iPhone 7 Plus

Reliable Japanese blog reaffirms Smart Connector, no headphone jack and other iPhone 7 rumors

Mac Otakara, a fairly reliable Japanese-language blog, learned from its own sources this morning that the rumors pertaining to some of the more controversial iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus features are in fact true. No headphone jack? You bet! That CAD design rendering supposedly sourced from Apple manufacturer Catcher Technology which gave us a closer look at a trio of suspicious-looking dots on the back of the phone? Yup, that's a Smart Connector! Wait, what?

KGI: dual cameras to be exclusive to 5.5″ iPhone 7

Apple's upcoming iPhone 7 will feature dual cameras for improved photography features, but only on the flagship 5.5-inch model, according to an investment note by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, a copy of which was obtained by AppleInsider this morning.

The analyst, who has a strong track record in predicting Apple's future product plans, thinks that iPhone shipments will fall below 200 million units this year due to a soft iPhone SE launch and weakening demand for the current flagship iPhone model, the iPhone 6s.

Everything we expect from Apple’s ‘Let us loop you in’ event on Monday

As you know, Apple has scheduled a media event on its Cupertino campus on this coming Monday, March 21. Earlier this month, the company sent out its predictably cryptic invites with the “Let us loop you in” tagline to select members of the press.

It looks to be a pretty significant event.

On top of an all-new four-inch iPhone model, we're expecting other announcements like a smaller 9.7-inch iPad Pro, new Apple Watch bands—including a black edition of the Milanese Loop—and a bunch of enhancements for Apple's operating systems.

Unboxing video shows off claimed iPhone SE/7 cases

Popular YouTube channel Unbox Therapy on Thursday posted a hands-on video with an alleged case for Apple's upcoming iPhone 7.

While we have already seen a fair share of purported cases for the forthcoming smartphone refresh, the quality of this particular video gives us a much closer look at some of the design changes the iPhone 7 is said to bring to the table.

Like prior leaks, this particular case appears to confirm the general layout of the buttons on the iPhone 7, with the exception of one thing that stands out in particular.

Will iPhone 7 bring a new 256GB model to the mix?

MyDrivers, a Chinese-language outlet, recently posted a sketchy rumor claiming that Apple's next smartphone refresh includes an all-new 256GB model as an iPhone 7 Plus exclusive.

Today, Italian-language HDblog posted a picture of a 256GB NAND flash memory produced by US-based SanDisk Corporation which could give Apple the option of introducing a 256GB iPhone model.

Plausible renderings imagine iPhone 7 without antenna bands

Modified Russian accessory vendor Feld & Volk, known for customizing iPhones with luxury parts like solid gold volume buttons, has posted a set of renderings based on multiple rumors that call for an iPhone 7 without visible band seams on the back.

Relayed by MacRumors, these high-quality renderings depict what the iPhone 7 would look like assuming the clean back rumor is accurate.

iPhone 7 Plus to get iPad Pro’s Smart Connector?

Chinese website Bastille Post on Tuesday published a purported image of Apple's forthcoming iPhone 7 Plus that it swears is the real deal.

The photo, obtained from an unnamed source,  seems to corroborate prior rumors that the iPhone 7 Plus will come outfitted with a dual-lens camera system on the back.

It also reveals a curious hardware addition that the rumor-mill has not predicted thus far: a Smart Connector. If true, the Smart Connector may be coming to all iOS devices. As you know, Apple first unveiled the Smart Connector on the iPad Pro last fall. 

Rumor: iPhone 7 has a thinner Lightning port, flush camera and stereo speakers

The fairly reliable Japanese blog Mac Otakara today shared some new details pertaining to Apple's iPhone 7 refresh, which we're expecting around its usual September timeframe.

Citing sources familiar with the matter, Mac Otakara says that the next iPhone will be 1mm thinner than the current iPhone 6s, which measures 7.1mm in depth, making the new phone the same 6.1mm thickness as the sixth-generation iPod touch.

Somewhat surprisingly, the iPhone 7 won't be waterproof after all and should also incorporate a thinner Lightning port. The camera bulge on the back will be gone because the phone's iSight camera is now flush with the chassis. Oh, and the new iPhone will come outfitted with stereo speakers—for the first time in iPhone history.

Dual-lens iPhone 7 to be called iPhone 7 Pro?

My Drivers, a Chinese website that covers IT industry, is reporting today that Apple's next smartphone refresh will come with a tweaked naming scheme. A high-end iPhone 7 Plus model with dual cameras will be reportedly getting a 'Pro' moniker in order to better distinguish itself from the regular iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models.

Apple's product naming scheme is currently all over the place.

The upcoming four-inch iPhone, for example, is said to be marketed as 'iPhone SE,' marking the first iPhone upgrade without a number in its name. And, of course, we now have the iPad Pro, in addition to the iPad Air and iPad mini lineups.

Concept: dual-camera iPhone 7 Plus and pink iPhone 5se with iPhone 6-style design

The rumor-mill cannot agree whether a rumored 'iPhone 5se' is going to feature a refined iPhone 5s design or an iPhone 6-style look with smoothly rounded corners and curved screen edges.

Be that as it may, German magazine Curved.de has taken upon itself to envision what the iPhone 5se might look like should Apple streamline its handset lineup around the current iPhone 6/6s look and feel.

As a bonus, they've also done some intriguing renditions of what a next-generation 'iPhone 7' and a dual-camera 'iPhone 7 Plus' might look like, based on the rumors that have been floating around. Check out the images and tell us what you think in the comments.

DigiTimes: Apple testing dual-lens cameras for iPhone 7 Plus from three different suppliers

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is adamant that Apple is working on a premium edition of an 'iPhone 7 Plus' that will come outfitted with dual-lens cameras for telephoto functions and today DigiTimes is reporting that Apple is already testing dual lenses for the handset sourced from three different suppliers.

The hit-and-miss Taiwanese trade publication has it on good authority, citing sources from the upstream supply chain, that Apple supplier Largan Technology and two unnamed Japan and China-based vendors have shipped dual-lens camera samples to 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, California, for testing.

KGI: iPhone 7 Plus will have dual lenses with optical image stabilization and zoom

Reliable analyst (if there is such a thing) Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities sent an interesting report to clients, a copy of which was obtained by AppleInsider.

In it, he predicts that a new, premium edition of Apple's iPhone 7 Plus will be outfitted with a dual-lens system with optical image stabilization and optical zoom, realized through technology Apple obtained from last year's acquisition of Israeli camera technology company LinX Imaging.