Manufacturers are gearing up for the iPhone 7, which means we’ll be getting our first blurry glimpses of what could potentially be Apple’s next-gen smartphone — courtesy of “leaked” iPhone 7 case pictures doing the rounds online.
Check them out below.
Let the leaks begin!… #Apple #iPhone7 pic.twitter.com/WBphT2zUsJ
— OnLeaks (@OnLeaks) March 9, 2016
What do the pictures tell us? Mainly that, if the images are accurate, Apple is indeed ditching the headphone jack (likely in favor of either wireless or Lightning EarPods). And that early reports of stereo speakers for iPhone 7 may also be more than just a cruel rumor to make us drool with anticipation.
Some eagle-eyed readers will note that the cutout for the camera appears to be double-size, too. However, while there have absolutely been rumors that Apple is investigating a dual-lens camera for the iPhone 7, for my money this gap is no bigger than that found on many iPhone 6s cases, which are that size to accommodate a single lens and the LED flash.
Don’t get too upset, though, as recent reports have suggested that Apple may offer an iPhone 7 Pro, rumored to be a larger device with the dual-lens camera as an exclusive.
Personally, these “leaked” iPhone case stories are some of my least favorite to cover. There’s so little way of knowing which come from some level of insider knowledge, and which (like the mockups we frequently see) are just guesses on the part of designers.
Still, this is enough of a starting point to have us gazing coldly at last year’s iPhone, while starting to count down the days until we can trade it in for a younger, thinner model.
What will make you buy or not buy the iPhone 7? Leave your comments below.
Source: OnLeaks
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
11 responses to “iPhone 7 case hints at stereo speakers, no headphone jack”
I will absolutely buy iPhone 7. If there will be a pro model I will grab that one. But only IF the camera gets a proper upgrade.
A millimeter thinner phone means nothing to me. Having to carry an extra dongle to plug the phone into the various output devices I own means a lot. I am not going to invest in replacing all of them with bluetooth versions, either. For some, it’s not an option at all, for others it’s possible but means battery charging and more limited life between charges. No, I will not buy or upgrade to a 7 if they ditch the headphone jack.
I’m all for Apple pushing out old technology and making way for the future. BUT, if they make us have to pay for a $20 adapter, I will be PISSED!
Don’t worry about that – it will be $30. :)
And they had better bring back the floppy drive soon too! I have floppy disks with important files. I have about forty floppy disks loaded with files, and that is a lot (about 56MB)!
when ‘the future’ means that everything sounds like shit because apple only supports SBC in their bluetooth audio profile so far, then I stick to the present.
Same for the MacBook – it’s futuristic but 1 step too far – so not a big success.
If apple would offer 2 versions of the iphone 7, one with headphone jack and the other slightly thinner without – I know what people will choose ;-)
who needs stereo speakers on the iphone?
Whenever I watch a video or anything I plug headphones in. With iPhone 7 I have to connect via BT first. :-(
Exactly! Who even uses the speakers on their phone?! You are pretty much always going to plug in headphones or something else and not annoy everyone around you!
“Stereo” requires distance between speakers to be effective. This is a joke that speakers 1.5″ apart have any sort of separation. Puh-leeze!
I really hope they don’t drop the headphone jack–that would seriously get me thinking about holding off on purchasing. It’s absolutely ridiculous to drop this standard that so many accessories rely on. (Think about the selfie sticks…actually, don’t because that might justify this action.)
It’s way more convenient to just plug in an always-charged inexpensive pair of wired headphones rather than worry about keeping a bluetooth pair charged and also have it drain your phone battery just by using them. I have plenty of pairs of wired headphones that I can have them in every bag, vehicle, room, etc and not have to worry about it. I don’t want to buy a bunch of wireless pairs and then try to keep them all charged. Plus, with a wired pair of headphones, I know exactly when sound will or will not come out of my device. I don’t trust that my wireless isn’t going to suddenly come unpaired and start blasting sound out of my phone.
If they switch to lightning for headphones that’s even more annoying because then it is both a non-standard and gets in the way of any ability to charge/syc/etc the phone while using the headphones. Though, I’m sure they’ll be happy to sell a $40 adapter.
If it in some way hinders selfie-sticks, I’ll buy 10. Most god-awful thing ever.