The iPhone 7

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When the iPhone 7 drops in September, we expect Apple to make a host of small but significant changes that should bring a much more sleek design while making for a faster experience overall.

ï¿½ September release
ï¿½ No camera bump or antenna lines
ï¿½ A10 chip with 2GB RAM
ï¿½ 16/64/128GB capacities
ï¿½ Starting at $199 on contract, $649 off
ï¿½ New case material
ï¿½ 3GB RAM for dual camera model
ï¿½ Water resistance
ï¿½ No headphone jack
ï¿½ Probablyï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Maybeï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Probably not

Page last updated: 2 years ago

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What we'll probably see

No antenna bands or camera bump: The iPhone 7 will almost certainly be thinner than the iPhone 6s it replaces — that's just what Apple does — but that won't be the only external change. The back of the new iPhone will probably be free of the ugly plastic antenna lines, and the camera bump that annoys so many will be gone.

New A10 chip: Every new iPhone in recent memory has brought with it a new A-series processor, and that trend is likely to continue. The A10 should be a faster version of the A9 in the 6s, though it may not pack quite the same punch as the A9X found in the iPad Pro.

The same 16GB, 64GB, & 128GB capacities: Apple has always been slow to increase built-in storage in its products, and with new features like app thinning has gone to great lengths to maximize smaller volumes. There's a small chance that the base capacity will grow to 32GB, but we doubt it.

What we might see

A new material: Some rumors have claimed that Apple will move away from its famous aluminum construction, and there might be some element of truth here. We don't expect the iPhone 7 to ditch aluminum entirely, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see some fancy ceramic composites or even the mythical LiquidMetal make an appearance.

Water resistance: Given what Apple was able to accomplish with the Watch, it wouldn't be a shock to see the iPhone 7 marketed with a water resistant rating. The company has already made moves in that direction with new gaskets and seals in the 6s.

Dual cameras: According to the latest predictions from KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a solid track record when it comes to Apple's product pipeline, the larger 5.5-inch version of the company's next-gen smartphone will feature a dual camera system powered by imaging technology obtained from Apple's LinX acquisition. To the dismay of some, supposedly leaked schematics show this two-aperture design will carry over "camera bump" aesthetic. To handle the extra processing requirements, the A10 chip might sport 3GB of RAM, up from the 2GB alloted to iPhone 6s.

What we probably won't see

An iPhone 7 with no headphone jack: This space isn't long enough to list the multitude of reasons why suddenly eliminating the headphone jack — with no warning! — would be stupid. The only way this wouldn't be catastrophically bad is if Apple pre-announced the change at WWDC this summer, and we don't see that happening (even if Apple does release its own Bluetooth earbuds). That being said, recently "leaked" schematics suggest Apple might delete the 3.5mm headphone jack on the "iPhone 7 Plus."

So what's the iPhone 7 release date?

In September or October: Like clockwork, Apple unveils its new iPhones in September and ships them either later that month or early in October. That isn't likely to change, so we should see the same iPhone 7 release date.