All you need to know about Apple's next iPhone
The iPhone 6s is easily best smartphone Apple has ever made, but the iPhone 7 should be even better. And unlike the iPhone 6s, the iPhone 7 will almost certainly be more revolution than evolution. We expect it to look totally different to the iPhone 6s, and on the inside it should pack in a faster processor and at least one, new 'headline' feature.
We usually see leaks of the new iPhone a while before release, but this time round Apple has kept most of the iPhone 7 details under wraps. However, as we approach its 2016 release date, we’re learning more about what's expected to be the best iPhone ever. Here's what we know:
iPhone 7 at a glance
Completely waterproof
2016 release date
Possible OLED display
Design
Unlike the 6s and 6s Plus, which brought incremental upgrades, the iPhone 7 should bring an entirely new design and features – and new rumours suggest it will be waterproof.
Over the years, iPhones have got better and better, but one weakness has remained: water. From the 3GS to the 6S Plus, every smartphone Apple has made has been vulnerable to water damage.
This could be about to change with the iPhone 7. A new patent filed by Apple describes a system that uses electric charges to expel water, keeping your iPhone’s insides dry.
Manufacturers can already waterproof most areas of a phone using rubber seals, but speakers and other orifices present a harder challenge. Apple’s patent, titled “Liquid expulsion from an orifice” offers a novel solution to the problem.
The patent explains that the system will work by detecting the presence of water, then applying an electric charge over the surface area. The result? The liquid is moved, then expelled from the chamber – and your iPhone 7 lives to tell the tale.We’ve already seen waterproof phones from the likes of Sony, and heard rumours of a waterproof iPhone 7, but this is the first time we’ve encountered an active rather than passive form of waterproof detection.
Display
The iPhone 6s isn’t known for having a bad screen, but if new rumours are to be believed, the iPhone 7 will have a much, much better one. According to South Korean website ETNews, Apple is interested in sourcing OLED screens from Samsung for a forthcoming iPhone.
Current iPhones use arguably outdated LCD panels – one of the reasons they often look pale and washed out when compared to OLED-equipped smartphones – but new rumours suggest that Apple is ready to bring OLED tech to the iPhone 7. The Apple Watch already uses a small OLED display – sourced by LG and Samsung – and it’s one of the most praised elements of the wearable.
Apple could be making a decision in November about bringing OLED displays to the iPhone, but I think it’d be crazy not to. The iPhone 7 will need to give consumers a significant step up in all areas of the user experience if it’s to compete with forthcoming smartphones such as the HTC M10 and Galaxy S7. An OLED screen will certainly help Apple fend off the competition.
4inch screen?
The latest whisper is that, in the next batch of iPhone updates, there will be a return to its original 4in display.
Most people don't care for the idea of going back to a 4in iPhone screen. An overwhelming 54% in our reader survey said they'd be quite happy if Apple didn't decide to release a smaller-screened device, with another 17% sitting on the fence on the matter. While 29% of our respondents believe it's a good thing for Apple to do, it's unlikely Apple would ever think about releasing a product to market with such slim odds of success. Interestingly, this new smaller model will differentiate itself from Apple's new flagships by ditching 3D Touch and limiting RAM to the current iPhone's 2GB. Kuo believes that the full-size iPhone 7 will see an upgrade to 3GB of memory, so this 4in model is essentially an iPhone Lite.
Release date
Although there isn’t a confirmed release date for the iPhone 7, we’re now very familiar with Apple’s release schedule. By looking at the release dates of previous iPhones, it’s possible to estimate when we’ll see the iPhone 7.
The iPhone 6s was released on 9 September this year, so it’s likely we’ll see the iPhone 7 released around the same time next year – probably alongside the announcement of the Apple Watch 2.
Features
The iPhone 7 represents a full upgrade rather than an incremental one like the iPhone 6s, and this means it’s almost certain to benefit from a complete chassis redesign. We expect it to carry over many of the new features first debuted in the iPhone 6s – but also add some of its own. Therefore, we can expect the iPhone 7 to have the 6s’ improved camera, as well as its improved Touch ID 2 sensors. The iPhone 7 should also come with 3D Touch – without doubt the iPhone 6s’ standout feature.
But what else could the iPhone 7 bring? A look back at the launch of the iPhone 6 shows it could add some key features – just as the 6 added Apple Pay and increased processing power to the mix – but we simply don’t know what they are yet.
iPhone 7 could use an Intel LTE modem chip
LTE chips are responsible for funneling wireless 4G data to the iPhone, and providing them for the iPhone represents a huge coup for any supplier. Qualcomm currently sits pretty, with its 9X45 LTE chip used in all the current iPhones.
It may not become the sole supplier of the chip, but it’s possible Intel could be used as a secondary supplier to help satisfy demand. Apple often uses more than one supplier for the same part, and recently came into question for using both TSMC and Samsung as suppliers of the A9 chip in its iPhone 6s handset.
As well as being a profitable business venture, the maker of the LTE chip could also become an integral part of Apple’s later upgrade plans. Reports suggest Apple wants to use the technology in later handsets, and will look to bundle LTE technology on the same chip as everything else. That means the company responsible for designing the LTE component in the iPhone 7 would also be involved in making the main processor for future iPhones.
What’s more, Intel is also rumoured to be developing a cutting-edge 10 nanometer process for even faster and more efficient chips – which Apple will want in its next iPhones.
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