A fresh iPhone 7 leak has reinforced the now widely held assumption that the handset's design will not change dramatically, but could come with one or two controversial additions.
The scoop, published in the June issue of Japanese magazine MacFan, appears to show Apple's next 5.5ins device, while the regular 4.7ins iPhone 7 may have made a cameo appearance too.
It also puts the idea that Apple could launch three handsets this September firmly back on the table – meaning 2016 could see the introduction of four new smartphones, as Apple has already released the iPhone SE.
Corroborating recent whispers, the leak appears to hint at the next Apple flagship device using the same aluminium chassis style introduced in 2014 on the iPhone 6.
Interestingly, if the drawings come true, the iPhone 7 won't be any thinner than the iPhone 6S and could actually be thicker than the iPhone 6 – it's tipped to come in at 0.28ins by the magazine. MacRumors says these dimensions go against some of the figures tipped by analysts, including the ever-reliable Ming-Chi Kuo, and that MacFan has got sizes wrong before - but it is a publication which has offered up accurate information in the past.
No headphone jack - and no dual speaker
It's not particularly surprising that no headphone jack features on the schematics, but everything else surrounding its disappearance is.
Firstly, this leak asserts that the iPhone 7 isn't getting any slimmer – one of the reasons said to be behind the jack's disappearance – and secondly, the often rumoured second speaker which could sit in the port's place doesn't appear to be there neither. There's only one set of speaker holes on the bottom. According toForbes's Gordon Kelly, this would be a "missed opportunity" if it happens to be true.
Dual camera, but on an "iPhone Pro"
More evidence stacks up to suggest Apple will introduce a dual camera iPhone this autumn and while it's still fairly open for interpretation as to how the company will play the upgrade, this leak goes with the angle that it is making three handsets for September.
The pictures show two camera apertures housed within a bulging, pill-shaped frame on a mooted "iPhone Pro"– a 5.5ins device that would sit atop the similarly sized iPhone 7 Plus and the 4.7ins standard iPhone 7.
Fortune argues differently. It believes the "Plus" nomenclature is simply set to be dropped in favour of "Pro".
Smart connector
Three dots lie on the rear of the device near the bottom, indicating that the iPhone 7 Pro will be getting a Smart Connector at least.
It's unclear if this means it will have a range of accessories similar to the iPad Pro, but it could be there for a different purpose – charging.
Some third-party accessories for the iPad Pro have confirmed that you can charge a device through the Smart Connector, so it could be a secondary charging port - a necessity, given that the Lightning port now has to handle headphones, too.
The Next Web is less than convinced. It says the connector's position on the handset could cause headaches for casemakers.
What else?
Keen followers of the iPhone 7 trail will notice the drawings strongly resemble a photograph of an alleged iPhone 7 Plus which entered the rumour mill last month and was picked up by the likes of MacRumors.
Tech Insider says the March picture was picked up by several reliable sources and publications and now that it seems to have been corroborated, we could be looking at the real deal. MacFans has been accurate in the past, although it is possible the drawings are just replicas of earlier leaks which have yet to be proven true.
An iPhone with a single camera lens fitted to its rear can be seen in the top left corner of magazine spread. It's not completely clear, but the camera aperture appears to be larger than that currently used on the iPhone 6S, a rumour that has been floated for the iPhone 7 in the past so it's possible the leak includes images of both the dual-camera iPhone 7 "Pro" and the base handset.
iPhone 7 will be 'boring but revolutionary'
27 April
The most recent line on Apple's upcoming iPhone 7 is that it might not be a sales hit. It's no longer expected to pack many exciting new features and could look very similar to the 2015 phone.
Which is not particularly good news when you consider the tech giant's latest results, which have seen an end to 50 consecutive year-on-year quarters of growth.
Nevertheless, the iPhone 7 could start a mini revolution, even if it fails to grab customers.
When the phone is revealed in September, it is expected to be without a headphone jack in a bid to make the handset slimmer than the iPhone 6S and pack in a dual-speaker system.
Now there's evidence to suggest that the wider technology industry could copy Apple's move.
According to 9 to 5 Mac, chipmaker Intel is also keen to eliminate the headphone jack in favour of a USB type-C port. The company has pitched the idea to developers and cites a "strong desire" from the industry to replace the analogue port with a smaller, digital setup.
