Understandably, most people's attention is on the launch of the iPhone 6S taking place tonight. But, while that phone will be an update and a tweak to the existing iPhone 6, the real changes are going to come in with the iPhone 7, which will launch in 2016. From the latest information, the next-generation iPhone looks to be a real stunner and the most recent rumour suggests that the phone is going to be exceptionally thin.
According to a report by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, and reported on by AppleInsider, the new iPhone 7 is going to be between 6.0 and 6.5mm thick. That would make it around the same size as the iPod Touch and the incredibly slim iPad Air 2. This will also be a slimming down of the iPhone 6S, which is expected to come it at a shade over 7mm (up from the 6.9mm of the iPhone 6) when it launches later on today. One reason why the iPhone 6S is slightly thicker than its predecessor is because of the Force Touch technology that will be integrated inside it.
One question that a thinner iPhone 7 doesn't answer is, what happens to the battery? My concern with a thinner phone is that the battery will get smaller. It's possible that in a year's time, smaller components may leave more room inside the case for battery, while a more efficient SoC could mean that same battery life from a smaller battery. It's way too early to tell at the moment, so we're going to have to wait a bit longer to find out the details. If you're wondering what a slimmer iPhone 7 may look like, check out the image by Yasser Farahi below - click on the image to view other concept images.
What you need to know, quickly
Need the information fast - here's everything you need in a quick, bite-sized digest. Obviously, everything here is based on unconfirmed rumours, so things can change quickly, but the below is at least a quick view of how things stand at this point in time.
What is it? |
Apple's brand new smartphone, complete with a new design and the successor to 2015's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus |
When is it out? |
If Apple sticks to its normal release schedule, and it tends to, then we should see it late September 2016 |
What's new? |
It will have a completely new design and look different to all iPhones before it. That opens up huge potential, but we're expecting a better screen, faster processor and a much batter camera |
In Detail
iPhone 7 release date
If there's been one reliable thing about Apple's iPhone launches, it's that they happen just once a year. Although some people claimed that Apple was about to change that for its new releases, the truth is that we're most of the way through 2015 and we haven't had one iPhone launch, let alone two. As a result, it seems clear that the iPhone 6S will be on its way this year, launching in September, which means that the iPhone 7 will be out in September 2016.Dual-lens camera tech on the way
Apple has steadily been improving its cameras, with the 8-megapixel snapper in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus one of the best that we've seen in a smartphone. It turns out that Apple wants even more and, according to reports from Taiwan, has been working on dual-lens camera tech for three years. While Apple appears to have solved its initial issues with the technology, it looks as though dual-lens won't be ready for the iPhone 6S and will, instead, come to the iPhone 7 instead.A report in Business Weekly (spotted by G for Games) quotes Altek's CEO, Xiaru Wen, as saying that Apple has "been studying the dual lens" technology for three or more years. Wen's the man to know, as Altek is the company that makes the dual-lens cameras for the HTC and Huawei. According to Wen, Apple's got lots of applications that take advantage of dual-lens technology, but the issue has been that the supply chain hasn't been able to supply enough products.
In addition, technical problems, such as camera blur from misaligned lenses, have got in the way. Now, Apple's solved its issues via its acquisition of LinX Imaging earlier this year. It has also lined up Largan to take over production, with the company's CEO recently stating that the company was looking to double its production capacity. This will be too late for 2015, so points at dual-lens cameras only being ready in 2016 for the iPhone 7.
We've got an idea of what to expect, thanks to information from LinX, which Apple bought for $20m, according to the Wall Street Journal. This startup has been developing sensors that it says will bring SLR-like quality to smartphones. It has developed sensor arrays that use multiple sensors, alongside bespoke optics and image processing, to improve image quality.
Using multiple sensors means that LinX sensors can measure depth, which can help speed up auto-focus or simply let you focus the shot after you've taken it, as we've seen before with HTC's Duo camera. It's also possible for the cameras to scan objects in 3D and give accurate measurements for objects, too. We've seen similar technology inside the Dell Venue 8 7840 tablet, although it's measurement capabilities were a bit hit and miss.
