Roger Fingas
A batch of photos published on Monday show what are purported to be three different models of the "iPhone 7," including a "Pro," but with unlikely "S" markings on the back.
In the images, discovered on China's Weibo by NWE, a smaller device is labeled as the standard iPhone 7, while two bigger devices are identified as the "Plus" and "Pro." The latter pair appear to be identical until they're seen from behind, in which case only the "Pro" has a dual-lens camera and a Smart Connector.
A handful of rumors have suggested the possibility of a "Pro" model, but typically these have been sidelined given Apple's current model split and the lack of any consistent word on what would separate a Pro device. The dual-lens camera and Smart Connector have usually been attached to the Plus.
Casting doubt on the authenticity of the images are "S" markings. Apple has traditionally reserved that badge for its interim performance upgrades, and released the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus just last September — a different use of "S" would risk confusion.
In any case new iPhones are expected to ship this fall, presumably in Apple's normal September launch window. They're expected to lose a 3.5mm headphone jack, but finally make the jump to 32 gigabytes for entry-level storage. Top-end capacity could potentially leap from 128 gigabytes to 256.
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41 Comments
"s" branding and text looks shopped on. I doubt very much they'll do a plus and a pro. Though Apple lately likes to complicate their lineup so you never know. 9to5Mac can always tell us Apple's doing it unless they don't do it. Hedging-journalism at its finest over there.
I picked up an iPhone SE last week, and I'm looking at the back of it right now to compare it to the picture in this article.
The back of the SE looks so much better than the back of whatever those phones shown in the photo are. They don't look good at all. The back looks like the back of what somebody might expect from an Android phone.
The SE has the unmistakable Apple design. I don't find the backs of the phones in the picture to be very Apple like and certainly not something that I would characterize as beautiful.
So, if this were to be believed...an iPhone 7 Pro would start at around $850 for a 64 GB model? Over $1k for the 256 GB model? Or am I wrong here?
Well, that's one way to boost ASP after months of SE sales.
I don't buy it. Its not that I don't believe Apple would release an iPhone Pro...I don't believe they would release at the exact same time as 2 other new iPhone models, all with their own unique feature sets.