It could be irritating for consumers, as such a transition would render most headphones obsolete, but The Independent says manufacturers see plenty of reasons for the move – the jack only really has one use and takes up a lot of space inside devices.
As such, BGR believes it's possible the iPhone 7 could "lay the groundwork for a massive shift in the industry".
Apple's new flagship phone is likely to use the Lightning port over the USB type-C. Some smartphone-makers are already selling handsets with the USB port, including a trio of phones recently released by Chinese manufacturer LeEco.
However, Apple and Intel's "coordinated attack" could strike a fatal blow compared to the small number of handsets ditching the headphone jack right now.
iPhone 7: Home button could be completely overhauled
26 April
While recent rumours surrounding the iPhone 7 have turned sour, a new angle suggests Apple could use its next flagship handset to pave the way towards eliminating the home button on future iPhones.
A report from Taiwanese website Digitimes, picked up and interpreted byMacRumors, says Apple could introduce a touch sensitive home button to sit completely flush with the phone's face.
The site adds that the source has a hit and miss track record, but there are one or two shreds of evidence out there which could back up the idea.
For instance, there have been claims that Apple is interested in developing new displays with integrated fingerprint scanners, meaning that a physical home button would no longer be needed as the function would be embedded into the display.
Compared to more consistent iPhone 7 rumours, reports backing up the fingerprint scanning display are thin on the ground, but there's a second way a more anonymous home button could incorporated – by constructing it using pressure sensitive, malleable materials.
Recently, Apple was granted a patent for a Liquidmetal home button that changes shape when pressure is applied to it but returns to the original once the user removes their finger or thumb. The company has held rights to use the material since 2010, but has yet to incorporate it into the design of any of its iOS devices.
By using Liquidmetal, the home button could change from being a part housed separately from the phone's casing to being a flush patch on the device's face.
According to BGR, this could begin a transition to a completely buttonless future for the iPhone.
AppleInsider notes that the rumour falls in line with other iPhone 7 design whispers, such as the suggestion that Apple will remove the camera bump seen on the back of the iPhone 6 generation handsets. If it all plays out, the next iPhone could be completely flush all round.
Away from the potential design change, another possible iPhone 7 feature has been touted – it could be fully waterproof and dustproof, too.
iPhone 7: Fans warned not to expect any killer features
25 April
More clouds are gathering over the iPhone 7 after further thoughts from respected analyst Ming Chi-Kuo on why the handset might not be a hit.
In a new research note obtained by 9to5 Mac, Kuo says he doesn't see "many attractive selling points for the iPhone 7" and that Apple could sell fewer handsets than in 2014.
He points again to his belief that the tech giant won't introduce a heavily revised handset until 2017, when it could get an all-glass casing, new screen size and an OLED display.
The iPhone 7 is expected to arrive in September with a form factor resembling that currently used on the iPhone 6 generation handsets, albeit with one or two tweaks.
The antenna bands are set to be repositioned so they don't loop around the rear, the headphone jack is strongly rumoured to have gone and a dual-camera setup could find its way onto some versions.
Features already on key rivals' smartphones, such as the wireless charging capabilities of the Samsung Galaxy S7, may still not arrive this year.
According to Kuo, these changes won't be big enough to avoid iPhone sales going into decline. In a worst case scenario, the company could ship 18.1 per cent fewer handsets than it did last year, roughly 190 million compared to 230 million units. At best, he expects Apple to ship 205 million devices.
Most analysts expect a figure of between 210-230 million, but Kuo's history of reliable leaks and predictions means it is his worst case scenario figure that is getting attention ahead of the iPhone 7's launch.
iPhone 7: 7S will make way for iPhone 8, says report
22 April
Apple is planning to ditch its usual "S" model refresh in favour of only one iPhone 7 cycle, according to a note picked up by Fortune.
The news corroborates the claims of respected KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said the handset may be heavily revised in 2017 instead of having an all-guns-blazing release this September.
The report, from Barclays analyst Mark Moskowitz, says the iPhone 7 will not come with significant form factor changes and should, headphone jack rumours aside, look vastly similar to the iPhone 6 generation handsets, with "a few tweaks and updated components".
