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Poll: What rumored iPhone 7 feature excites you the most?

iphone6s-2

It was only a few months ago that the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus were made available, but rumors regarding the upcoming iPhone 7 have been circulating for several months now. Rumors have ranged from design changes to new software features to new hardware features and more. While it’s certainly possible that Apple could go all out and introduce every rumored feature with the iPhone 7, it’s likely some of the speculated features are either not real or will be held for future generation devices. So, we want to know, which of the rumored features has you most excited for the iPhone 7? Participate in the poll below and read on as we discuss each of the rumored features…

One of the most often rumored changes suggested for the iPhone 7Β is the removal of the headphone port in an effort to make the device even thinner. This would mean that Lightning headphones would be required for users who wanted to a wired solution, although it is expected that Apple would strongly push wireless solution instead. We reported earlier this monthΒ that Apple is developing revamped, cord-free Beats ahead of the iPhone 7. The wireless Beats are expected to charge via an accompanying carrying case, as opposed to micro-USB like current Beats headphones.Β A KGI report suggested that the iPhone 7 will be as thin as the iPod touch at around 6mm.

A considerablyΒ sketchy report from November suggested that Apple is testing various iPhone 7 models, each with different features and designs. The report suggested that Apple is testing wireless charging technology, multi-touch Force Touch, dual-cameras, USB-C, and in-display fingerprint recognition. Multi-touch Force Touch/3D Touch would mean that you could press harder with two fingers to bring up different options than what appears when you press harder with one finger, while in-display fingerprint recognition would presumably allow for Apple to eliminate the home button entirely, something that has been tossed around for a long time now. This report should be taken with a pretty decent dose of skepticism, however, so don’t get too attached to any of these features.

Two separate reports have suggested that the iPhone 7 will feature a waterproof design. The first came last September and also mentioned that the device will feature a dust proof design and a “new casing material,” which would make the iPhone 6s the last model to feature the metallic frame. A second sourceΒ corroborated that report a few weeks agoΒ and added that Apple plans to introduce wireless charging this year. The exact technology remains unclear, but the report suggested that it would be similar to the inductive charging mechanism used with the Apple Watch.

twin-camera

As far as camera technology goes, an Apple patent application suggested that the next iPhone could feature a twin-camera system. A variety of possibilities can be associated with a dual-camera set up, including optical zoom.Β By fitting two separate camera modules behind the lens, and creating a single lens with both standard and telephoto sections, you’d be able to switch between two different focal lengths. Another possibility is that one camera module could be shooting still images, while the other records video, taking the Live Photos feature of the iPhone 6s to an entirely new level. Theoretically, you could also record normal speed video and slow-mo video at the same time with a twin-camera set up.

Most recently, code discovered in iOS 9 suggested that the iPhone 7 could feature new Li-Fi technology. If you’re like me, you’d probably never heard of Li-Fi until today. Li-Fi is an alternative to WiFi that is said to be 100 times faster and capable of speeds of 224Gbps. It is wireless and uses visible light communication instead of radio frequency waves, allowing it to transfer more information than WiFi.

Other rumored changes have included a 32GB base model, finally getting rid of the overpriced and under-performing 16GB. Some rumors have also suggested that Apple will adopt a new screen technology, although whether or not that appears with the iPhone 7 remains to be seen. A report from November claimed that Apple would begin switching to OLED screens by 2018. Apple is said to be developing thinner and brighter screens in a secret Taiwanese lab, but it’s unclear how far along progress is.

iphone-6-iphone-6s-plus (2)

For me personally, I’m most excited about the iPhone 7 potentially being more durable than the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. I’m no strangerΒ to water damaged devices, so the addition of a fully waterproof coating would certainly be welcomed. The potential new camera technology, however, is also very interesting. While I’m a fan of Live Photos, I feel like a dual-camera set up could take the feature to an entirely new level. One of the iPhone’s biggest selling point has always been its camera and should Apple devote most of its attention to that feature with the iPhone 7, it has a chance to truly knock it out of the park and put the device even farther than other devices on the market.

As always, all of these features are rumors and nothing more. We won’t know what Apple actually has up its sleeve for the iPhone 7 until it officially announces the device later this year. Nevertheless, it’s fun to speculate. Let us know the feature that excites you the most in the poll above and in the comments below!

