As always, there have been rumours flying around about the launch of a new range of iPhones to mark the tenth anniversary of the first generation iPhone, which was released in 2007.
Following tradition, Apple is expected to release the fabled iPhone 8 (and now iPhone X) alongside the release of the iPhone 7s and 7s Plus this September. As exciting as this may seem for Apple heads with a yearning to get their teeth into some new tech, the subsequent online stir has gone some way to muddy the waters when it comes to defining the specs of this new fleet.
It is indeed the case that rumours have been flying around like hot cakes, if that’s what you’re into. For those of you more interested in the size of the iPhone screen, Apple are supposedly sticking with the 4.7” screen size for iPhone 7s and a 5.5“ screen size for iPhone 7s Plus. When it comes to the display itself, the internet has been rife with speculation about whether the 7s range will be moving over to the self-emissive OLED display or remaining with the transmissive LED display characteristic of Apple smartphones to date. Whilst an OLED display allows for a more curved screen, improved colour contrast and more favourable viewing from an angle, it would come at the cost of screen brightness, as well as the inclusion of fingerprint touch ID. Due to production restraints, the internet believes that Apple will not be including the OLED display, but instead increasing the refresh rate of their LED display to improve the viewing experience.
Possibly one of the most controversial topics of gossip so far has been the location of the touch ID pad. Following a myriad of leaked images and inside scoops, over the past few months this little circle of sensors has theoretically travelled the length and width of the device, front and back. However, in line with the aesthetics of previous iPhone models, personally I am glad that the consensus has settled with a front facing, less visible, touch ID sensor.
The design of the body yet again has the iPhone 7s range falling in line behind the iPhone 8. With the former awarded a body of aluminium alloy and the latter an entirely re-designed framework of stainless steel, no doubt there will be some serious cases of iPhone envy as they begin to flood the market.
Apple may be equipping the new iPhone 7s and 7s Plus with an A10x processor chip, first appearing in the iPad pro released June 2017 it was said to provide “performance that is faster than most PC laptops”. Apple is widely believed to not be equipping the 7s range with the A11 processor chip, which will incidentally be reserved for the iPhone 8.
The operating system is expected to be IOS 11, with 7s packing 2GB of RAM and the 7s Plus packing 3GB, and both models offered with either 64 GB or 256GB of internal storage.
By some accounts charging is set to remain within the realms of a wired connection, however the speculative nature of these claims means there could still be scope for wireless charging on the iPhone 7s and 7s Plus.
Given all this internet speculation, you would think that we have it pretty much figured out, however there is wide speculation that Apple may not be releasing the iPhone 7s, iPhone 7s Plus and iPhone 8 at all, but instead naming them iPhone 8, iPhone 8s and iPhone 8 pro (inside sources have even proclaimed an ‘iPhone X’). This nominal difference would in some ways prelude or even justify including the top tier technology in the higher end products only, a decision which would equip the iPhone 8 with wireless charging, dual vertical back cameras with a face ID ready front facing camera and a curved OLED display. Come September, there may be a lot of one-upmanship going on as these products have a mighty range of specifications.