LinX sensors also use a new clear pixel channel design, which the company says reduces crosstalk and helps reduce noise, all in a smaller package. The net result is a smaller camera that's smarter and produces cleaner and more detailed images: just the thing that Apple requires. For more information on the LinX technology, you can read this Scribd presentation.
iPhone 7c could join iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
It looks as though we're going to have to wait until 2016 for a new smaller iPhone, with the launch of a new 4in iPhone 7, which may be called the iPhone 7c. The information comes from the Economic Daily News, which is reporting that AUO has signed a deal with Apple to produce 4in screens for a new smartphone. According to the terms of the deal, AUO will start to ship screens in the first quarter of 2016, which would tie in with a launch later in the year, alongside two other new handsets, most likely the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. This information also seems to confirm that the screens will not be ready in time for an iPhone 6c launch, suggesting that we will only get two new handsets this year.It's hard to say how accurate the information is, as the rumours of a new 4in handset have been flying around for a long time. However, it has to be said that the 4in screen size has proved popular in the past, with many people liking the smaller screen size. With 4in, 4.7in and 5.5in screens, Apple would have one of the best product line-ups. If these rumours prove true, we currently don't have any information on how the phone will look and if it will have a plastic case, as with the iPhone 5C, or if it will be metal. We're going to have to wait a bit longer to find this out.
A10 chip to move to 10nm fabrication process
As Apple launches a new SoC with each generation of iPhone, it's not hard to work out that the iPhone 7 will have an A10 chip, following on from the A9 in the iPhone 6S. Given that the A10 won't launch until 2016, though, it means that details are fairly light on the ground, although an interesting bit of information has surfaced. According to the Electronic Daily News, the Taiwanese semiconductor company, TSMC, is in the process of setting up a 10nm manufacturing line, which would most likely be used to manufacture the A10 chip.For those not in the know, the fabrication process size, describes the average half-pitch (half the distance between identical features). In other words, as the fabrication process decreases in size, the features get smaller and closer together. This gives three main benefits. First, it means a reduction in the size of the electronics, which means more room inside the case for other components or a bigger battery. Apple exploited this with the new MacBook, which is largely battery inside. Secondly, it means that the SoC draws less power, which helps improve battery life. Thirdly, it means that the SoC runs cooler, which either means you can get away with less cooling or that you can run the SoC at a faster speed to increase performance. Currently, the A8 chip (as used in the iPhone 6 and iPad Air 2) uses a 20nm fabrication process, while the A9 (expected to be used in the iPhone 6S) will most likely switch to a 14nm fabrication process.
Wireless charging?
One rumour doing the rounds at the moment is that Apple is ready to introduce wireless charging to the iPhone 7, largely ditching the need for the Lightning cable. So far, the rumours haven't come from any definitive sources, so this rumour can be filed under hearsay or 'things that we'd like to have'. However, while that may be the case, the truth, the fact is that wireless charging is a big thing. Samsung has gone all-out for it with the S6 and S6 Edge, while Ikea has even released furniture with built-in wireless charging.With so much interest around wireless charging, it would make a lot of sense of Apple to follow suit and use the technology in its phone. Besides, wireless charging is easier and more convenient than having to plug a cable in.
If Apple did go down this route, we’d like to see it largely extinguish the need to have a cable at all: at the moment, while you can synchronise your phone via Wi-Fi with iTunes, you still have to make the initial connection via the Lightning cable, in order to enable wireless synchronisation.
At the moment, until there’s more information available, we’re going to have to say that there’s no real truth to this rumour and we’re going to have to wait a bit longer to find out if Apple will go down this route.
Battery life could improve
Although we know that the iPhone will not get a bigger battery (see below for more information), it doesn't mean that Apple isn't working on making battery life better. From a recent job advert, we can see that Apple is keen to improve battery life on all of its devices. The job ad calls for hardware engineers to work on battery design (most likely to create innovative new battery packs, such as for the new Macbook), but also for iOS engineers.From the information that's in the job advert, we can see that Apple wants software engineers that can use iOS to examine what's eating battery in real-time, and then come up with methods of saving power. Crucially, Apple doesn't want this affect performance or the user experience.
It seems most likely that this kind of improvement will make its first appearance with iOS 9, which is due to be released this year. It will be an ongoing project, though, so by the time that the iPhone 7 is released next year, the technology will be more mature. There's even a good chance that Apple will make additional hardware changes, with components that can be turned on and off via software in order to get further efficiencies.
We won't see a bigger battery
Don't expect Apple to install a bigger battery in the iPhone 7, except where chassis space will allow for it. In a rare interview, Sir Jony Ive said that a bigger battery would make the iPhone "less compelling". His argument goes that the iPhone is so slim and light that people are always using it, draining the battery faster; making it fatter to contain a bigger battery would make the phone less compelling, so that people would use it less.Our take is that as long as the phone has enough juice to last through a day 's worth of heavy use, it's done its job for most people: something that the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus achieved. For people that really need more power than this can offer, there are other handsets that are built to last a lot longer, as you can see from our battery test of 2014's smartphones.
Could we get a 256GB smartphone?
One of the rumours doing the rounds is that the iPhone 7 will be the first smartphone to have 256GB of storage. This would be double the current 128GB maximum of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Technically there's no reason why Apple can't add more storage to the phone; instead, it's more a restriction on cost and need.Flash storage for phones isn't particularly cheap and most people find that a 64GB handset is enough, let alone a 128GB model. It's currently doubtful how many people would want to pay even more to get 256GB. If anything, Apple may follow the course it took in the past, which is to upgrade the iPad to 256GB first, before rolling out the option to the iPhone line.
Apple Watch and MacBook's Force Touch incoming
Apple first introduced Force Touch technology with the Apple Watch: it's a pressure-sensitive touchscreen that knows the difference between a soft tap and a hard press. This technology was introduced to increase the number of ways that you could interact with the Watch. However, Apple has also seen scope for the technology on different devices, including the new MacBook, which has Force Touch integrated into its Touchpad. Now, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that the iPhone 6S will have this technology.This makes a lot of sense, as Apple clearly has the ability to integrate Force Touch into a variety of different devices. It also makes plenty of sense that Apple would continue to roll-out Force Touch, with the iPhone 7 a clear contender for the technology. With updates to iOS supporting the hard press, Apple will be able to provide new ways to interact with the iPhone, which Android manufacturers can't simply replicate.
Waterproof phone in the works
A more resilient and tougher iPhone 7 is something that we all want to see and we may get our wish, with the latest rumours stating that the new handset may be waterproof. A new patent application points to the company using a technique known as Plasma-Assisted Chemical Vapour Deposition (PACVD) to coat the internal components and make them resistant to moisture. This would mean that the company doesn't have to make the case completely watertight.This kind of technique makes sense, as we've already seen companies, such as Liquipel (not available in the UK), offer an after-market waterproofing service. Using this technology, your phone is coated in water-repellent material (inside and out), protecting it from water damage. Apple doing the same thing at the factory stage could improve things and, crucially, would definitely not void your warranty.
The Apple SIM could be integrated
One of the rumours doing the rounds for the iPhone 6S, and reported by AppleInsider, is that Apple is going to pre-install its own SIM. First launched with the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3, the Apple SIM is a multi-carrier model, which lets the user choose their own contract directly from the device. This would be even more powerful on a handset: imagine being able to switch carriers when you want, or even to get better deals when roaming.If this technology makes it the iPhone 6S, it would definitely make it to the iPhone 7 and, if there's enough support, Apple could even integrate the SIM directly into the phone, getting rid of the SIM-card slot completely. There are obstacles to overcome, though.