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Comments

  1. John B. Abela - 8 years ago

    A 7+ that is waterproof is what would make me upgrade from my 6+

  2. presslee - 8 years ago

    Wating for 3d display for years now

  3. Alan Aurmont - 8 years ago

    – Brighter flashlight
    – Pliability
    – Curviness
    – Irreplaceable battery
    – Seamless design
    – Basser speakers
    – Less holes
    – Made in USA
    – Li-Fi Schmi-Fi
    – Shower companionship
    – Remote control
    – Beard trimmer
    – 4GB and 8GB storage options
    – Siri less of a bitch

  4. Chris (@chrisdazzo) - 8 years ago

    β€’ Thinner design I think is a given for the most part (disregarding what happened with 3D Touch for 6S/6S+, which I think at this point is slimmed down a few tenths of a millimeter to be negligible).
    β€’ Waterproofing would be nice, but I don’t think most consumers give two shits. I know Samsung champions it as the next huge advance in smartphones, but the only time anyone I’ve ever known has ever dropped their phone in water was… never. Anecdotes ahoy.
    β€’ New casing material probably won’t happen, the aluminum body has proven to be strong and relatively durable. Why fix what isn’t broken?
    β€’ Wireless charging would be a nice addition a la the Apple Watch, but it’s still something you have to plug in the first time, like a dock that never moves. Chances are if wireless charging comes to the iPhone 7, it won’t charge your device across the room. No readily-available consumer device I’m aware of does that.
    β€’ If we do lose the 2.5mm headphone port, that could be cool, but there better be an adapter (likely $20+). Lightning headphones would be a nice update to existing headphones with built-in amps, DAC’s, and overall better quality (maybe?). But like most people, I still have a 2.5mm-dependent set of headphones.
    β€’ Beats are garbage, who the hell cares. Bluetooth is not new. Wifi headphones would be interesting, though. Think of a smaller Sonos Play:1.
    β€’ Again, integrating the home button into the screen would be a cool feature, but why change the resolution of the iPhone again? Am I thinking of this one correctly? Removing the home button for additional screen space would change the aspect ratio, no? Seems gimmicky. What’s the point of removing the home button? Do the speaker, proximity sensor, and light sensor also become integrated? How? If not, you have a lopsided iPhone, holes in the screen, or weird top/bottom bezels. It’d take some special glass to put a speaker behind and keep conversations private.
    β€’ Multi-touch 3D touch, okay, cool. Limited usefulness at this point.
    β€’ USB-C is a logical next step for the connector, but considering how long it took the 30-pin connector to die (despite the Macbook and iMac lines moving very quickly forward with SS USB 3 and USB-C), I don’t think Apple will be moving away from Lightning for something marginally faster, considering the stuff 99% of people put on their iPhones.
    β€’ New camera technology is almost a given; perhaps not a twin-camera as described above, but the typical upgrades to pixels, light in dark shots, etc.
    β€’ Li-Fi is really intriguing, but from what I’ve read, what’s the point of an IR-like Wifi if you’re not always going to be in sight? Regardless, if you say you would benefit from 224Gbps Wifi on your iPhone – you’re a liar. Someone else can do the math on this one.
    β€’ OLED would only be nice for additional contrast (but no one will really be able to tell the difference based on the advanced LED arrays in use now), but I’d be more excited to tell my nosy Android buddies I can charge my iPhone without turning the damn thing on.

    • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

      USB-C is absolutely not the next logical step for a connector in an iPhone or iPad. It’s bigger.

      OLED is EASILY noticeable contrast, every human would be able to see the difference, very, very easily.

      You’re unaware that the entire point of removing the home button is to reduce the top and bottom bezels?

      The aluminum body is broken in that it produces the undesirable large antenna bands, this can be solved with Liquid Metal, which is also far stronger and harder.

      • Robert - 8 years ago

        So called ‘liquid metal’ is extremely dense. This would make a heavy phone case! Moreover, there is no way to cast it to the size of an iPhone case with the thin features and high tollerances necessary.

        One source spoke of a new ‘composite’ material that will hide the bands. This has been misconstrued on rumor sites, who are taking it to mean a non-metallic case. However, ‘composite’ does not = non-metallic since there are metal-composites, furthermore the source seemed to be referring to the material used for the bands.

      • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

        Robert, you do realize Apple metallurgists have been working on getting liquid metal right for devices for years right? They spend decent money getting that exclusive contract yearly for the last half decade. The founder of it said it would be many years before he thought they could put it in mass produced products like the iPhones or macs but that was in like 2011. I don’t think you know whether Apple has perfected the manufacturing techniques for it yet. However, it very well may never be used, but they have been looking at it, or they wouldn’t pay to have an exclusive contract.

    • realgurahamu - 8 years ago

      As far as I am aware Samsung dropped the waterproofing because they don’t know how to do it without being shown by Apple – without making the device look butt ugly with plastic flaps that is

    • realgurahamu - 8 years ago

      And WiFi headphones would be horrible since you can only connect to 1 wifi device at a time. It would mean no wifi at home when. Using headphones or no mobile wifi when out and no Hotspots in mcdonalds or Starbucks etc. It would require a second wifi antenna and that would take unnecessary space in the device.

