We are less than 14 hours away from the Apple iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and Apple Watch 2 launch event. Ahead of the official unveiling, here’s what to expect from the new iPhones and Apple Watch 2.
The day loyal Apple fans have been patiently waiting for is finally here. Apple is all widely expected to take the wraps off the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus smartphones along with the next-gen Apple Watch 2, later today. The unveiling event will take place at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco and the keynote speech is set to kick off at 10:30PM IST. If you’re not one of those attending the event, you can watch the live streaming from an iOS device, Mac or a laptop or PC running on Windows 10 OS. Numerous leaks over the past few months have already revealed crucial details about the upcoming smartphones and wearable.
The new iPhones are expected to bring major under the hood improvements, including a more powerful chipset, improved waterproofing, better cameras, slightly larger RAM and dual-camera setup on the iPhone 7 Plus. Along with larger batteries, double onboard storage compared to existing iPhone 6s-family, the new iPhones are also expected to be offered in new color options. That’s not all; Apple is also likely to ditch the 3.5mm audio jack on the new iPhones, and use the Lightning connector instead. Here’s what you can expect from Apple’s new iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and Apple Watch 2.
Apple iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus design and color options
Traditionally, Apple has been refreshing the design of its iPhones after every two generations. The iPhone 4, the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 6 came with major design changes, whereas the ‘s’ variants — iPhone 4s, iPhone 5s and iPhone 6s continued with the same design, albeit under the hood hardware upgrades, more like a tick-tock cycle. However, that may not be the same with the iPhone 7, as Apple is reportedly opting for tick-tock-tock cycle.
Most users never liked those ugly and distracting antenna bands at the back of the iPhones. Apple understands that, and is likely to push those along the top and bottom edges of the panel, thus giving the new iPhones a much cleaner look. The new iPhones are also expected to be slightly thinner, yet made from stronger materials. In terms of color options, a new ‘dark black’ color variant to replace the space gray variant, a piano black color variant with glossy finish is also expected – which may be offered in limited quantities and possibly restricted to higher storage variant. Other three colors could be the same as existing – silver, gold and rose gold.
Apple iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus specifications
Chipset and RAM: The new iPhones are likely to be powered by Apple’s 64-bit A10 processors clocked at up to 2.4GHz. While the iPhone 7 could sport 2GB of RAM, the iPhone 7 Plus could come with a slightly higher 3GB of RAM. As always, we expect Apple to announce significant performance improvement over the A9 chipset that powered the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. A leaked benchmark result suggests that the A10 processor would be more powerful than Qualcomm’s latest and greatest Snapdragon 820 processor, which powers almost all Android flagship smartphones.
Cameras: While the iPhone 6-series was equipped with an 8-megapixel rear camera, the iPhone 6s-series got the required upgrade with 12-megapixel sensor (aperture f/2.2). Now, while camera resolution on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus is expected to be the same, Apple is likely to go with a larger aperture of f/1.9 for better low-light photography. While the iPhone 7 camera module is expected to come with OIS (optical image stabilization) support that was missing in the iPhone 6s, the iPhone 7 Plus is expected to sport dual camera module at the back.
Display: A few weeks ago, we came across rumors that Apple may give the new iPhones with the much-needed display resolution upgrades. However, in all likelihood, Apple may continue with 4.7-inch HD display on the iPhone 7 and 5.5-inch full HD (1080p) display on the iPhone 7 Plus. The resolution upgrades may come next year, when Apple is expected to shift from LCD panels to OLED panels. However, it could be possible that Apple goes for the true tone display feature that it introduced with the 9.7-inch iPad Pro.
Storage: For more than a couple of years, users had been complaining about 16GB storage not being sufficient for their storage needs. And finally, Apple may give the new iPhones the much-needed storage bump. The lineup is likely to start at 32GB, with other two variants sporting as much as 128GB and 256GB storage.
Battery: Both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are expected to pack 1,960mAh and 2,910mAh batteries, respectively. This would be approximately 14 percent bigger than the existing batteries.
Apple iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus features
Working of dual-camera: Earlier today, a massive leak revealed the expected working of dual cameras on the iPhone 7 Plus. Noted KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revealed that both modules will be of 12-megapixel resolution – a wide-angle lens and the other will be a telephoto lens. The system will not only replicate optical zoom-like functionality, both also boast ability for Lytro-style refocusing using ‘light field camera applications.’ Also, the LED flash module is likely to feature four True Tone flash – two cool and two warm tones. Apple may also add an ambient light sensor to ensure better low-light photographic capabilities of the cameras. The new iPhones could also support 4K video recording at 60fps, which would be made possible with the new A10 chipset.
Water resistance: Although not officially mentioned, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus did boast water resistance capabilities. Now, with the new iPhones, Apple is likely to improve the water resistance, allowing one to use it underwater too.
Touch ID button: Apple may also revamp the Touch ID fingerprint scanner. While the previous iPhones had clickable buttons, the new iPhones may come with capacitive touch buttons. It may also include pressure sensitive Force Touch support, just like the one on the new MacBook and MacBook Pro. This would also help with the water resistance of the new iPhones.
No 3.5mm audio jack: For years, audio on smartphones have been routed via a 3.5mm jack, but Apple is expected to take the leap by ditching the age-old connector. Instead, the audio will be routed via Lightning connector and Bluetooth. The new iPhones are likely to ship with Lightning port EarPods and a Lighting to 3.5mm connector. There had been rumors that Apple may also unveil truly wireless in-ear EarPods, which may come bundled with the top end 256GB variant.
Front facing speaker: Kuo’s note also mentioned that the ear piece would also double up as a speaker, which would improve the iPhone’s audio chops especially when users are watching videos. There were rumors that the new iPhones could also get the quad-speaker arrangement like the iPad Pro, but that’s unlikely to happen.