iPhone 7 rumours: Space black colour, home button with force touch & more

Wake me up when September comes!

Apple fans are waiting for September with bated breath when the tech titan will unveil the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. A lot of leaks and rumours hinting at the new features that are likely to make way for the new have been doing rounds for quite some time now.

From improved waterproofing to removal of the age-old 3.5mm audio jack, a dual-camera setup on the iPhone 7 Plus and more, there’s a lot of new stuff that Apple could introduce this year. Here is a roundup of all the features and specifications that have been rumored so far, which we will keep on updating right until iPhone 7 arrives.

Space Black colour variant
The iPhone 6 had Gold, Silver and Space Gray Color options. With the iPhone 6s, Apple introduced a new ‘Rose Gold’ color option. Now, with the iPhone 7, Apple is rumored to add yet another color variant called ‘Space Black.’

Headphone jack
There have been rumors on and off that Apple could do away with the traditional 3.5mm jack. We have already come across some design schematics and leaked iPhone shells that show that the audio jack is gone forever. Audio on the new iPhones will be routed via the Lightning connector and via Bluetooth. There are speculations that Apple is working on truly wireless headphones for the iPhone 7.

Home Button with Force Touch
Rumours have been doing rounds that Apple could do away with the physical home button and the fingerprint scanner could be embedded right within the display. However, at least for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, the Home Button is likely to stay. However, Apple may use a non-moving button, and add Force Touch feature to it, something similar to what it has implemented on the MacBook’s touchpad. The home button could also offer a haptic feedback to simulate a click.

Cameras
Apple’s camera holds a key position in iPhone’s scheme of things. The new iPhone 7 is likely to come equipped with a slightly upgraded camera, maybe not an increase in megapixel count, but with larger pixel sensor and larger aperture for better low-light photography. The iPhone 7 Plus, on the other hand, could exclusively feature a dual-camera setup at the back. While one camera will be used for clicking pictures, the other could be used for 2-3x optical zoom and for improved low-light performance.

Waterproofing
One of the highlights of the Samsung Galaxy 7 and Galaxy S7 edge is the water and dust resistant capabilities, allowing users to use the phone in the rain or submerge it under 1.5 meters of water for up to 30 minutes without damaging the internals. The current iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus does unofficially sport some sort of water resistant capabilities, and the feature could officially make way to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

Design
So far, Apple has come up with a new iPhone design in every two years. But this year could be an exception. In 2017, Apple will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, and it may be the opportune time for the company to introduce a completely refreshed iPhone.
But that does not mean that the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus won’t have any design changes at all. The ugly antenna lines on the back might go away in the new iPhones. They are likely to be marginally slimmer and even the camera protrusion might not be as pronounced as before.

Chipset and RAM
The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are expected to be powered by Apple’s next-gen A10 processor. The current generation A9 processor is manufactured by Samsung and TSMC. Last year, the TSMC A9 processor was found to outperform the Samsung-made A9 chipset and current rumors suggest that the A10 processor could be solely manufactured by TSMC. Coming to the RAM, the iPhone 7 could continue with the same 2GB of RAM, whereas the iPhone 7 Plus could feature 3GB of RAM.