Apple’s Next Generation Smart Phone (iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus) to be Announced on September 7th : What To Expect
September is upon us, which in the tech world means it's
time for Apple news. As it's done for the past four years, Apple has sent out invites last week to
hold an event unveiling the next generation of its biggest products of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus on September 7th. The launch of the new iPhones will finally put an end to months of speculations and leaks surrounding the handsets and is also expected to
bring new version Apple Watch.
This is technically a
generational leap for the iPhone, but it sounds like Apple has taken a
different approach this year, with subtler physical changes to the
phone. This'll also be the first time Apple has updated the Apple Watch,
so we can’t depend on history to tell us what kind of changes to
expect. We have done a rumor roundup of the handsets to give you an idea
of what to expect at their unveiling next week. After all, it’s good to
keep your expectations in check so as to not feel disappointed with the
final product.
iPhone 7
It's a new iPhone with a new number. That usually comes
alongside a brand-new design, but this year it seems more like Apple is
going to tweak its existing formula — improving things here and there
and maybe laying the foundation for some bigger changes down the road.
Here's the deal:
A new(ish) design: Hopefully you like the iPhone 6, because the iPhone 7 is supposed to look pretty much the same. The big difference is that it's expected to have a cleaner look, with some (but not all) of those unsightly antenna lines disappearing off the back. It's a small change.
No headphone jack: This obviously isn't a new feature. But it's turning out to be The Big Story of the iPhone 7. Apple is expected to remove the headphone jack from the next iPhone, meaning all headphones will have to be wireless or connect through the Lightning port. There are certainly upsides to Lightning headphones, but there are a whole lot of downsides, too. If you have a lot of devices that work with a 3.5mm headphone jack (and who doesn’t?), you're going to have an annoying tradeoff to consider.
Possibly new Pods: Without a headphone jack, Apple will probably want to offer another way to listen to music. Rumors have been really sketchy on this front, so take this all with a grain of salt, but they point to two possibilities: the Apple will make new EarPods that terminate in a Lightning connector instead of a headphone jack, or that Apple will make wireless earbuds, supposedly called AirPods.
A new(ish) design: Hopefully you like the iPhone 6, because the iPhone 7 is supposed to look pretty much the same. The big difference is that it's expected to have a cleaner look, with some (but not all) of those unsightly antenna lines disappearing off the back. It's a small change.
No headphone jack: This obviously isn't a new feature. But it's turning out to be The Big Story of the iPhone 7. Apple is expected to remove the headphone jack from the next iPhone, meaning all headphones will have to be wireless or connect through the Lightning port. There are certainly upsides to Lightning headphones, but there are a whole lot of downsides, too. If you have a lot of devices that work with a 3.5mm headphone jack (and who doesn’t?), you're going to have an annoying tradeoff to consider.
Possibly new Pods: Without a headphone jack, Apple will probably want to offer another way to listen to music. Rumors have been really sketchy on this front, so take this all with a grain of salt, but they point to two possibilities: the Apple will make new EarPods that terminate in a Lightning connector instead of a headphone jack, or that Apple will make wireless earbuds, supposedly called AirPods.
Another camera: It’s not for selfies. Apple is expected to add a second camera onto the back of the iPhone, which it could use to produce higher-quality photos or offer a zoomed-in view.
Goodbye 16GB: I don't know that there's a new feature more deserving of a "finally!" than this. Apple is finally expected to stop putting 16GB of storage in its entry-level iPhones and instead bump them up to 32GB. That's a much more reasonable amount of space for 2016.
A clickless home button: Apple is expected to make a very subtle but very big change to the home button — it won't click in. That is, the new button will be pressure-sensitive and use haptic
feedback to make it feel like you're pushing it in, even though it won't
physically move. It’s a trick Apple has already pulled off on some of its MacBooks.
Bigger Battery: Last year, Apple had to reduce the battery capacity on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus by a small margin to accommodate the 3D Touch haptic feedback engine. This year, leaks suggest that thanks to component size reduction and the removal of the 3.5mm audio jack, Apple will include a slightly larger battery on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The 4.7-inch iPhone is rumored to come with a 1960mAh battery, up from the 1715mAh battery found on the iPhone 6s (almost 10% increase). The iPhone 7 Plus is rumored to come with a 2910mAh battery, an increase of 5% compared to the iPhone 6s Plus and same as what is found inside the iPhone 6 Plus.
iOS 10: A new release of iPhone is accompanied with a new release of iOS. The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are not going to be any different in this regard. The handsets will be running iOS 10 out of the box that comes with major new features like a redesigned and more powerful iMessages app, Raise to Wake, a new lock screen, interactive notifications, and more.