Compared to the big changes between iPhones 5 and 6, the relatively minor upgrades between iPhones 6 and 7 could leave fans "sorely disappointed", says the site.
Were Apple to deliver a new handset based around fine-tuning of the current iPhone platform this year, it would be a big break away from the firmly entrenched update cycle the company has used since 2009.
As such, things could change dramatically on the iPhone front next year, with an iPhone 8, featuring all the developments that were assumed to be coming to the iPhone 7, taking the place of a 7S model.
Moskowitz says the iPhone 8's redesign could extend to OLED displays, wireless charging and the possibility of there being "no home button".
He added that while the iPhone 7 may not be a sales hit this year, a radically overhauled iPhone 8 could supercharge demand by as much as 10.8 per cent.
The report links up nicely with the rumours from earlier in the week, suggesting that Apple will launch an entirely different, all-glass-finish handset next year.
iPhone 7: iPhone 7S could be dropped for iPhone 8
20 April
While it's expected that September's iPhone 7 will feature a design not too dissimilar to what we have now with the iPhone 6S, more and more rumours about Apple's iPhone plans for 2017 are hitting the net.
The latest word on Apple's handset for next year comes from the ever-reliable Apple analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, whose most recent report on what to expect from the tech giant in the near future has been picked up by MacRumors.
Kuo predicts the company will step away from aluminium phone cases and will, from 2017, revert to glass construction in a bid to differentiate the iPhone from key competitors.
More specifically, he points out expectations that the iPhone will decline this year, motivating Apple to find new ways to make its smartphone stand out. An entirely new design should be on the cards then, as so far, iPhone 7 rumours suggest a handset with a form factor similar to that of the iPhone 6S, the much-speculated loss of the headphone jack notwithstanding.
Apple has used metal casings one way or another since the introduction of the iPhone 5 in 2012, so bringing back an iPhone 4S-inspired form factor marks a significant change.
MacRumors adds more details. For instance, Kuo believes that aluminium phones will account for around 40 per cent of the iPhone range in 2017, indicating that it is quite likely that the iPhone 7 will be aluminium when it arrives later this year.
More specifically, he points out expectations that the iPhone will decline this year, motivating Apple to find new ways to make its smartphone stand out to consumers.
While the analyst notes that the switch could cause durability issues – a glass case would be more likely to smash and fail a drop test in comparison to an aluminium one – he believes that the added weight would be offset by an exciting new hardware introduction: OLED displays.
The screens have been on the iPhone rumour mill for a while now and while the earliest whispers suggested Apple would wait until 2018 to upgrade from LCD units, more recent leaks point at OLED iPhones being available next year, with a 5.8ins handset with a curved display even touted by some.
The 5.8ins OLED handset is a rumour which has crept back into view, but for a different reason than originally. At first, some believed Apple could introduce such a device as an "iPhone Pro", but now, given that a reliable source has indicated the company could completely overhaul its smartphone line-up next year, it could be that 5.8ins is the standard size of 2017's iPhone Pro display.
And according to The Verge, such a device could slip into a form factor the same size or smaller than currently seen with the iPhone 6S Plus. Utilising narrower bezels and a curved OLED display would mean the display could fit into a casing smaller than the one used by the iPhone 6S. It could also come with wireless charging, a feature lacking on current iOS devices, as well as "new biometric security features".
If Apple does introduce a heavily overhauled iPhone in 2017, it would be a radical departure from the firm's current refresh cycle of introducing a brand new handset every two years, with a hardware fettled "S" model in-between.
Forbes says that Apple abandoning its "tick/tock" upgrade pattern suggests that rather than this proposed glass handset being an iPhone 7S, it could be the iPhone 8 and that this year's 7 will feature only minor upgrades ahead of the company pulling out all the stops in 2017.
Why would Apple do this? The site notes that 2017 marks ten years since the introduction of the first iPhone, so the firm could have surprises hidden up its sleeve.
Regardless of Kuo's reputation as a legitimate and well informed Apple leaker, rumours surrounding Apple's 2017 handset must be taken with a grain of salt, especially considering this year's iPhone 7 is still months from reveal.
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