After much speculation that the iPhone 7 Plus would include an extra GB of RAM, bringing its total to 3GB, a new GeekBench benchmark for the iPhone 7 Plus (iPhone9,4) confirms the amount.
Expand
Expanding
Close
The iPhone 7 was pretty much everything we expected it to be. It has no headphone jack, it has a much-improved camera, and it features a solid state home button.
It also comes in two new colors, a matte Black color and a glossy Jet Black color, along with a 32 GB base SKU. So which iPhone am I considering? The decision isn’t as straightforward as I initially thought it might be.
Expand
Expanding
Close
There are a pair of new iPhone 7 schematics circling the Internet today, depicting the 4.7 inch and 5.5 inch SKUs of Apple’s next-generation flagship phone. The 4.7 inch iPhone 7 drawing appears pretty much as expected, resembling the iPhone 6s by and large with repositioned (and larger) rear camera and redesigned antenna lines. Similar three dimensional schematics surfaced two weeks ago.
The measurements listed indicate the 7 will be a tad thicker at 7.2mm excluding the camera bump, compared to 7.1 mm for the iPhone 6s, but a 0.1mm difference is effectively nothing and effectively impossible to notice by humans. (Sadly, these schematics show that the new iPhone 7 camera will indeed protrude from the rest of the casing). The drawings reiterate the point that Apple will remove the headphone jack, re-using the space as a second speaker grille.
A new dual-camera system, storage and RAM upgrades, a tweaked physical design, and possibly the Smart Connector that debuted on Apple’s iPad Pro line. Those are just a few of the upgrades possibly expected for Apple’s next flagship iPhone lineup, not to mention a lot of discussion over what it has planned for its bundled headphones now that it’s expected to ditch the old 3.5mm headphone jack with iPhone 7. Here’s what we know so far.
Over the weekend we saw a trio of iPhone 7 leaks showing the redesigned antenna lines, dual-camera module, speaker grilles, and a new 256GB storage chip. Now, HDBlog has uncovered a new set of images from Chinese web forum Baidu claiming to show schematics for both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The images show the dual-camera being exclusive to the larger model, while Smart Connector holes are nowhere to be seen.
A new report from Economic Daily News is shining some positive news on the Apple iPhone outlook, after several months of narratives regarding slowing iPhone growth. The report suggests that Apple has ordered production of around 72-78 million iPhone 7 devices this year, significantly above analyst estimates.
The 72-78 million target is in fact a record for iPhone production in recent years, implying that the iPhone 7 could return Apple’s smartphone division to sales growth later in the year. Apple supply chain partners are booming today in the markets following the news; Pegatron stock is currently up 10%. Consensus from analysts had expected production circa 65 million, so a jump in ten million units is significant.
An unusual iPhone 7 leak is making the rounds today, showing some changes that have not be seen before. An Italian case manufacturer is showing a potential chassis design that features ‘four speakers’ and new layout for the rear camera and flash, including a hole for a larger aperture (via NowhereElse). As pictured, there are two speaker grilles cut into the top of the case and another two grilles on the bottom side.
This is not corroborating with previous leaks, that showed an iPhone 7 design near identical to the existing iPhone 6s. The rearrangement of the flash is particularly unusual although the larger camera hole has been suggested by previous leaks. As expected, the case leaks do not include holes for a 3.5 mm headphone jack which is rumored to be going away for the iPhone 7 — Apple will rely on Lightning connector and Bluetooth wireless headphones for audio output ..
Earlier this week, we saw a leaked image appear showing the 4.7-inch model and its potential support for laser auto focus. It’s been rumored for a while now that the iPhone 7 Plus, however, will see even more camera updates with a new dual-camera setup on the back. In March, leaked images emerged claiming to show the alleged dual-camera module and now a new leak from Weibo has emerged corroborating the earlier images and showing potential for a 256GB storage tier (via Steven Hemmerstoffer).
Economic Daily News is reporting that Apple suppliers have begun hiring en-masse this month as they prepare for assembly of Apple’s upcoming flagship iPhone, the iPhone 7. The new iPhones (coming in 4.7 inch and 5.5 inch sizes) are expected to debut in the fall, following tradition. The report comes via CNBC.
Interestingly, the report notes that the surge in hiring at Foxconn and Pegatron is happening earlier than usual (‘at least a month earlier’). Apparently, the new Apple iPhone includes a ‘more complex design’ than previous models meaning suppliers need more time to train staff about the assembly process. This somewhat contradicts previous leaks in the rumor mill which indicated the iPhone 7 would look very similar to the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus …
KGI’s Ming-Chi Kuo – an analyst with an excellent track-record on AAPL – has forecast that year-on-year iPhone shipments will continue to fall this year, and end up well below market expectations. In an investment note seen by 9to5Mac, KGI says that total 2016 iPhone shipments will likely fall below 200M units, and that the iPhone 7 will see lower sales than the iPhone 6s/Plus.
Kuo says that lower-than-expected iPhone 6s/Plus sales showed that replacement demand was falling in developed markets, while new demand from emerging markets has not yet picked up the slack. KGI does not believe that the launch of the iPhone 7 later this year will be sufficiently appealing to see the iPhone return to growth …
It is new iPhone rumor season once again: Following case leaks for Apple’s next-generation iPhone models last week, expected to debut in fall, an image purports to show technical drawings for the iPhone 7 chassis (via NowhereElse.fr).
The images show the back of the phone. At first glance, it’s worth noting that the horizontal antenna lines on the back of the phone are gone completely. There are still lines along the bottom edge of the device, represented by the lighter line following the curve of the body, but the main straight antenna lines seen on iPhone 6s are not present in these drawings. Looking closely, the images also suggest that the camera has changed for the iPhone 7 …
While we’re still a ways off from the announcement and subsequent release of the iPhone 7, early rumors have suggested that the device will largely feature the same design as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s. This goes against Apple’s general habit of refreshing the design of its flagships every other year, so we’re curious: Would you upgrade to the iPhone 7 if the design was largely the same as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s?
A competitor to Apple-acquired camera tech firm LinX has demonstrated the benefits that can be delivered by a twin-camera system like that rumored for the iPhone 7 Plus. A CNET video (below) shows how combining images from two separate cameras can deliver far sharper zoomed-in images compared to the camera in the iPhone 6s/Plus.
Corephotonics said that it had working dual camera systems back in 2014, but the supply chain was not yet able to deliver the volumes needed. That has now changed, it says …
With the iPhone 7 Plus expected to utilize a dual-lens system for optical zoom, a new quote has emerged from Sony Corporation’s CFO discussing the future of dual-camera systems. In response to a question during their Q3 2015’s earnings call (via Xperia Blog), Sony Corporation’s Kenichiro Yoshida stated that “the takeoff of smartphone[s] with dual lens camera[s] will be in the year of 2017.” These comments add weight to claims that Apple has been testing iPhone 7 models with two cameras including KGI’s report that iPhone 7 Plus models will feature a dual-camera system.
When Apple first made the move into larger-screen phones with the launch of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, there was only tiny difference between them in terms of features: the larger-screened model included optical image stabilization while the smaller one didn’t. This was likely driven simply by the practicality of fitting the technology into the larger device rather than any real intention to differentiate the two devices feature-wise.
But the rumors suggest that the iPhone 7 Plus may offer a dual-camera system, offering optical zoom, while the smaller iPhone 7 won’t. A fresh report today suggests that a number of camera lens makers have sent dual-lens samples to Apple for testing with the iPhone 7 Plus.
Assuming the optical image stabilization also remains exclusive to the Plus, the combination of the two features means that – for the first time – some of those who might have opted for the smaller model now have reason to consider the larger one instead. Could this suggested second step by Apple indicate that it intends to increasingly differentiate the two flagship iPhone models as time goes on … ?
A new report from Chinese media site MyDrivers is starting up the rumor mill for the iPhone 7, Apple’s next major revision to the iPhone due later in 2016. The iPhone 7 is expected to feature external design changes which means big changes inside and out. The report claims specifically that the iPhone 7 Plus (5.5 inch screen) will come in a new 256 GB storage configuration and feature a larger internal battery, rated at 3100 mAH.
For battery comparisons, it’s important to remember that the batteries actually got smaller with the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. 3100 mAH exceeds the battery sizes of the 6s Plus and 6 Plus, featuring 2750 mAH and 2915 mAH respectively.
The track record of the site is somewhat dubious, so it’s probably foolish to treat anything as for certain, but it is thought provoking and both points indicate Apple will be addressing too major pain points with the iPhone range with the iPhone 7 …
