Alleged iPhone 7 part has 3.5mm headphone jack we thought would be going away

iPhone 7 vs iPhone 6s headphone jack NowhereElse leak 001

An image of a purported component for Apple’s unannounced next-generation iPhone has leaked out yesterday courtesy of French blog NowhereElse.fr and—surprise, surprise—it depicts a 3.5mm headphone jack. Remember, the rumor-mill has been cognizant for months that the century-old analog audio jack will be removed from an ‘iPhone 7’ in favor of Lightning-powered or wireless headphones.

The image appears to show a Lightning cable assembly, supposedly for an iPhone device, and it looks a tad different compared to the same part found in the current-generation iPhone 6s.

As mentioned, the biggest takeaway here is the inclusion of the standard 3.5mm headphone jack that we’ve been told would be going away: Apple and the rest of the industry are poised to make a switch to wireless Bluetooth headsets and all-digital audio via USB-C and Lightning I/O.

One major consequence of today’s leak, assuming it’s genuine: the space that would be freed up by the removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack is nowhere to be seen on this photo. Remember, Apple was said to use that space for a second speaker.

The part seen in the comparison photo top of post also shows a number of other components such as the Lightning port and cellular antenna cables. NowhereElse cautions that the image, which surfaced on the Chinese social network Sina Weibo, might also represent an assembly part belonging to a Chinese counterfeit manufacturer.

Will Apple ditch the 3.5mm headphone jack in the next iPhone or not?

Tell us what you think down in the comment section.

Source: NowhereElse.fr (Google Translate)