      So yeah Bluetooth is optimal for headphones

      • Greg Kaplan (@kaplag) - 8 years ago

        Both airplay and airdrop use a combination of bluetooth and wifi to work and have no such issues.

        The new Bluetooth spec improves this functionality and this li-fi tech would drastically speed up transfers.

    • uniszuurmond - 8 years ago

      – Thinner, onli if the camera can reduce in height to avoid it sticking out even more.

      – Waterproofing would be a great feature for taking pics in the pool.

      – Carbon fibre is stronger than aluminium AND it will hide the antenna bands.

      – Wireless charging is the best bedside companion when you just pop your phone on the pad late night, no fiddling finding ports. Also, if Lightning is to be used for non wireless speakers, I can charge and listen simultaneously.

      – Home button integrated in screen will not only reduce lower bezel, but also allow apps to use TouchID cleverly onscreen for authentication.

      – USB-C would have been the better more industry standard port, but it’s too thick. Apple appears to be looking at two port standards, Lightning and USB-C, depending on device. The shoul make available Lightning for free to third parties.

      – Twin cameras may allow for a reduction in height due to 3D capabilities. They may even follow up 3D Touch with 3D Sight branding ;-) but I agree, not much value in 3D MULTI-Touch.

      – It’s too soon for OLED, there are still non visible issues to be sorted.

      – Yes, Beats is rubbish, so let’s hope Apple changes this.

  5. davidt4n - 8 years ago

    As quote from SJ “You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.”. Guys just wait for years to get all the features above u wanted. 12 things above, maybe 6-12 years to come.

  6. o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

    The fact that waterproofing is number 1 is just sad. That’s literally low on the priority list if I’m an engineer in charge at Apple.

    Wireless charging also horrible.

    • Greg Kaplan (@kaplag) - 8 years ago

      Apple thinks wireless charging is really great in the Apple watch.

      You’ll want to use Apple Watch all day long. So we gave it a battery that lasts up to 18 hours* and made charging it at the end of the day utterly effortless. In fact, our goal was to make Apple Watch easy to charge in the dark. Without looking. While being only partially awake. We arrived at a solution that combines our MagSafe technology with inductive charging. It’s very forgiving, requiring no precise alignment. You simply hold the connector near the back of the watch, where magnets cause it to snap into place automatically.

      I really don’t get what you have against it. If Apple has a new case material that’s allows passthrough (getting rid of the antenna lines I think we all hate) it would allow inductive to work. The actual inductive coils are really thin – apple fit them in a watch. I think eventually the iPhone may lose all ports but Apple probably won’t drop all that change at once. If lighting is a temporary solution for headphone removal than having inductive charging would make needing to listen and charge at the same time a non-issue. It’s still a cable that attaches so you can hold it and charge at the same time but it has the benefit of being able to attach “in the dark. Without looking. While being only partially awake.”

      I’m not seeing a downside here. I thought maybe they’d wait until they dropped all ports or switched to that iPad-pro connector idea you had but like why not do it now? Touch ID came out before apple pay even though it’s main function was only to make unlocking your phone a little more convenient. They could introduce it soon and start the transition.

      • albertibiti - 8 years ago

        You do realize that it’s a watch not a phone! You don’t need the watch while you are in bed, and the wireless charging is useless when you have 2-1% battery and you really need to use your phone either to read or send an important email or message

      • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

        It is great in the watch, I’ve said that numerous times, and I’ve said why I think it’s great for a watch and not a phone or tablet. As Albert says, the watch is something you don’t use while it’s charging, but a phone or tablet, you do.

        Wireless charging as it currently is used in mass market electronics (needing to be placed in a specific spot), offers extremely minor convenience, but has numerous downsides. Is it convenient to be able to lay your phone down and it immediately start charging? Yes, of course. However, that’s at the cost of continuing to use it, and speed of charging, not to mention whatever internal space it takes to house that (I’m completely unaware).

        Let’s assume they added wireless charging and someone wanted to continue using their device while they charge it. This means that they have to have a lightning cord and a separate inductive charging pad. The lightning cord is needed for power and data, which of course the inductive charging pad can only do power, but does anyone think that Apple is going to put an inductive charging pad, a lightning cord and a 5W power adapter in the iPhone box? Even if they did that, that still means you only have one 5W power adapter in the box, which means you’d have to plug in and unplug the lightning cord and the inductive charging pad, depending on whether you wanted to continue using the device while it’s charging, or not.

