2 likely feature upgrades for iPhone 7, 7 Plus release date: Camera redesign & rear antenna band removal

Apple is expected to correct the flaws identified on the iPhone 6S last and the latest reports indicated indeed that in time for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus 2016 release date, two key feature upgrades will reflect such adjustments. Specifically, the next iPhone will have a redesigned camera and a prettier back panel.

The unsightly antenna band that runs across the iPhone 6 and 6S back plate will be removed come the iPhone 7 unboxing, MacRumors reported. Or more correctly, the important smartphone part will be pushed further to the edge with the aim of rendering the next iPhone more beautiful than its immediate predecessors.

MacRumors said that iPhone 7 buyers will be treated to "a cleaner all-metal look on the back," and this will be made possible by "the removal of antenna bands across the rear." For fans concerned of the likely signal weakness as a result of the aesthetic revision, the report assured that such will be hardly the case.

"Antenna bands at the sides and around the top and bottom edges are said to remain," the blog report stated.

And to complete the design rewrite, the same report claimed that both the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will be using "a thinner camera module," and the immediate benefit is the disappearance of the protruding camera lens seen in the last two iterations. This is in line with the persistent rumors that 2016 iPhones will be slimmer than the last build.

All the same, the camera redesign will not compromise the system quality as the latest buzz from Asia pointed to an even better shooting package for the next iPhone. DigiTimes said in a new report that is becoming more apparent that dual-lens camera system will unpack with the upcoming iPhones this year.

The Taiwanese publication based its claim on reports that Apple is already testing dual-lens camera samples submitted by its Taiwan-based contractors and chief among them is current iPhone 6S and 6S Plus camera supplier Largan Technology. The report, however, clarified that dual-lens camera system appears exclusive for the phablet-size iPhone 7 Plus.

Release date of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus is not expected until the second half of 2016 but Apple is rumored to rollout a 4-inch version of its flagship that will reportedly take the name iPhone 5SE. Unveiling of the device, which will likely run on iOS 9.3, is March 2016 while the actual availability will be on the following month or April.

Meanwhile, watch the latest iPhone 7 concept by YouTuber Armend Lleshi: