Apple iPhone 7 Rumors: Leaked Features Sure To Be Mimicked By Competitors

The iPhone 7 rumor mill is buzzing. With the release of the SE only days away, talk of what to expect from Apple in the fall is high. Some of the rumors surrounding Apple’s latest flagship phone are purely speculative. However, there have been leaks that could prove more reliable. Leaks of future phones usually come from companies who design third-party accessories for the new product. These companies often have access to details not available to the general public, or they are excellent at predicting certain features before the device’s release.

The iPhone 7 rumors here were gathered from the most reliable sources available. However, Apple has not confirmed any rumors, so these alleged details should be taken with a grain of salt.

The first round of rumors originate from the company Feld & Volk. Feld & Volk is a company that designs high-end modifications for the iPhone that they call gadgets. Their “gadgets” are luxury-expensive, around the $5,000 range, and often have features like back-lit Apple logos and 14K gold accents. They have a good track record of predicting the external traits of the iPhone. The company possibly receives exterior specs from Apple in order to properly design modifications for the device.

https://twitter.com/AppleGadgits/status/613738378509443072

The first iPhone 7 rumor is that it will feature a dual-lens, rear-facing camera. This report is partly based on leaked renders from Feld & Volk. Apple’s acquisition of LinX Imaging in 2015 is also fueling the rumor since LinX has a dual-lens system that has been in development since before the acquisition. Forbes speculates that the new camera technology will only be available in a premium version of the device being called the iPhone 7 Pro. The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus models will likely have standard cameras. The Feld & Volk renders also depict that the lens will not be flush with the back of the phone, but will protrude slightly, like the 6S line, only beveled.

iPhone Pro z podwójnym aparatem na renderach Feld & Volk | https://t.co/ugEa1KOLTr pic.twitter.com/ZhEk89l5eW

— Tablety.pl (@Tablety_pl) March 16, 2016

Another iPhone 7 rumor that stems from the Feld & Volk renders is the possible addition of a Smart Connector to the phone. A Smart Connector is a magnetic connector that can transmit both electricity and data. The technology has already been applied in the latest version of the iPad Pro to connect the tablet to an Apple Smart Keyboard. It seems unclear what function a Smart connector would serve for an iPhone. Forbes speculates that the Smart Connector may be needed as an alternate charging method. Why would an alternate charging method be needed?

RT MacRumors: Potential First Photo of iPhone 7 Plus Shows Dual-Lens Camera and Smart Connector … pic.twitter.com/KhLeOoyVV8

— Bill Hart ? (@bhart62) March 15, 2016

According to another rumor, the iPhone 7 will be doing away with the 3.5 mm headphone jack (TRS connector) and replacing it with a second speaker to produce true stereo sound from the phone. This talk is based on several leaks following Apple’s 2014 acquisition of Beats Electronic and a change in the Apple Developer Guide. Apple has been moving toward the idea of removing the TRS connector for a while. They plan to develop headphones that connect through the Lightning port instead. Therefore, a need for an alternative charging method becomes apparent if a user wants to use headphones while charging. Several factors support the truth to this rumor, including patent awards and memos from reliable research consultants.

The final big rumor about the iPhone 7 is that it will be waterproof. Waterproofing has been something that Apple has lagged behind on versus its competitors. The idea that the iPhone 7 will be waterproof is based on a couple of things.

First, is the alleged rumor that Apple secretly waterproofed the iPhone 6S series. A video posted to YouTube by Zach Straley shows him dunking both a 6S and 6S Plus in water for over an hour without any damaging effects.

[I highly advise against trying this experiment yourself]

The other basis for this iPhone 7 rumor is that, if they do away with the headphone jack and go with a second speaker, the phone will be easier to waterproof since the headphone connector is the deepest opening on the phone. Waterproofing the 6S line and not promoting it allows Apple to test their waterproofing method without having to stand behind it in case it fails on a consumer phone. If it works in the 6S, as it appears to in Straley’s video, then waterproofing the iPhone 7 sans headphone jack should provide them enough confidence to tout waterproofing as a feature.

Other iPhone 7 rumors included wireless charging capability, 3GB of RAM, 256MB of storage, faster LTE modem, and a 7.04 Watt-hours Battery. However, the scope of this article was to cover credible rumors that apply to the full iPhone 7 line. Those rumors were either unreliable or only applied to one version of the iPhone 7, thus were not covered in-depth.

[Image via Martin Hajek | Imgur | CC BY-NC-SA 2.0]