        Also, I can see the dilemma in needing to charge and listen at the same time, but inductive charging isn’t the answer to that in my mind. Think about that… if you were needing to charge and listen at the same time, then you would have to lay your phone down in a specific location and have headphones plugged into it, and therefore you would have to be either laying right next to the pad, or be standing next to the pad, and in either case, you wouldn’t be able to use your phone because it’s laying on a pad in order to charge. So that eliminates everything but audiobooks, podcasts, and music. Who is going to lay or stand and listen to their phone right next to a charging pad just so they can listen to something while it is slowly charging back up?

        I think wireless charging is not good for phones and tablets until at least 1 meter away from the charging device can be attained.

      • Greg Kaplan (@kaplag) - 8 years ago

        Wo wo wo. See here is where things somehow get lost between what I’m saying and what everyone else is thinking. I literally mean that Apple could approach inductive charging the exact same way they do the watch.

        It seems like whenever “phone” and “wireless charging” are mentioned in the same sentence people assume it must be exactly how it’s done with other manufactures. It must be a charging pad that you need to set the phone down on.

        The Apple watch is not that. It’s exactly the same as a corded experience except the connector easily snaps in place on the back and the device can be sealed. You can use an apple watch in bed while charging. You can use it at desk while charging – I see my coworker do it all the time. Apple thought about this already and could have done the pad charging that phones use with the watch but very deliberately didn’t.

        The lightning cord is needed for power and data, which of course the inductive charging pad can only do power, but does anyone think that Apple is going to put an inductive charging pad, a lightning cord and a 5W power adapter in the iPhone box?

        You are right here about multiple cables in box. Apple probably wouldn’t do that. It’s why I thought they’d wait until there were no ports and this was really the only possible cable. But why do most people need lighting for data? Backup is already wireless, synching to iTunes is wireless, music, photos, apps are all in the cloud now – even Airdrop works between mac and iOS. My parents would be confused if I told them to connect their iOS device to a computer. Their phone and iPad are their computers. I think just the inductive magsafe cable would be fine. Especially when Li-Fi is a thing. It’s a perfect wireless high speed data transfer solution to replace a corded experience where both devices would be in the same room and near each other. Need to get a movie on your phone from your mac? Just airdrop it and it will be done in seconds.

      • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

        @Greg The watch is meant to be sat down on the charging pad, not to be used while it’s charging. You already quoted Apple on the page where they describe the easy of laying it on that at night. No one thought someone would pick the watch up while it is charging and use it by holding the watch against the charger. Mainly because no one uses a watch that isn’t on their wrist, except for the 5 people that somehow think that’s necessary.

        Inductive charging as you describe it for the phone wouldn’t be good because where would you attach this secondary connection (secondary to the lightning port connection)? So assuming you magnetically attached it to the top of the phone, if you were listening to music you’d then have a cord coming out the top and bottom. If they’re going to drop all ports which they inevitably will, but if they do I don’t think wireless charging is the solution until it can be charged at a range of 1 meter+. The smart connector makes more sense I think, because it could still do power and data, and takes the least amount of internal space, and it also is not a port.

      • Greg Kaplan (@kaplag) - 8 years ago

        The watch is meant to be sat down on the charging pad, not to be used while it’s charging.

        Ok sure, but is the iPhone any more meant to be used while charging? It’s mostly used in your hand while away from a power outlet. I’d say the macbook isn’t either. The only thing that’s meant to be used while plugged in are desktops. I get that we use them a lot and they need to charge but ideally you use it all day and then charges at night – Just like the Apple watch.

        where would you attach this secondary connection (secondary to the lightning port connection)?

        I picture it could go somewhere around the middle back of the phone like it does on the apple watch. So you could lay the phone down flat on it but it could also be held.

        The smart connector makes more sense I think, because it could still do power and data, and takes the least amount of internal space, and it also is not a port.

        The internal space of the inductive coils are almost nothing. Check out how think they are on fixit’s apple watch teardown. The connector does need magnets to connect to though. Unlike the smart connector it offers the benefit of being something that could sit on a desk or stand and have the phone be placed down on it. I think that’s just as appealing for a phone as the watch.

        The smart connector seems to have a lot of potential. The most appealing use case for a phone… is actually a case. The battery case could probably shed the chin. I’m really curious what the specs of the port are right now. It can’t be as capable as lighting at the moment. If it is, why does the iPad still have lighting? Attaching and charging pencil magnetically to the side with the smart connector seems like it would have been a better solution even.

      • ericisking - 8 years ago

        you’re right – also, why is this an either/or question for some people? Is it so difficult to imagine that Apple will have BOTH wireless charging AND a lightning port?

    • JBDragon - 8 years ago

      Wireless charging is as dumb as calling a board with Wheels a Hoverboard!!!

