Apple fans expect the iPhone 7 as the sequel to the iPhone 6S of 2015 but a new rumor indicated that the iPhone 7 will have to wait until 2017. For 2016, the next iPhone release date will involve the iPhone 6SE if a German blog report is to be believed.
Claiming information obtained from China, where Apple assembles its iOS devices, blog site Apfelpage said that the retail packaging of the iPhone model to replace the 6S has been mass produced but the next-generation handset is not carrying the expected iPhone 7 label (or iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone Pro). Instead, the new device will unpack as the iPhone 6SE.
The report makes sense, according to 9to5Mac, adding that "given the more-iterative changes and similar design, it is not out of the question for Apple to brand the new iPhone as a continuation of the iPhone 6 line." And the move seems consistent with the reports that suggest that 2016 iPhones are but minor bumps from last year.
Indeed, numerous leaks have indicated that the next iPhone will mostly mirror the build and design that Apple had introduced with the iPhone 6 in 2014 and reused with the iPhone 6S of last year. For this year, analysts are convinced that the same industrial design will be employed but with minor revisions.
For one, it is widely believed that the Apple will jettison the 3.5mm audio port that lead to an even thinner next iPhone profile.
The real upgrade, according to Apple Insider, is the 2017 model, which likely will get the honor of becoming the iPhone 7. "With the 2016 model expected to sport largely the same external appearance as the current iPhone 6s, a full-fledged "7" name may not be representative of how Apple intends to pitch the product," the report said.
In contrast, the iPhone that is scheduled to come out next year is touted by analysts to deliver the killer upgrades that will mark the 10th anniversary of the flagship phone. Ming-chi Kuo of KGI Securities said in a recent note that the 2017 iPhones will be all-glass or the improved version of the iPhone 4/4S build with components sandwiched by glass chassis.
Apple Insider said that another highlight of the iPhone next year is the use of "an OLED display with components like the FaceTime camera and earpiece integrated into the screen."
But for now, the next iPhone release date this 2016, still expected as the iPhone 7, is set to happen between September 12 and 16, 9to5Mac said, pointing to the recent tweets made by gadget tipster Evan Blass, also known as @evleaks.