If predictions are accurate, the advancements in the iPhone 7, the next iteration of Apple’s iPhone due this fall, should be modest. However, the new features for the 2017 iPhone could be much more dramatic.
The next-generation iPhone 7 shouldn’t be much different from the latest iPhone 6, revising some features and mostly retaining the same design, according to reports.
Apple will likely remove a headphone jack in the iPhone 7, possibly to include a headphone adapter that can plug into the phone for users without wireless earbuds. The next iPhone is also said to be thinner and more water-resistant than previous models, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
Major Redesign?
The next iPhone 7 is also said to have a redesigned antenna to give the unit a cleaner look on the back side. Apply may also get rid of the space gray color scheme in favor of a new deep blue hue. Reports indicate that the iPhone 7 could come in deep blue, gold, rose gold and silver.
In addition, the new iPhone 7 could come with an upgraded camera and more storage. Observers have predicted that the larger 5.5-inch Plus model will include a dual-camera sensor, the first-ever for an iPhone. Storage options for the iPhone 7 are projected to include 32 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB — an upgrade from the 16 GB, 64 GB, and 128 GB options that come with current flagship models.
However, the 2017 iPhone should be much different from its predecessors, according to the Wall Street Journal. Delays in implementing a major redesign of the device’s chassis is one of the main reasons users will have to wait until next year for a revamped iPhone, unnamed sources told the Wall Street Journal.
OLED Display Possible in iPhone 7
Among the new features though to be included in the iPhone 7 will be an OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display similar to the one used by the Apple Watch. The iPhone 7 would also embed a Touch ID sensor in the display and jettison the familiar Home button. Apple designers have long wanted the iPhone to resemble a sheet of glass in its overall look. If the 2017 model eliminates the traditional bezel around the display, or at least most of it, that along with the OLED display could go a long way toward that goal.
What gives the Wall Street Journal report some credence is that Apple has typically brought out big changes to the iPhone every other year, following the so-called tick-tock model of development. Apple might be saving the big changes for 2017, which marks the 10th anniversary of the iPhone. No specific release date has been set for either the new iPhone 7 or its successor.
Pictured above: iPhone 6 with Touch ID sensor technology.