First, there's support, with relatively few carriers supporting the Apple SIM (only EE supports it in the UK). Second, some carriers don't want to support it and see it as Apple intruding on their relationship with customers. Apple's got a lot of clout, though, and we'd love to see it win this battle and force networks to support the Apple SIM, giving consumers more choice and an easier way of switching networks.
iPhone 7 could get better image stabilisation
While we don't generally have a lot of time for Apple patent stories that state the latest invention will definitely come to the next handset, this bit of information has legs. With its Mirror Tilt Actuation patent, Apple describes the invention as "an image sensor and a zoom lens assembly including a plurality of movable lens elements arranged to be moved independent of one another". In other words, it's a better optical image stabilisation system, with the lens able to keep the path of light through the lens straight, eliminating camera blur.What's interesting about this design, is that the lens assembly looks a little like a periscope, as you can see from the image below. Apple already has OIS with the iPhone 6 Plus, but it makes sense that the company want to build on and improve the technology that it has already - the question is, can it make this technology fit inside a smartphone?
Could we get voice unlocking?
As we’ve said before, we don’t put a lot of stock in patent stories: companies register hundreds (if not thousands) of the things every year, and it doesn’t mean that a product is going to come to market. Instead, it’s often a blocking tactic to prevent someone else from implementing an idea. That doesn’t mean that this kind of story is completely without merit, though, and a recent patent for voice activated unlocking certainly seems interesting.Patently Apple has discovered a new Apple patent that would let you wake up phone using a simple voice command. Will we see such technology in the iPhone 7? For it to come to market there are several technological hurdles that need to be overcome.
First, Apple would need to implement an always-on microphone, so that the iPhone is constantly listening to what’s going on. That’s not a big issue, as low-power chips are already available that do this.
Secondly, Apple would need to pattern-match a voice to the phone’s owner and recognise the wake-up phrase. Again, this kind of technology is available, so implementing it in hardware shouldn’t be a massive problem.
The big issue, for us, is that the phone would also have to be able to tell the difference between a real person speaking and a recording of their voice. This is much trickier and harder, say, to implement than recognising the difference between a live finger and a copy for the Touch ID fingerprint sensor.
If Apple can’t make it secure, it may be that this technology just gives simple access to certain Siri commands, rather than unlocking the entire handset. As interesting as this one is, we’re going to have to wait for some more details before we can be sure of how it will work and if Apple will even use voice to unlock a smartphone.
iPhone 7 - sapphire glass may not be used
Sapphire glass was one of the things that we were hoping would make it into the iPhone 6. This incredibly tough material (second only to diamonds), was said to make the glass front of the phone virtually indestructible. So where is it? It turns out that there are quite a few complexities to solve before we'll see such big panels.For starters, sapphire glass is extremely scratch-resistant, but it can be shattered. This is the reason why Apple is not using sapphire glass in the Sport version of the Watch; the other editions do have sapphire glass. Corning, the manufacturers of Gorilla Glass, recently cited this exact problem in a report on CNet.
"We told you last year that sapphire was great for scratch performance but didn't fare well when dropped," said James Clappin, president of Corning Glass Technologies. "So, we created a product that offers the same superior damage resistance and drop performance of Gorilla Glass 4 with scratch resistance that approaches sapphire."
It also turns out that supply was a problem, particularly when the glass panels need to be big enough to cover the phones. On top of that the company that everybody thought was going to be the big sapphire supplier for Apple, GT Advanced Technologies, filed for Bankruptcy Court Protection Under Chapter 11 on the 6th October 2014.
That doesn't mean that it's game-over for the technology, as Focus Taiwan has reported that manufacturer Foxconn is rapidly building a new display factory purely for handling Apple's iPhone orders. The company has apparently signed a deal with the Zhengzhou city government in Henan Province, China, to develop a 133-hectare factory right next to an existing iPhone 6 factory. The report also suggests the factory will be producing sapphire glass displays. The factory may not have time to ramp up production for the iPhone 6S, but we'll hopefully at least see it for the iPhone 7.
Touch ID also getting better
Touch ID has been a big success for Apple, and its functionality has expanded, so that the fingerprint sensor can now be used inside apps, and to authenticate payments using Apple Pay (US only at the moment). KGI Analyst Ming Chi Kuo, reported on by 9to5Mac, has said that there's a new Touch ID sensor coming in 2015 that will make the technology more reliable and secure, aiding the mass adoption of Apple Pay. While we'll likely see the new sensor in the iPhone 6S, you can bet that a further refinement and improvement is likely to come to the iPhone 7 in 2016.There's also a possibility that Apple will ditch the physical home button altogether, finally shrinking the iPhone down and opting for touchscreen-based controls instead. The TouchID sensor, then, would be embedded beneath the screen. Virginia-based startup company Privaris recently transferred 26 patents to Apple, including one that would let a display act as both touchscreen and fingerprint sensor at the same time. Force Touch is a clear first step towards eliminating the home button, as users get used to multiple pressure levels; theoretically you could press down to activate the home button anywhere on the iPhone 7's screen. With TouchID embedded into the display as well, you could potentially place your finger or thumb anywhere onscreen to unlock your device or authenticate Apple Pay.
Will we see iOS 10?
Apple has focussed on rolling out yearly version updates for its iOS operating system, and we're likely to see iOS 9 launched this year with the iPhone 6S. Rumour has it at this point that this version of the operating system isn't going to be new features and major changes, but an opportunity for Apple to iron out bugs and increase stability. That means that iOS 10 is likely to come in 2016 with the iPhone 7 and it will be a bigger change, introducing new features. Of course, we're a little too early on that one to work out what Apple will do, but we should get some insight when Apple announces iOS 9 this year, most likely at its WWDC conference in June.iPhone 7 - 2GB RAM could be standard
Although Apple's iOS is extremely well optimised, the fact that the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus both only have 1GB of RAM could start to be a limiting factor. More RAM means larger and more complicated apps can be run while switching between open apps should be faster and slicker. As a result, moving to 2GB of RAM for the next iPhone makes a lot of sense, which is what Apple is planning to do, says TechNews in Taiwan. Apple has already moved to 2GB of RAM on the iPad Air 2, so it would make sense that it would do the same thing for its flagship mobile devices.iPhone 7 - USB Type-C charger
Rumour has it that Apple's ready to introduce a new 2A charger (up from the 1A charger provided with the current range), for faster charging, but will also switch to the new USB Type-C standard. This is designed to address one of the major bugbears with the current Type-A connector: it can only be plugged in one way round. The new Type-C design is reversible, so the USB connector can be plugged in either way up, making inserting cables into USB ports less fiddly. With the reversible Lightning connector on the other end, charging your iPhone 6S or iPhone 7 would certainly be less fiddly.USB Type-C has also been reduced in size, which could make the charger smaller, too. The only problem is that USB Type-C isn't backwards compatible with the Type-A connector, so you'd need to use an adaptor cable if you wanted to use a new Lightning cable with your own third-party charger. Check out the video below to see what the new cable and charger could look like.
iPhone 7 - OLED screen
One of the big changes for the iPhone 7 is that Apple could switch away from IPS panels to OLED displays. According to Chinese site MacX.cn the iPhone 7 will have a 5in OLED display rather than an LCD panel. MacX's leaks have been a fairly reliable in the past, and it goes on to report that a number of differently sized OLED screens have been requested by Foxconn (who manufacture Apple's iPhones) in time for 2016 or 2017.According to its sources, there could potentially be a future 5in iPhone with a pixel density of 440 pixels-per-inch (PPI), implying it would have a Full HD 1,920x1,080 resolution. This would offer improved sharpness over the current iPhone 6 display, which has a 4.7in panel and a pixel density of 326PPI. However, given the time frame for these OLED screens could be as far as two years away, we think it's unlikely that Apple's next iPhone for 2015 will have one of these displays.
Apple looks set to use an OLED panel for the Apple Watch, which would help improve battery life and contrast, making the display easier to see in daylight. If Apple's staring to use the technology for one device, it follows that it would start to use the technology for a different product, too. It's possible that the iPhone 7 will use an OLED display manufactured by multiple panel manufacturers, including Universal Display, says Barrons.com. From research the site has seen, it looks as though AMOLED panel manufacturing will increase over the next year, giving Apple access to the volumes it would require for a new high-end smartphone. We'll keep an eye on this one, but an AMOLED screen could be just what Apple needs in order to boost its phones' battery life and display quality.
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