      • Greg Kaplan (@kaplag) - 8 years ago

        Then call it “inductive charging”. It’s what Apple calls it on the Apple watch page.

      • ericisking - 8 years ago

        I don’t know why people continue to go on about this. ‘Wireless’ refers specifically to the wireless connection between your phone/device and the inductive power source (the charging mat). It’s pedantic to say that the word ‘wireless’ can only be used if there is no wire between the mat and the power outlet. How do you think electricity gets to the outlets in your building in the first place? There’s nothing wireless about it, I can tell you that, so your definition of “wireless” seems to only boil down to whether or not the device has to be positioned in physical contact with an inductive power source, or if it can be held away in some proximity and still receive the charging ‘signal’. That seems pretty spurious to me, and nothing to do with wires.

  7. realgurahamu - 8 years ago

    Waterproof is my choice, simply because when I had an Xperia z2 I was really happy not having to worry about the phone getting damaged when used in the rain. Also it had a more superior screen pertaining to usability when wet. Would be nice to once again not have to worry about a water damaged phone

  8. yojimbo007 - 8 years ago

    Why confine me to only one choice ?? Let me score each option according to my liking.

    • Chris Cooper (@clcooper) - 8 years ago

      Because that is how this poll is set, that’s why.

      • yojimbo007 - 8 years ago

        Is that so… Thanks ..i did not notice ! …SA

    • Chris Cooper (@clcooper) - 8 years ago

      Why do they need to cater to you? If you like polls with mulitple options, head to SurveyMonkey.com and build your own, for free even. Gezzus, it’s not about you and your wishes.

      • yojimbo007 - 8 years ago

        You seem to have a few issues….
        If you dont like my suggestion , just ignore it and move on to better things !

    • Chris Cooper (@clcooper) - 8 years ago

      You act entitled, “I want to pick more – this is what I want, waa waa”. Well, sir, that’s not how this is set up – deal with it, just like the 30,000+ others that voted were able to do without complaining.

      • yojimbo007 - 8 years ago

        You would be better off wasting your time on some other thing ….
        Suggestion is not entitlement … Of Course to those with an open mind…. .
        You dont qualify .

  9. yojimbo007 - 8 years ago

    Wireless charging is just a gimmik…
    It just sounds fancy..
    All of you who voted for this… Are u considering the actual practicality of if?
    You cant charge and talk at the same time …. Like you can when connected to a charging wire ..

    • rettun1 - 8 years ago

      Then you unplug the wire from the dock/pad

    • Greg Kaplan (@kaplag) - 8 years ago

      Unless they could use “wireless” charging with a long wired connector that snaps to the phone magnetically… I feel like they did this somewhere before.

      oh right! the apple watch.

      “Inductive charging” and “wireless charging” are the same thing. I think the “wireless” marketing is really throwing people off. Apple has already solved the issue you are talking about and they think it’s swell.

      • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

        That was my idea with the Smart Connector, but its conductive which is far better because it can do power and data.

    • dailycardoodle - 8 years ago

      Agreed, also to Apple’s credit, they don’t describe the Watch as having wireless charging (because it hasn’t) – ‘magsafe and INDUCTIVE charging’ – people need to understand that current so called ‘wireless charging’ is just a wire with a different connecter on the end. The experience is ALMOST the same, slight convenience variation is all.

      • yojimbo007 - 8 years ago

        Could be… But have you noticed how easly the magnetic couplers become disconnected by the slightest pull..

      • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

        They can easily use stronger magnets.

  10. pdixon1986 - 8 years ago

    I’m looking forward to getting 3D touch…by the time 7 comes out i am sure it will have more usages :-)

    waterproof and dustproof is my second choice – i would like to be able to take my phone in the bath or have by the sink or take to the beach etc. and not have to worry.

    I’m not fussed about the headphones — none of apples free headphones have ever fitted my ears – in fact the last ones actually hurt my ears.

    A better screen, stronger materials, removal of the home button to make a short phone, and usb-C, are all welcome editions…

    Wireless charging isnt needed BUT magnetic connectors, like on the macbook pro, would be great.

    Li-Fi tech is too new… and new camera tech would be nice if it made it flush again instead of sticking out.

  11. rettun1 - 8 years ago

    3D Multi-Touch sounds much better

  12. Greg Kaplan (@kaplag) - 8 years ago

    while in-display fingerprint recognition would presumably allow for Apple to eliminate the home button entirely

    It would decouple touch id functions from the home button which would mean it doesn’t need to be on a surface that’s large enough to scan your finger. I wouldn’t presume anything about the home button going away though.

    The apple watch has no need for touch id but it still has a physical home button… on the side.

    Also no one has really convinced me that a software home button would work well – even if force touch could be used. There are reasons for dedicated buttons – they trigger globally accessible functions without taking up screen space or replying on gestures.

