Apple's iPhone 7 is rumored to ditch headphone ports for a secondary stereo speaker. (Photo : YouTube/ adrianisen)
Soon after the launch of Apple's current flagship smartphones, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus last September, rumors and speculations have been flooding the Internet regarding the possible specs and features of the next renditions, which have been dubbed as iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
According to latest rumors, Apple is unlikely to ship its next-gen smartphone with Lightning EarPods, but may offer a pair of noise-cancelation Lightning headphones separately. A study undertaken by two Barclays, Blayne Curtis and Christopher Hemmelgan analysts stated that Apple will replace the 3.5 mm audio jack with a new secondary speaker, Apple Insider reported.
Apparently, Apple's plan to substitute the headphone port with an additional speaker is not only aimed at augmenting Apple's increasing revenue from iPhone sales, but the change will help to deliver better sound compared to the single speaker present on the iPhone 6S. In addition, the new secondary speaker will have the capacity to produce stereophonic sound.
The analysts further stated that the purported iPhone 7models are unlikely to incorporate the inbuilt noise cancellation feature of the supposed secondary speaker. On the contrary, rumors suggest that the next-gen smartphones will come with basic digital codec for audio. It is expected that the new feature will be available in the iPhone 7s models, which are expected to be launched in 2017.
Since every time the rumor mill has been suggesting that the iPhone 7 will offer support for earphones via the Lightning port, it is expected that Apple will incorporate Lightning-equipped headphones in the next-gen iPhone package, IB Times reported. In addition, latest rumors suggested that the Cupertino tech giant will also market wireless Bluetooth headphones with the iPhone 7 as optional accessory.
The rumors notwithstanding, Apple is still mum on the probable features of the next-gen iPhone models. However, there are speculations that the iPhone 7 as well as the iPhone 7 Plus will have water-resistant liquid-metal chassis. Latest rumors suggested that Japan Display, a major display supplier for Apple, is likely to supply the next-gen Pixel Eyes display, while will enable users to touch the device screen even with wet fingers and hands.
Watch the concept video of iPhone 7 below:
