Via Weibo, the above image is claimed to be a real photo of an actual iPhone 7 back, not a mockup or case. Most interestingly in this picture is the new rear camera — it appears to be bevelled and protrude outwards. The camera is also aligned differently compared to current iPhones; it is positioned closer to the top-left corner. The camera hole also appears to be slightly larger than the current 12 megapixel shooter in the iPhone 6s. Unfortunately, people hoping for the camera bump to go away will be disappointed with this leak, as it suggests the bump will continue to be a part of iPhone design for at least another year.
On the positive side, the new design of the camera does suggest that substantial improvements to photo and video quality are on the cards. Whether the image truly shows an actual iPhone 7 back (not merely a dummy case) is hard to assert due to the low-resolution but the design mirrors previously-leaked schematics. The same source correctly leaked the iPhone 6 design too, adding to its legitimacy. More photos below …
The larger iPhone 7 Plus is expected to come with a dual-camera system for the backside, obviously not shown in the leaked image of the 4.7 inch model. With the Plus’ rumored dual camera, the iPhone would use software techniques to combine the images coming from two independent sensors to create an even better final image. Likely due to the physical space requirements of a dual-camera component, this is set to be exclusive to the 5.5 inch iPhone model only.
This image again shows the redesigned antenna lines for the iPhone 7 rear. Rather than tracing two rectangles around the ends of the phone, numerous leaks have shown this new streamlined approach where the antenna lines are only present at the very edges of the device. This is more elegant than the additional horizontal strips seen in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s. The leaker also included pictures of screen cable components, included below, which seem different to equivalent parts in iPhone 6s.
It seems the iPhone 7 will not represent a big shift in the visual design language of the casing with upgrades focusing on camera, CPU and graphics performance and other internal updates. There have been rumors of waterproofness, which may coincide with Apple’s decision to remove the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Obviously, less holes on the exterior of any product make it easier to waterproof. In lieu of the headphone jack, Apple will rely on wireless Bluetooth and Lighting connector headphone accessories instead for audio output. The addition of a 256 GB storage option is likely as a high end offering but, sadly, it seems that 16 GB will continue to the base SKU.
The iPhone 7 is expected to be unveiled at an Apple press event in the fall, likely sometime in early September. A major external revamp of the iPhone chassis, featuring an all-glass design, is currently rumored for 2017. The iPhone 7 will no doubt ship with iOS 10, which Apple is set to unveil at WWDC on June 13th alongside various other software announcements such as OS X 10.12 (potentially renamed to macOS), and new versions of tvOS and watchOS for Apple TV and Apple Watch.
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