May was an interesting month for iPhone 7 rumors.
Most notably, one of the biggest recent rumors claimed theiPhone 7 will actually be part of the iPhone 6 family, which means it might not be called the iPhone "7" at all.
Several other rumors appeared that also contradict a bunch of previous rumors, too.
Want to know the latest? Here's everything we're hearing about the iPhone 7.
It might NOT be called the iPhone 7.
Based on Apple's historical nomenclature for its iPhone generations, many predicted the next iPhone will be called the iPhone 7.
However, recent rumors from Japanese news site Nikkei spotted by 9to5Mac claim that the "iPhone 7" will actually be a new member of the iPhone 6 family instead of a brand new iPhone generation with a new model number, like "7."
That would be a completely new move by Apple, but if other rumors about the next iPhone are true, it wouldn't be totally outlandish.
Since we're even less certain than before about what it'll be called, we'll call it "the next iPhone" from now on.
There will be two different models with different screen sizes.
The next iPhone will likely come in two sizes just like the iPhone 6 generation, including the standard 4.7-inch screen model as well as a Plus model with a 5.5-inch screen.
It'll look a lot like the iPhone 6/6s.
A rendered mockup of the iPhone 7 with redesigned antenna bands made by MacRumors.
So far, just about every rumor indicates that the next iPhone won't look that much differentthan the iPhone 6 and 6s, including rumors from 9to5Mac and case leaks from notorious gadget leaks Steve Hemmerstoffer.
Most recently, leaked schematics of the alleged next iPhone make it look almost identical to the iPhone 6/6s generation, which helps back up claims that the next iPhone will be part of the iPhone 6 family rather than a new iPhone generation that would usually come with a total redesign.
There's a new dual-lens camera, but it might be exclusive to the bigger Plus model.
The Plus model of the next iPhone might come with a dual camera, according to a report by the prominent Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from KGI Securities (via MacRumors). So far, no rumor indicate that the standard model will have a dual camera, as well.
Leaked images of a dual camera module apparently destined for the iPhone 7 came from a Taiwanese Apple Blog, Apple.Club.tw, and another set was also discovered by MacRumors.
There was also a case allegedly designed for the next iPhone leaked from Steve Hemmerstoffer's Twitter account, @onleaks. showing a camera cutout that looks wide enough to accommodate a dual lens camera. The pictures were leaked via gadget Steve Hemmerstoffer's Twitter account, @onleaks.
The schematics pictured above showing an alleged Plus model of the next iPhone with a 5.5-inch screen and a dual lens camera were leaked from a Japanese Apple magazine.
It could be THICKER than the iPhone 6s rather than thinner.
At first, it was rumored by Fast Company that the next iPhone could be even thinner than the iPhone 6s.
However, this is one of the few rumors that several leaked schematics, most recently from Czech tech site letemsvetemapplem.eu, don't back up, as it shows a 7.3mm iPhone Plus, whereas the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus are 6.9mm and 7.1mm, respectively.
The camera will continue to bulge out on both models.
It was initially rumored that the camera "wart," as many called it, might finally disappear in the next iPhone.
According to MacRumors, Apple was going to use a thinner camera module that would let the camera sit flush against the back. The protruding camera on the back of the iPhone 6 and 6s were a big complaint people had with the iPhone's design.
Yet, a leaked photos intercepted by AppleInsider and recent schematics suggests that the cameras on both of the next iPhone models will still protrude.
It won't be made of metal.
So far, Apple has used three main materials for the iPhone: plastic, glass, and metal.
Now, the next iPhone 7 might be dressed in mysterious "new compound materials", according to DigiTimes.
However, no new rumors about the "new materials" have emerged since then, so it might be a dud rumor.
It'll survive drops in water.
The "new compound materials" combined with a lack of headphone jack could make the next iPhone 7 the most waterproof iPhone yet, according to DigiTimes.
It could have a Smart Connector.
A picture of the alleged next iPhone's back from a sketchy source was leaked to AppleInsider, as well as the leaked schematics mentioned earlier, reveal three dots on the bottom of the device that look like the Smart Connector you'd find on the new iPad Pro.
However, more recently leaked schematics show that the next iPhone won't have a Smart Connector. It's hard to tell which one is correct, as leaked schematics could come from any stage of the next iPhone's development. And it's not even certain if the leaked schematics are even real.
It's not entirely clear what a Smart Connector's role would be on an iPhone. On the iPad Pro, the Smart Connector lets you magnetically attach and connect the Smart Keyboard. Yet, a recently granted patent filed by Apple suggests that it has at least been toying with the idea of a Smart Connector on an iPhone.
