After a long wait, we officially know the release date for the iPhone 7, probably the most anticipated smartphone of the year. Apple has sent out invitations for a special event on September 7, where it is widely expected to unveil the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
The iPhone 7 is not expected to see any major design tweaks, and is tipped to look similar to the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, a departure from Apple’s traditional tick-tock cycle. Initial rumours had suggested that to emphasise the minimal upgrades in this year’s offerings, Apple might call the next iPhone the iPhone 6SE, though the prominent placement of ‘7th’ on the invite should put those rumours to bed.
iPhone 7 price
Apple is expected to keep the same price points as previous generations for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, with of course a large premium for the top-end 256GB variant. Another leak tips pricing of the rumoured variants – the 32GB variant of the iPhone 7 is said to be priced at CNY 5,288 (roughly Rs. 52,900), the 64GB variant at CNY 6,088 (roughly Rs. 60,900), and the 256GB at CNY 7,088 (roughly Rs. 70,900). The iPhone 7 Plus is expected to be priced at CNY 6,088 (roughly Rs. 60,900) for the 32GB variant, CNY 6,888 (roughly Rs. 68,900) for the 128GB variant, and CNY 7,888 (roughly Rs. 78,900) for the256GB variant.
The iPhone 7 price in India is expected to bear a slight premium over a direct conversion, as always.
iPhone 7 launch date
Noted tipster Evan Blass has maintained that the iPhone will be launched in the week of September 12, to a specific September 16 launch date for the US market, which means that is the date it will become available in the market. Later on, it was reported that the pre-orders will begin on September 9, both of which are in line with the September 7 unveiling.
iPhone 7 specifications
Apple has traditionally employed a single iPhone version number across two years, adding an ‘s’ to mark an iterative improvement in the second, such as the iPhone 6s with respect to the iPhone 6. The company with the iPhone 6 in 2014 also started introducing two models a generation, with one catering to small screen aficionados, and the other ‘Plus’ variant providing a phablet-style large display. It is expected to do so this year as well.
Apart from the confusion surrounding the name, most other rumours are rather plausible. The next iPhone is expected to feature camera improvements in both models, with the smaller 4.7-inch offering tipped to get optical image stabilisation, and the larger 5.5-inch offering tipped to sport a dual camera setup. The Cupertino giant is expected to use a new Apple A10 SoC to power both devices, with the company also rumoured to bump up the memory alongside to 3GB of RAM.
Apple is also anticipated to bump up the base storage variant from 16GB to 32GB. Alongside the upgraded base storage rumour, the company is expected to boost the storage capacity of the top-end variant from 128GB to 256GB. The 64GB variant is also anticipated to be replaced by the 128GB variant – thus, we can expect Apple to release its next-generation iPhone models in 32GB, 128GB, and 256GB storage variants.
Another rumour that is seeing fewer and fewer contradictory reports as time passes, is the removal of the 3.5mm audio jack on the next iPhone models. Apple is speculated to have made the decision to do away with the current standard for audio connectivity for three reasons – to ensure the next model is very slim; to ensure the next model is waterproof (thus has minimal, easy-to-protect ports); and to give users better audio quality through the Lightning port instead. The Lightning port can also power active noise cancellation in headphones that offer it. The company is variously also rumoured to include a Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter in the box, or Lightning-power EarPods instead. The removal of the jack may see the addition of dual-speaker grilles as well.
Apple is also rumoured to boost the display resolution of its next iPhone models. The current iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus sport resolutions of 750×1334 pixels and 1080×1920 pixels currently, while the corresponding iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are expected to sport resolutions of 1080×1920 pixels and 1440×2560 pixels respectively. Apple is also tipped to include a Space Black variant this time around, though a Space Blue variant was also rumoured alongside the removal of the Space Grey colour option.
Finally, Apple is expected to make the next iPhone available in its stores in the US from September 16, with carrier availability tipped for September 23.
Are you excited about Apple’s next iPhone? Let us know via the comments section below.
[“source-gadgets.ndtv”]