iPhone 7 concept shows thintastic future without headphone jack

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iPhone-7-concept
And the ugly camera bulge is gone too.
Photo: Eric Huismann

Designer Eric Huismann has an an awesome idea of what the iPhone 7 might be like. It’s one that supports recent rumors. Get ready, because if he concept design ever becomes reality, your next iPhone might be missing one crucial hardware feature: the headphone jack.

Instead, he introduces the idea of wireless AirPods that connect to the iPhone via Bluetooth. Since the device will apparently be too thin to support a 3.5 mm headphone jack, the only ways to connect headphones will be through wireless connection or Lightning cable. Though as many people have pointed out, this would make charging your phone and listening to music very difficult if it becomes a reality.

Another interesting theory that Huismann implements is the swap-out of a standard mechanical Home button in favor of one that uses 3D Touch and haptic feedback. Much like when you use 3D Touch on your iPhone 6s display or Force Touch on a MacBook and feel them click, the Home button here would function the same way.

iphone-7-airpods-1024x576-2
The headphone jack might go the way of the floppy disk.
Photo: Erin Huismann

Huismann has made many other notable changes to the current iPhone’s design as well. For one, the antenna lines that still plague the back of the device are gone on his version of the iPhone 7. Plus the camera is now flush with the rest of the iPhone instead of jutting out from the back.

He predicts the iPhone 7 will come in mostly all of the same colors, except the space gray becomes a gloomy space black as pictured above. This is probably one of the least likely aspects of the concept to come true. Apple originally launched the iPhone 5 and first-gen iPad mini in a darker slate gray option before discontinuing that color in future models.

iphone-7-all-version-1024x576
Bigger isn’t always better for everyone.
Photo: Eric Huismann

Lastly, Huismann created a third iPhone model: the iPhone 7 Mini, which brings back the 4-inch form factor Apple was known for before the iPhone 6. It’s yet another rumor that’s been floating around lately, though many news outlets seem to think a new 4-inch iPhone will come months ahead of the iPhone 7. He also seems pretty hopeful about the low-end storage option finally getting the bump to 32GB while the top tiers remain at 32GB and 64GB.

Be sure to check out Huismann’s web page for full details of his iPhone 7 concept and additional photos. (Here’s the translated version from German to English.)

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