Last year, iPhone 6S series, despite featuring an innovative 3D Touch feature, failed to garner interest among buyers. This apparently led to steep decline in Apple's revenue for the first time since the launch ofthe first generation iPhone in 2007.
In 2016, Apple has got its task cut out as arch rival Samsung is making merry with record Galaxy S7 series sales. The Cupertino-based Apple is now in a catch-22 situation and it has no choice but to equip stand-out features in iPhone 7 series to outgun its rival.
To provide a better perspective on upcoming Apple smartphone, we sifted through numerous reliable reports and lined up key features, price and expected release details of the iPhone 7 series.
Design and display:
As per recent reports, Apple is expected to keep iPhone 6S series design language for iPhone 7, but with some cosmetic changes.
Apple's 4.7-inch iPhone 7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus (aka Pro) images leaked by NoWhereElse shows them having a slim body with curved corners similar to the iPhone 6S series, but the white plastic antennae lines have been moved to the top and bottom edges.
The previous generation device had two antennae lines, one surrounding primary camera module and another at the bottom, just below the iPhone brand details.
In the leaked image, we also noticed that the camera module looks bigger compared to the 2015 model, hinting that the new camera will have larger lens to absorb more light and deliver higher quality images.
Read more: Apple iPhone 7, 7 Plus images leaked; design language, camera details revealed
On the other hand, Apple's 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus is also expected to boast a dual camera module like we see in LG G5 series.
Rumour has it that Apple will ditch 3.5mm audio jack with USB Type port, which also doubles up as power port. If this turns out to be true, it is unlikely to go down well with fans, as users will not be able to listen to the music while charging the phone.
Processor, RAM and storage:
Like all previous editions, new iPhone 7 series will have new generation processors. This year, it is said to boast Apple A10 processor, which is said to be faster and more efficient than A9 processor seen in iPhone 6S series. It will be backed by sumptuous 3GB RAM and new iOS 10 firmware.
We have also across reports that Apple has decided to ditch the 16GB storage for the base variant; instead it will be incorporating 32GB memory. And also 64GB will be replaced by 128GB as the mid-segment model and top-end model will have 256GB storage.
However, all three storage models will not have microSD card option.
Battery:
Popular Twitter spy, OnLeaks citing reliable sources in China, has claimed that the new 4.7-inch iPhone 7 will have 1,960mAh battery, 14 percent more than iPhone 6S (1,715mAh).
However, there is no word on how much battery capacity iPhone 7 Plus will have. If the smaller model is getting an upgrade, then it is safe to assume that 5.5-inch variant will also have the same (if not more) increment in battery capacity.
Camera:
There is no word on the exact pixel-count, but leaked images have revealed that the 4.7-inch model iPhone 7 will have a big lens with camera module, whereas the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus will have a dual-camera with wide-angle image capturing technology.
Price:
If the sources of Mobipicker are to be believed, the 4.7-inch iPhone 7—32GB,128GB and 256GB will cost 5258 Yuan (around $787/€708/Rs. 52,620), 6088 Yuan (around $911/€819/Rs.60,923) and 7088 Yuan (around $1,060/€954/Rs.70,871), respectively.
On the other hand, 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus models -32GB,128GB and 256GB will set you back by 6088 Yuan (around $911/€819/Rs.60,923), 6888 Yuan (around $1,031/€927/Rs.68,933), and 7888 Yuan (around $1,180/€1,062/Rs.78,870), respectively.
Colour options:
This year, Apple is expected to release gold, rose gold, silver, space gray as seen in iPhone 6S series, In addition to these, the company is rumoured to re-introduce the space black colour model, which was last seen in iPhone 5s series in 2013.
Release date:
Like previous years, Apple is expected to host the annual smartphone launch event in September and release it to the market within two weeks after the unveiling.
Watch this space for more updates, as there will a steady stream of iPhone 7 leaks as we get closer to September.
