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Apple’s Next Flagship To Come In Two Variants ‘iPhone 7’ and ‘iPhone 7 Plus’, Putting An End To ‘iPhone 7 Pro’ Rumors

By Ershad Kaleebullah
Published on: 04:39 PST, Aug 21, 2016

The iPhone 7 rumors are flowing in fast and thick as we inch closer to the launch date of the actual device. The latest leak, as revealed by a source to Japanese website Mac Otakara, states that Apple’s next flagship will come in two variants “iPhone 7” and “iPhone 7 Plus,” thereby effectively putting an end to all the rumors surrounding the existence of an “iPhone 7 Pro” model. While Mac Otakara is usually reliable with Apple rumors, we’d advise our readers to take all the rumors with a pinch of salt.

What is the reason for Apple to take this decision? A Macrumors article states that the “iPhone 7 Pro” model, which was supposed to be a dual-lens camera variant of the “iPhone 7 Plus,” was created by Apple because the company was unsure if it would be able to produce its new dual lens camera in huge numbers by the time the phone was ready for launch.

The less powerful single lens camera — expected to be fitted on the “iPhone 7” and the ‘iPhone Plus’ — was only meant to be a fallback in case the dual lens technology wasn’t ready on time. Now that the manufacturing restraints around the dual lens camera seem to have been taken care of by Apple, the Cupertino tech giant has decided to drop the “iPhone 7 Pro” model and only launch the “iPhone 7 Plus” with a large 5.5-inch display.

Gordon Kelly, who writes about technology for Forbes, chimes in with his opinion.

“So is one less iPhone 7 model a good thing? I’d argue both yes and no. On the positive side, having just two iPhone models does keep the range simple and using the “iPhone 7″ brand rather than a new iPhone 6 derivative (iPhone 6SE was rumored) is likely to sound more exciting to potential buyers. But there are negatives too. For starters, the iPhone 7 Pro appeared to be a true no compromise model which also packed a Smart Connector (something seemingly missing from the iPhone 7 Plus) and leaks had suggested a huge 5.8-inch display and OLED panel. All significant differentiators.”

The Mac Otakara also highlights other rumors about the yet-to-be-launched iPhone 7. It states that the next Apple flagship will not come with a 3.5mm headphone jack and will use the lightning port instead, it will come bearing the new and improved A10 chip, and it will also introduce a new flush, capacitive Home button instead of a physical hardware button. The last rumor is the most interesting of the lot and therefore looks improbable.

Furthermore, the launch date and the actual release date have not yet been confirmed. There are rumors floating around that state Apple will launch the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus at an event on September 7, with pre-orders beginning two days later on September 9. Originally, it was being rumored that Apple will hold an event on September 12 and that the phones will be available for sale from September 16. A recent leak from AT&T suggests that Apple is preparing for a wide release on September 23.

The design of the “iPhone 7” is expected to remain largely unchanged from that of the iPhone 6s, except for the repositioned antenna band, omission of the 3.5mm audio jack, and now the dual lens camera. Moreover, some analysts are suggesting that the iPhone 7 is not the game changer for Apple as next year — also the tenth anniversary of the iPhone — the company is gearing up to launch the iPhone 8 with a curved display. It is interesting to note that Apple will skip the “S” moniker next year. The iPhone 8 will have an edgeless all-glass display, which is expected to be curved on the sides. This means that Apple is finally planning to go head-to-head against Samsung, which already makes flagship phones with curved edge display.

What do you think about Apple’s move to remove the “iPhone 7 Pro” from the lineup? Let us know in the comments below.

[Photo by Miquel Benitez/Getty Images]

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