New details revealed about the "Plus" or "Pro" variant of the upcoming 2016 flagship iPhone 7 show some key features and specifications of the handset. The prominent Japanese blog, Macotakara, shared the schematics of the iPhone 7 Plus, which show the radical changes that Apple has been rumoured to bring to its newest flagship for a while now.
It shows that the iPhone 7 Plus will do away with the 3.5mm headphone jack and include a dual-camera setup, something that has been talked about for some time. The missing headphone jack was said to reduce the thickness of the iPhone, but there seems to be no difference in the thickness of the handset as compared to its predecessor, the iPhone 6s Plus at 7.3mm, Gadgets360 reported.
Alongside the speaker grille at the bottom of the iPhone 7 Plus, the schematics show a kind of USB Type-C connector, which could be the source to connect earpods and charge the device. The leaked schematics also show a Smart Connector at the bottom of the rear panel, hinting at a new charging method for the iPhone 7 Plus. The antenna lines at the back of the phone are also missing, but that could be because the schematics are simply showing the hardware changes.
The volume rocker buttons and the silent switch along with the front panel design remain unchanged. This contradicts the recent reports, which speculated a Force Touch-enabled pressure-sensitive home button to conceal the iPhone's unibody to make it dust and water proof.
While rumours about the iPhone 7 are still fresh, there have been reports about the company's 2017 flagship, which is reportedly going to be called iPhone 8 instead of iPhone 7s. The jump in the model suggests that next year's flagship is going to be a major upgrade in terms of design and specifications.
According to a KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is known as the best Apple analyst, Apple is considering an all-glass design for iPhone 8 and ditch the aluminium chassis found in the current generation iPhones. The iPhone 8 will also feature AMOLED display to compensate for the added weight that comes with glass construction.
If Apple follows the annual tradition, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will be officially unveiled in September.
