iPhone 7

The iPhone 7 leaks keep coming. Earlier today the latest alleged spy shots showed what appeared to be fully assembled devices, which are most likely the clones based on leaked designs that often surface ahead of a new iPhone launch. Now, a video from unknown sources on Chinese website Weibo (via techtastic.nl) shows a similar design to previous leaks.

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At this point there’s a general consensus regarding many features we expect to see with the iPhone 7, but one thing that many people have been wondering about is the battery size. A sketchy report out of China earlier this year claimed the battery would “slightly” larger, but now we have new information that suggests a bigger increase.

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As has been widely reported, it is all but confirmed that the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will not feature a 3.5mm headphone jack. This means buyers of the new iPhone will have to search for alternative types of headphones, whether that be via wireless Bluetooth or Apple’s Lightning cable.

Right now, Apple bundles EarPods with every iPhone. It obviously makes no sense for Apple to continue bundling 3.5mm headphones with the headphone-jack-less iPhone 7. What’s apparently shown in these photos (via Weibo) is a new version of Apple’s EarPods that can connect to an iPhone via the 8-pin Lightning port. More photos after the jump …

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Following our clearest look yet at the 4.7 inch phone yesterday, this morning photos of the larger 5.5 inch ‘iPhone 7 Plus’ have purportedly appeared on Weibo. Some sources have described the 5.5 inch model as a separate SKU, an ‘iPhone 7 Pro’ as it were, although whether this will come to pass is unclear. These latest iPhone 7 photos once again show a very similar design to the iPhone 6s Plus … with the interesting addition of a Smart Connector, visible at the bottom of the device on the back side.

There have also been rumors of a flush capacitive Home Button in the cards for iPhone 7. Although the quality of these photos are not very clear, it does appear that the Home Button design has been tweaked. More details after the jump …

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About eight weeks away from the next iPhone debut, widely dubbed the iPhone 7, it seems like we have a pretty clear idea about what to expect: similar design to iPhone 6s, revamped cameras, upgraded internals, removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack. Although it doesn’t show anything we haven’t seen before (via NowhereElse.FR), a new high-quality photo of the iPhone 7 has surfaced that gives us the clearest image yet of what the back device will look like …

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In this week’s top stories: Apple launches public betas for upcoming releases of iOS 10 & macOS Sierra, Pokemon Go tops the app charts, the latest iPhone 7 leaks, and much more. Head below for these and the rest of this week’s top stories:

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Could the iPhone SE get even cheaper with the iPhone 7 launch?

When Apple launches a new iPhone, it usually maintains pricing for the top models as the previous generation models get price reductions and possibly discontinued. It typically bumps the oldest models out of production entirely, keeping four to five models for sale including the new flagships.

With the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus introduction, for example, Apple kept the iPhone 5s and an 8GB iPhone 5c around at reduced prices. With the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, it discontinued the 5c and kept the 6/Plus, 6s/Plus, and 5s at reduced price points until ultimately replacing the 5s with the new 4-inch iPhone SE in March.

But this year there are some questions about what Apple will do with the iPhone lineup following the iPhone 7 launch this fall. Reports of increased storage options and a new “Pro line” for iPhone 7 could change Apple’s usual approach if true, not to mention the new iPhone SE, now the only 4-inch device in the lineup, was a rare mid-year iPhone release earlier this year. 

Can iPhone SE get even cheaper with iPhone 7 launch? Will Apple keep the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus around or discontinue those models while offering discounted 6s and 6s Plus models only?

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Last night, a set of claimed CAD renders of the iPhone 7, consistent with earlier reports began circulating around the Web. They show the same less obtrusive antenna lines, missing headphone jack, enlarged camera hole on the smaller model and dual-camera housing for the larger one.

They don’t reveal anything we haven’t already heard, but – if genuine – do provide a more detailed look than earlier images …

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Following several sketchy reports, The Wall Street Journal is now reporting that the iPhone 7 will indeed ditch the 16GB tier. For the first time ever, the base iPhone model will come in at 32GB. While this was a move largely expected by users, a set of leaked images earlier this year led some to believe that Apple was sticking to the 16GB base.

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Today yet another alleged spy spot of iPhone 7 shows a redesigned antenna and camera consistent with past leaks. It’s unclear if the component is legitimate, but the photo was published by techtastic.nl, a site that in the past has had accurate leaked photos of iPhone packaging and components found floating around China.

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In this week’s top stories: Space Black iPhone 7 leaks, more MacBook Pro rumors, and Apple dukes it out with Spotify as reports emerge that Apple is in negotiations to acquire Jay-Z’s Tidal streaming service. Head below for all the handy links to these and our other top shared stories from the past week:
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It was reported earlier this week that Apple is planning to release a Space Black model of the upcoming iPhone 7. Some mockups emerged of what such a device could look like following that report, and now designer Martin Hajek has shared a gallery of beautiful 3D renders.

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Many are viewing the expected removal of the headphone socket from the iPhone 7 as a radical move, even by a company noted for its readiness to abandon what it considers to be legacy ports. But a fascinating chart put together by The Verge (below) suggests that perhaps it’s not so radical after all.

It shows that Apple typically supports a port, or I/O standard, for around 15 years. The headphone socket has been in every Apple product since 1984 – some 32 years. Given that Apple has supported it for twice as long as most everything else, perhaps we shouldn’t be quite so surprised …

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With the iPhone 7 widely expected to be the first model without a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, many have wondered what headphones if any Apple will bundle with the next-gen hardware. The latest guess once again comes from Weibo (via iPhone7.nl) as we see two different photos showing the same set of Apple EarPod headphones with a Lightning connector end in place of the standard headphone connector.

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Cirrus Logic today announced a new development kit that makes it easy for companies to develop headphones using Apple’s Lightning connector. The announcement comes ahead of Apple’s next-generation iPhone 7 this fall which is expected to remove the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack for the first time.

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Yesterday we reported on an anonymous tip we received claiming the iPhone 7 will feature a Home button that uses haptic feedback to simulate a click. The source claimed that it would use the same approach as Force Touch. Now, analysts from Cowen and Company are corborrating that report (via Business Insider).

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Details of a new darker Space Black iPhone color arriving with the next-generation device this fall have surfaced, but what might the new color option look like? 

Earlier today we reported that iPhone 7— if that’s what we’re calling it— now seems likely to come in Space Black to match Apple Watch and replace the current Space Gray option. Several other reports had noted whispers of a new darker color (at one point described as a deep blue) and we noted today that it’s something we’d heard from one of our own sources that’s being considered.

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