  13. Greg Kaplan (@kaplag) - 8 years ago

    From wikipedia’s page on Li-Fi:

    a form of visible light communication and a subset of optical wireless communications (OWC) and could be a complement to RF communication (Wi-Fi or Cellular network), or even a replacement in contexts of data broadcasting. It is so far measured to be about 100 times faster than some Wi-Fi implementations, reaching speeds of 224 gigabits per second.[2]

    Visible light communications (VLC) works by switching the current to the LEDs off and on at a very high rate,[6] too quick to be noticed by the human eye. Although Li-Fi LEDs would have to be kept on to transmit data, they could be dimmed to below human visibility while still emitting enough light to carry data.[7] The light waves cannot penetrate walls which makes a much shorter range, though more secure from hacking, relative to Wi-Fi.[8][9] Direct line of sight isn’t necessary for Li-Fi to transmit a signal; light reflected off the walls can achieve 70 Mbit/s.[10][11]

    This sounds primarily like a technology that would make Airdrop sooooouuuuuper fast. But without being able to penetrate walls I don’t see how it could be used for much else. My guess is the use case is two people with iPads, macs, or iPhones, could hold a device over to the other, use AirDrop’s UI and connection establishment functions and plop over large files in a jiffy.

    I thought maybe there would be another case for wireless headphones but if the music source is in your pocket that is a no go. I guess the Apple watch and the headphones could be out. 70mbit/s from wall reflections is nothing to sneeze at.

  14. Greg Kaplan (@kaplag) - 8 years ago

    My top two:

    “New casing material (no more metallic frame)” – I’m skeptical to say it can’t be metallic. I’d love Apple to blow the industry away with some crazy new metal alloy that allows passthrough. Aside from that I loved the 4s design. Glass on both sides would be fine. Some kind of ceramic would look nice. Even the 5c looks better than an iPhone 6 with antenna lines. It’s also kind of a key step to inductive charging (“wireless charging” seems to be a dirty word even though it’s the same thing) which could lead to no ports, which would lead to more waterproof and thinner design. So kinda my priority over those other little things.

    “In-display fingerprint recognition & loss of home button” and here I’d say “moving of” the home button not “loss of”. Even if they kept the home button exactly where it is for now but had the in-screen finger recognition it would be huge!

    It would enable a totally new way of using phones. It would essentially take security out of the picture like it’s not an issue with Apple watch. That means sensitive information could be displayed on the lock screen (think apple watch face UI with complications) – you could peek and pop notification open – on-screen buy buttons would actually be all you to touch. I think it could really shift the interaction model.

  15. plakatblog - 8 years ago

    A beautiful backside would make me buy.

    The last beauty was the 4s.
    5(s) was ok
    Now: Antenna strings are ugly
    And they are too close to the camera

    The frontside was always nice

  16. Avieshek (@avieshek) - 8 years ago

    OGS (One Glass Solution) LCD Displays… (JDI’s 2nd generation LTPS displays, Gorilla’s Concore Glass etc)

  17. Avieshek (@avieshek) - 8 years ago

    Ceramic Body, Riquidmetal or Magnesium-Aluminium alloy

  18. Avieshek (@avieshek) - 8 years ago

    f/1.4 dual-Camera

    • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

      X2 6mp sensors under a new 6 element lens, which is sideways oval and no longer protrudes due to the inherent thinness that the dual array system provides.

  19. Avieshek (@avieshek) - 8 years ago

    OLED is not coming to iPhone 7 but iPhone 8

  20. Thomas Marble Peak - 8 years ago

    Looks like a lot of people are dropping their phones in the toilet when taking a squat. Seriously “waterproof” is at the top of the list?!!!

    • Robert Wilson - 8 years ago

      Or people tired of having a ruined phone if they get caught in the rain. Friend of mine lost his iPhone that way got caught in down poor phone in pocket. It died.

  21. tylerallen86 - 8 years ago

    Classic headphone jack = waterproofing impossible.

    #1. πŸ‘‰πŸ»πŸ‘‰πŸ»πŸ‘‰πŸ»BATTERYπŸ‘ˆπŸ»πŸ‘ˆπŸ»πŸ‘ˆπŸ»
    #2. Oled screen
    #3. Multi touch 3D Touch.
    #4. A10 chip

  22. Jake Becker - 8 years ago

    Maybe I’m the only one who thinks the loss of the home button right now should be at the dead bottom of the list. Apple is lauded for accessibility features, actually giving some thought to disabled persons. Where does the instant loss of the physical home button leave those users?

    • Greg Kaplan (@kaplag) - 8 years ago

      I think it’s a pretty odd conclusion that the finger scanner in screen would definitely have that result.

      • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

        They would have to use ultrasound or something like that, under the screen, so they wouldn’t have to go to sapphire for errorless readings. Sapphire is garbage until they get that new sapphire that display mate was talking about, which is far lower reflectance. The sapphire on the Apple Watch makes the display much worse than the sport models due to the reflectance.

        One of the things I want to see for the iPhone 7 is very low reflectance, at least iPad mini 4 low, or lower.

  23. Paul Van Obberghen - 8 years ago

    Nothing in this list would make me ditch the 6 that I have for the sake of it, though I admit having a true optical tele lens would be nice. But would this be possible with such a thin design, possibly even thinner? The camera lens is already protruding in the 6 an 6s…

    Maybe Apple should make a dedicated iPhone for photo and video enthousiasts, that would have a form factor to feature a true optical zoom, large storage capacity, extended battery life, possibly detachable battery, preferably SD card slot, and whatever technologies Apple would develop to make it a truely great iPhone Camera.

    I would buy one for sure.

    • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

      That will never happen in an iPhone I doubt. The next major jump the iPhone will take in camera tech is likely to be a dual-array camera sensor module. 2, 6mp image sensors side-by-side beneath an oval 6-element lens turned to the side which no longer protrudes. Just my speculation, and what I want to see on the back of the iPhone 7.

  24. Prinxe AyBi - 8 years ago

    why can,t we chose multiple options ?

  25. Prinxe AyBi - 8 years ago

    Here in pakistan a company Qmobile has a model Z9 with just 5.1mm thickness but still have 3.5mm headphone jack.
    Then what apple is developing in its products? i am a huge apple fan but will disappoint if apple removes headphone jack just to make iphone thin.
    http://www.whatmobile.com.pk/Qmobile_Noir-Z9 here is the link you can see it.

    • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

      It’s not just to make the iPhone thin, except to people not intelligent enough to think critically about what other reasoning Apple has for doing that.

      • ericisking - 8 years ago

        You can already predict the “Jackgate” articles.

  26. Doug Aalseth - 8 years ago

    I ended up not voting. I looked down the list and while it has some interesting interesting features I can’t say ANY of them “Excites” me. SmartPhones have reached the point where they do everything I want. Incremental improvements in what I’m already doing don’t really get me going in the morning. They’re like tires or refrigerators. They just work, they’re very useful, but it’s been several years since I’ve seen any feature from any manufacturer that would get me to trade in a perfectly good working phone. I have an iPhone 5C. I’ll keep using it until it dies, then probably get another iPhone, of whatever model and feature set they are selling at the time.

    • Jake Becker - 8 years ago

      Exactly. Of course media outlets will still continue to harp about what the ‘next big thing’ Apple is going to do for the iPhone is going to be though, no matter what they do and regardless of this fact. I do still think they’ve got some years left to keep evolving it usefully though.

    • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

      Pretty sure Touch ID with Apple Pay was a big innovation.

      There are still many many groundbreaking innovations that will come to smartphones. Smartphones are incredibly powerful computers that you take everywhere. In the coming years you’ll see augmented reality and environmental scanning sensors which combined will be able to assess the environment, and display that information live, on the screen, through seeing it on the camera. So imagine pointing the iPhone camera at a tree that you don’t know the species of, and it pops the information up, live, beside the tree, on the display. If you aim the camera at the Eiffel Tower, it will pop information up, live, on the display, and provide a link to Wikipedia for further reading. You hold the camera to a page or sign in a foreigne language and it shows the page in whatever language you want, live, on the display (I know Google has an app for this already, but in the future, this kind of tech will be integrated into the augmented reality app).

      Later still, the iPhone will start novel medical readings, it will also be able to see through walls using wifi signals (MIT is working on this).

      The future of the smartphone is environmental and medical readings.

      The future of the smartwatch and other wearables are biometric sensors.

      • Doug Aalseth - 8 years ago

        Agreed, all of those things are on the way. But as far as the iPhone7 is concerned, we’re still talking about incremental improvements.

      • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

        I don’t know, if they do the dual-array camera on the iPhone 7, it could be a significant upgrade to the camera and it’s capabilities. It’s also a step toward better sensing of the environment I believe, because it can build 3D scans of objects, and possibly scan distances between objects.

  27. Robert - 8 years ago

    Apple will not use any kind of USB on the iPhone. Why?
    Part of the USB spec. is for it to provide power to accessories. If the phone had USB people would use it to power other devices, and then they would complain that their phone battery won’t last. With Lightning Apple can control how it is licensed with respect to providing power and this protects the user experience. Moreover, USB-C is too thick to fit in the iPhone. Apple’s answer is the next generation Lightning which is already found on the iPad Pro. There is no reason to think the iPhone will get USB-C. You can safely remove it from the list.