The white plastic stripes won't be so visible.
Those white plastic antenna bands you see on the top and bottom of the iPhone 6 and 6s (as well as the Plus models) might be gone in the next iPhone, according to DigiTimes.
Rumors from Chinese site CN Beta via Phone Arena suggested the antenna bands will still be present, but they'll be redesigned so they're not as visible.
Indeed, leaked schematics shows the bands going across the iPhone's back itself have been banished, leaving only the bands that go along the top and bottom edges of the iPhone.
They're necessary on metal iPhones to allow a cellular signal in and out, as the aluminum casing acts as a barrier. Getting rid of the antenna bands is one of the reasons being reported for Apple's "new compound materials."
It won't have a headphone jack.
The next iPhone might not have a headphone jack, according to Japanese Apple blog Mac Otakara (via Apple Insider), which could make your old pair of headphones with a 3.5mm connector obsolete.
Leaked images of a case supposedly designed for the next iPhone, as well the aforementioned leaked schematics, also suggest the headphone jack will be missing.
That means we could be using the iPhone's Lightning port for listening to music, which is usually used for charging. The other option is to use Bluetooth headphones.
If the rumors are true, Apple and other audio hardware companies would probably sell adapters so you can connect your old 3.5mm headphones to the iPhone's Lightning port.
It might have two speakers.
A second speaker might reside where the old 3.5mm used to be, according to a Barclay's report obtained by MacRumors.
The same leaked images of the purported next iPhone case showing a missing headphone jack also show gaps in the case for two speakers.
However, this is another rumor the leaked schematics don't back up, as they show only one set of speakers, like the current iPhone 6s generation has.
If Apple will indeed ditch the headphone jack, it might as well fill that space with something useful!
It'll come with Lightning EarPods.
If the next iPhone doesn't have a headphone jack, that means the EarPods Apple includes with the iPhone will need a Lightning connector. So, we'll probably see new EarPods with Lightning connectors come with the next iPhone, according to 9to5Mac.
It could make all headphones noise-canceling.
The next Phone could make any of your headphones noise-canceling with special software running with new audio components to make the Lightning port better suited for audio, according to Fast Company.
The current iPhone already uses noise-canceling technology to drown out ambient sound during phone calls so you can hear, and be heard, more clearly, even in a noisy environment.
It might have wireless charging.
We might be charging the next iPhone wirelessly, according to Fast Company.
Wireless charging could be another option for charging the next iPhone now that its main method of charging (with the Lightning port) could be used for listening to music.
Indeed, I tried using Lightning headphones for a week, and I found myself unable to charge my iPhone while I was listening to music.
It might not have a home button.
The iPhone's home button that you mechanically press down, as well as the fingerprint sensor, could be replaced by an invisible touch sensor on the next iPhone, according toDigitTimes via tech site i4U.
Yet, we still clearly see a home button in leaked schematics, but there's no indication whether or not it's a touch button rather than a mechanical button.
It'll run Apple's new A10 chip.
The nextPhone will run on a new chip that's being called the "A10," according to Cult of Mac.
The iPhone 6s' A9 chip makes it the most powerful phone you can buy at the moment, and the A10 is supposedly even more powerful and efficient. It also has technology that will apparently give the next iPhone better cellular performance, which means it could have better reception and retain stronger data and cellular connections than previous iPhones.
It'll have a bigger battery.
Rumors from Chinese site MyDrivers.com claim the next iPhone will have a bigger battery than the iPhone 6s generation battery.
Above is an image leak from 9to5Mac of the alleged battery destined for the next iPhone that's also bigger than the iPhone 6s generation.
However, the first leak claims the Plus model of the next iPhone will get a 3,100 mAh battery while the second leak claims it'll have a 2,810 mAh battery. Obviously, it's not clear which leak is true, or if either are true at all.
Apple will announce it in September.
Like the last several iPhone models, Apple will probably announce the next iPhone in early September. It should come out a week or two after that.
And it'll cost at least $650.
The iPhone 6s without a two-year contract sells for $649, and the iPhone 6s Plus $749. Most iPhones before them cost the same, so we predict that Apple will sell the next iPhone for a similar price.
Now that US carriers aren't offering two-year contracts anymore, you can't buy iPhones for $200.
From now on, you'll either pay the entire cost of the iPhone up front, or pay for it in monthly installments using either your carrier's monthly payment plan, or Apple's own payment plan.
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