone 7 Plus.
Size
Early reports on the iPhone 7 Pro have indicated that it is likely to be the same size as the iPhone 7 Plus. But Apple could consider increasing the screen size of this device slightly over the iPhone 7 Plus in order to create a demarcation between the two devices. It has already been reported that Apple is considering a 5.8-inch display for the iPhone 8 in 2017, and Apple could possibly treat the iPhone 7 Pro as a prototype for this concept.
This would mean that the iPhone 7 Plus would be fitted with a 5.5-inch screen, while the iPhone 7 Pro would obviously be marginally larger. This would probably also ensure that the iPhone 7 Pro unit was slightly weightier and larger than the iPhone 7 Plus, as it is unlikely that there will be significant design differences between the two smartphones.
Curved screen
Another possibility for the iPhone 7 Pro is that Apple could release its first ever curved screen version, and that indeed the iPhone 7 Pro could be this mobile. Samsung has had huge success with its curved screen variants, particularly in the phablet niche, and this could encourage Apple to include a curved display in the iPhone 7 Pro, with the iPhone 7 Plus possibly being a flatscreen alternative.
Storage
Storage is always at a premium in smartphones today, and the iPhone 7 Pro will be particularly challenged in this department considering it is the premium Apple smartphone. Apple has been linked with producing a 256 GB version of the iPhone 7, and the iPhone 7 Pro could be used to float this new high storage variant.
Wireless charging
Although analysts believe that Apple is unlikely to introduce completely new functionality into the iPhone series in 2016, wireless charging has been linked with the smartphone series for sometime, and this could conceivably see the light of day with the iPhone 7 Pro. If Apple wishes to make the iPhone 7 Pro stand out from the crowd, it could include wireless charging in this device, while continuing to exclude this feature from the iPhone 7 Plus and standard iPhone 7.
Market
Ultimately, the iPhone 7 Pro will be aimed at the business community primarily, perhaps slightly replacing the modus operandi of the existing iPhone Plus range. The previous iPhone Plus releases were seen as very much the premium smartphone from the market-leading consumer electronics manufacturer, but this will obviously change when iPhone 7 Pro hits the stores.
It will be interesting to see precisely how Apple markets the two devices, as the iPhone 7 Plus was very much aimed at the business market previously. But it seems certain that the iPhone 7 Pro will adopt this mantel when it is released, as the most expensive and premium smartphone in the iPhone 7 range would not seem to be the sort of mass-market product to be aimed at the general public.
Price
It is rather obvious that the iPhone 7 Pro will retail at a higher price than the iPhone 7 Plus considering the extra specifications included in the device, and possibly also the additional size. It would make absolutely no sense whatsoever for Apple to launch both the iPhone 7 Pro and iPhone 7 Plus at the same price point, as this would essentially sound the death knell for the inferior iPhone 7 Plus. So expect the iPhone 7 Pro to retail at a slightly more expensive price point, possibly around $100 for the off-contract unit.
This could mean a price tag for the iPhone 7 Pro in the region of $850, although Apple has been characteristically quiet on any details related to the iPhone 7. So pricing is certainly not known for these devices as of yet, but as the consumer electronics giant increased the price of the iPhone 6S last year, it seems likely that the price will be frozen in 2016.