  28. tigerpork - 8 years ago

    I would be extremely excited if the new iphone comes with wi-fi Beats :)

  29. JBDragon - 8 years ago

    Who is asking for a even thinner iPhone? NO ONE!!!! Everyone wants better battery life. As in larger battery, not going with smaller and smaller battery’s and trying to squeeze every last drop from them. I don’t use the headphone jack, so that doesn’t bother me, but it’s used by others and for not just headphones, so unless there’s a real good reason to remove it, and not for thinness, then OK. I had to put a bulky case on my iPhone because my iPhone 6 was already to thin. Every time I held it I was worried about dropping the thing.

    As for the so called wireless charging. NO, no phone sold have wireless charging. That tech is being worked on, but having to place your phone on some type of Mat is NOT wireless charging. That would be like having to put your phone on top of your Wifi router to get wireless internet. As soon as you pick it up, Wifi no longer works. Does Wifi work like that? No,that’s actually true Wireless!!! When I can walk around a room using my phone and it’s still charing with nothing plugged in, or having to sit it on a mat, let me know, THAT would be wireless charging!!! This whole so called Wireless charging is as dumb as the name Hoverboard on a thing with Wheels!!!

    Apple is not going to include wireless Beats headphones. Those things are overpriced and to much money. Apple throws in cheap, can’t cost them more then $1 wired headphones. I don’t think that’ll change. Apple would just include a Lightning Adapter to use them. The iPhone will NOT be going USB-C. Looking at the Pencil and new Mouse with use Lightning to charge. There’s no plans to change that. I also like the Home button! It’s what makes a iPhone a iPhone!!! It’s iconic!!! I don’t want a iPhone to just look like most Android phones. I like it and want it to stay. OLED screen?!?! The Tech has been getting better. It’s a way you can get better battery life. Especially if you use a lot of black screens. The Li-Fi sounds like interesting tech. I just don’t know if it’s ready yet or needed.

    • ericisking - 8 years ago

      You’re splitting hairs over the definition of wireless charging. OK, you’re right, it’s not true wireless charging, there’s still a wire to the power outlet from the charging mat. But charging mats are still pretty cool and convenient. My old Lumia had one, and it was the only thing I liked about that phone.

      I agree there’s zero chance of Apple including wireless Beats for free. That’s a ludicrous suggestion/rumour. They will sell those for about $199 a pop. They are more likely to just throw in a Lightning adapter so we can use our old headphones. At most, they will provide a cheap set of earphones with a Lightning cable attached.

  30. Robert - 8 years ago

    A better list would be

    Water Resistance Rating
    Thinner Profile
    Larger Battery Capacity
    Modernized Headphone Connectivity/Features
    Upgraded, Faster Lightning Port (as iPad Pro)
    Upgraded Speaker/s
    Inductive Charging
    New Casing Material
    Li-Fi
    Wireless Headphones (bundled)
    Upgraded Camera (such dual camera or dual lens)
    Reduced Top and/or Bottom Bezels
    Screen Integrated Touch ID and Relocated Home Button
    Something Else

  31. Peter Ernst Kortge - 8 years ago

    Why doesn’t anyone think a dual SIM card would be great in an iPhone? It’s becoming fairly standard on most Android phones now.

  32. minieggseater - 8 years ago

    I spend quite a bit of time outdoors so waterproofing would be appreciated

    One place i think wireless charging would work well is in the car especially when they sort wireless CarPlay out as ive found with some recently purchased multi room speakers. Streaming from phone over wifi even with the screen off really munches the battery

    Finally i quite like big bezels (steady) because i watch quit a bit of content on my 6+ they make a natural resting place for your thumbs in landscape orientation

    • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

      You think places your thumbs on the bezels and thus having a bigger device is better than removing the bezels and putting your fingers around the sides of the phone? Don’t know the numbers but I’m guessing most people hold the phone by putting their fingers around the sides.

  33. ericisking - 8 years ago

    Wireless charging would be cool. It’s the only thing I liked about my old Nokia Lumia. One day, they will eventually have an iPhone which has no ports at all, completely sealed; but we’re not ready for that yet.

    There was no option for “more battery life”, or I may have chosen that ahead of wireless charging. But I don’t want a thicker or heavier phone to achieve that. The current size/weight is just about right.

  34. After the change to the slide to answer for incoming calls I’m not too excited about adding any other touch feature to the basic functions.

  35. Peter Cockman - 8 years ago

    Will not buy another iPhone if it is not water proof

Author

Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is an editor for the entire 9to5 network and covers the latest Apple news for 9to5Mac.

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