Apple iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus rumor roundup: Leaked photos yet again confirm Force Touch home button

Apple's iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus have again been spotted in leaked photos. A set of photos show the Space Black variant and home button with Force Touch technology.

apple iphone 7s and 7s plus specification

If the recent reports are to be believed, Apple will be unveiling its new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus during the week of September 12. With less than two months to go, the leaks and rumors around the upcoming iPhones are showing no signs slowing down. With iPhone sales dipping globally, Apple will have a lot riding on the iPhone 7 to bring about a change in fortunes. The latest leaks give us a closer look at the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, and we should say they look sexy. Another leak also reiterates that the home button on the upcoming iPhones won’t be clickable. Hit the break for a closer look at the new leaks, and a roundup of everything that we know about the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus so far.

This isn’t the first time we have come across reports stating that the home button on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will boast Force Touch technology. A report onMacotakara reiterates that the home button on the upcoming iPhones won’t be clickable and will sit flush with the front of the device. Though you won’t be able to click the home button anymore, it will nonetheless offer haptic feedback similar to the trackpad on the MacBooks.

Apple iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus design

We have now come across a new set of photos courtesy of Techtastic, and a couple of unboxing videos on YouTube courtesy of Jonathan Morison of TLD. While the overall design remains unchanged, these new photos give us a very close look at the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus and we must admit they look sexy

In line with the earlier rumors, another aspect that differentiates the two iPhone variants is the camera. On the iPhone 7, there is one camera lens at the top-left corner, which is visibly bigger than the ones seen on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s. On the iPhone 7 Plus though, there is the rumored dual-lens camera that is likely to be the highlight of this variant.

New color variant The iPhone 6 was offered in Gold, Silver and Space Gray Color options. With the iPhone 6s, Apple introduced a new ‘Rose Gold’ color option. Now, with the iPhone 7, Apple is rumored to add yet another color variant called ‘Space Black.’ Rumors also point that it could be a slightly darker variant of the ‘Space Gray’ color. Renders of how the iPhone 7 would look in the new color, reveal what could possibly be our new favorite iPhone color.

Mute switch: There is still quite a few speculations about the mute switch. Recently, a couple of sketchy looking photos showed the iPhone 7 Plus without the mute switch. But the latest leaked video shows the mute switch exactly where you expect it to be. We don’t really expect Apple to do away with the switch just yet. For one, a company which is so obsessed with uniformity of its devices, won’t remove the feature from iPhone 7 Plus, while still having it on iPhone 7. We will have to wait until more leaks pour in to get more clarity.

Apple iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus Specifications

Chipset and RAM: The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are expected to be powered by Apple’s next-gen A10 processor. The current generation A9 processor is manufactured by Samsung and TSMC. Last year, the TSMC A9 processor was found to outperform the Samsung-made A9 chipset and current rumors suggest that the A10 processor could be solely manufactured by TSMC. Coming to the RAM, the iPhone 7 could continue with the same 2GB of RAM, whereas the iPhone 7 Plus could feature 3GB of RAM.

Storage: For the past few years, the base variant of iPhone comes with 16GB of onboard storage, out of which, only 12GB is user accessible. With a higher resolution camera that can capture 4K videos, graphics intense games and 64-bit apps for the iPhone, 16GB of storage is turning out to be too less. To address this, Apple is likely to do away with 16GB base variant and make 32GB the new standard, starting with iPhone 7. Just like the iPad Pro with 256GB onboard storage, the iPhone 7 could also get a 256GB version.

Battery: A few months ago, we came across a sketchy rumor stating that the iPhone 7 will boast a slightly larger battery. Now, according to new leaks, the Apple iPhone 7 will ship with a 1,960mAh battery, compared to 1,715mAh battery on the iPhone 6s. While this is a jump of 14 percent, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the new iPhone will offer 14 percent better battery life. The jump in battery capacity may be required to handle the processing power required by the next-generation Apple A10 processor.

One thing is clear right from the onset, Apple isn’t making a lot of changes on the design front, but there are enough tweaks to keep things new. The most visible of them is the moving of the antenna lines, which have now been pushed to the top and bottom edges. The camera cutout at the top-left corner is also much larger than previous iPhones, as the iPhone 7 is expected to boast a much improved camera.

The video reiterates that Apple is ditching the 3.5mm audio jack. The Lightning Port will now be used for charging as well as audio. Recently, an alleged pair of earpods with a Lightning connector was also spotted online that adds weight to these leaks.

Apple iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus features

Waterproofing: One of the highlights of the Samsung Galaxy 7 and Galaxy S7 edge is the water and dust resistant capabilities, allowing users to use the phone in the rain or submerge it under 1.5 meters of water for up to 30 minutes without damaging the internals. The current iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus does unofficially sport some sort of water resistant capabilities, and the feature could officially make way to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

Cameras: The dual-camera setup is expected to be the highlight of the iPhone 7 Plus variant. Based on what we have come across so far, one of the lenses is expected to capture still photos, while the other lens could be used for 2-3x optical zoom and for improved low-light performance. Last year, Apple acquired a camera technology firm LinX, which specializes in dual-lens technology. Recently, an Apple patent showed off a split-screen viewfinder – allowing users to view full image in the wide-angle lens and zoom in with the telephoto lens.

Other rumors also suggest that we could see a quad speaker setup for enhanced audio experience, long distance wireless charging from a distance of up to 15 feet and more. However, it remains to be seen what all rumored features finally make way to the Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.