Apple iPhone 7 is slated for a September release with a new design. (Photo : YouTube/ConceptsiPhone)
As earlier teased by Apple CEO Tim Cook, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus on release date are reportedly loaded with killer features that will spur millions to upgrade. The next iPhone, analysts said will unbox in a fresh form-factor, an edge to edge display, a dual camera system and significant RAM bump.
In his latest blog post, Apple watcher John Gruber claimed that the iPhone scheduled for rollout in September "will be an all-new form factor." The design makeover will mean that the next iPhone will sport an all-screen front panel and gone will be the "chin and forehead of the phone."
Gruber's claim aligns with the rumors that Apple is ditching the physical home key for the iPhone, which the blogger said will present a screen that is embedded with the Touch ID, the secondary camera and the front speaker. "All the sensors will somehow be behind the display," Gruber wrote in his blog, which MacRumors picked up.
It is likely too that the next iPhone build profile will be significantly trimmed down while keeping the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screen sizes. That would mean smaller iPhones with the same viewing and navigational space for the front panel although Gruber has made clear that solid information on this is not on hand at the moment.
Gruber's latest iPhone predictions, which normally are spot-on, add up to the new note issued by Ming-chi Kuo of KGI Securities. Kuo's report, according to 9to5Mac, highlighted the bigger model that analyst said will retail as the iPhone 7 Plus, effectively quashing the rumors of iPhone Pro rebranding for the phablet-size device.
The same note confirmed the inclusion of dual camera, which according to Kuo is exclusive to the 7 Plus. "Dual-camera to become a must-have feature for high-end smartphone ... And, in order to maintain its leading position in the high-end market, we expect Apple will fully adopt dual-camera on the new 5.5-inch iPhone in 2H16," the KGI analyst was reported as saying.
And as a result of the huge camera bump, said to equip the next iPhone with DSLR-class shooting capabilities, the jumbo iPhone will also get a higher RAM provision. Kuo set the 7 Plus RAM hike to 3GB but did not mention anything on the regular-sized iPhone.
Kuo added that Apple's dual camera component requirements will be jointly fulfilled by LG and Sony.
Going by Apple's rollout cycle, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus release date is likely scheduled September 2016 but the weakening sales of the existing models could prompt for an earlier unboxing, which could be a month ahead or August. Supply chain rumors indicate that mass production of the next iPhone could start May or June.