Bigger Battery: Last year, Apple had to reduce the battery capacity on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus by a small margin to accommodate the 3D Touch haptic feedback engine. This year, leaks suggest that thanks to component size reduction and the removal of the 3.5mm audio jack, Apple will include a slightly larger battery on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The 4.7-inch iPhone is rumored to come with a 1960mAh battery, up from the 1715mAh battery found on the iPhone 6s (almost 10% increase). The iPhone 7 Plus is rumored to come with a 2910mAh battery, an increase of 5% compared to the iPhone 6s Plus and same as what is found inside the iPhone 6 Plus.
iOS 10: A new release of iPhone is accompanied with a new release of iOS. The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are not going to be any different in this regard. The handsets will be running iOS 10 out of the box that comes with major new features like a redesigned and more powerful iMessages app, Raise to Wake, a new lock screen, interactive notifications, and more.
A blacker black: If there's one good
reason to buy the iPhone 7, it may be this. After years of dealing with
whatever that "space gray" nonsense is, some vague rumors have suggested that Apple is going to make a black phone again. Not totally, 100 percent, wonderful iPhone 5 black. But more like what the Apple Watch Sport uses.
Everything else: You know the drill. The
new iPhones will of course be faster, with new processors, maybe more
RAM, and something that gets described as "magical." The iPhone 7 could be more
water resistant, though it's not clear if the phone will actually be
waterproof. The phone will probably get a little bit thinner, too.
Everything not: As always, there are a
bunch of other sketchy rumors that pop up but seem like they probably
aren't bound to come true. This year, that includes the iPhone 7 having a
dual SIM tray, a blue color option, wireless charging, or a smart
connector. It's possible Apple is looking into these things, but there
hasn't been a lot of evidence suggesting they're happening this year.
Apple Watch
When the keynote kicks off, it'll be almost two years to the day since Apple first unveiled the Apple Watch (though it was another eight months before it hit stores). A lot has changed about the Apple Watch in the time since — all through software
— and this first hardware update is likely to reflect those changes.
Namely, Apple taking a step away from the Watch as a communication
device and a step toward its use as a fitness device. Here's what we're
expecting:
Square as ever: There's no sign
that Apple plans to significantly change up the Apple Watch's design
this year. Or even next year. That said, don't be surprised if some new
band options show up.
GPS: This is probably going to be the biggest new feature on the Apple Watch. And while it may not sound like much, the addition of GPS
should be a real help for runners, since it'll let the Watch track them
even when they leave their phone behind. Anything that makes the Watch
more independent is an important step forward.
Getting faster: Normally a speed bump
wouldn't be all that exciting — pretty much without fail, every new
Apple product comes with a marginally faster processor than its
predecessor. But that's particularly important here, since the
first-generation Watch is pretty darn slow. Apple needs to do better on
speed, and the updated Watch should be a start.
Everything else: Other rumors have
suggested that the next Watch will have better waterproofing, a bigger
battery, a barometer, and the ability to do more things over Wi-Fi — but
evidence for some of those is shakier than others. One other big
question is whether the Watch will have a camera. An early report from 9to5Mac last year
said Apple was heading in that direction, but that's just about the
last we heard of of it. Given Apple's shift away from messaging, it
wouldn't be surprising if this feature got scrapped.
All the rest
Alongside the new iPhones, Apple should announce a release date for WatchOS 3 but Apple could hold it back if the next
Watch isn’t shipping until a later date. MacOS Sierra will likely come later as well.
There hasn't been any word about Apple planning other
hardware updates for its September 7th event.
So, what are your expectations from the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus? Do you plan on upgrading to them from your current iPhone? Or are you going to wait for a few months before deciding? What do you hope are features that Apple includes on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus?
So, what are your expectations from the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus? Do you plan on upgrading to them from your current iPhone? Or are you going to wait for a few months before deciding? What do you hope are features that Apple includes on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus?
Sources: 9to5Mac, iphonehacks, theverge
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