The latest iPhone 7 rumor suggests that there may be a few more changes to the device’s final design than initially anticipated. According to a new set of images which purport to show the device’s rear casing, it appears that the iPhone 7 may feature a grand total of four speakers.
Originally published by Nowhereelse.fr, the alleged iPhone 7 photos vary a good deal from previous leaks we’ve seen over the past few months. While some of the antenna lines have been mercifully removed — consistent with previous rumors — you’ll note that the camera module and the LED flash have been reoriented vertically rather than horizontally. The leaked photos also support the persistent rumor that Apple’s next-gen smartphone will ship without a traditional 3.5mm headphone jack.
But there’s also a curious new feature shown in the photos that suggest they might not accurately reflect the upcoming iPhone’s new design.
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It goes without saying that every iPhone rumor should be taken with a grain of salt, especially since Apple has been known to experiment with varying iPhone designs in the months building up to a new release. This rumor especially deserves some skepticism because, as Steve Hemmerstoffer of Nowhereelse points out, it seems peculiar to place a speaker so close to the camera module; but perhaps that’s what lies behind the new camera layout.
In this first photo, you can see the new camera layout at the top. Also note that there’s no headphone jack in sight, seemingly lending credence to rumors claiming that audio on the iPhone 7 will rely exclusively on Bluetooth and the Lightning port.
In this second photo, we get a better look at the top of the device and can see the presence of two additional speaker grilles.
Assuming that these leaked photos are representative of what the final iPhone 7 design will look like — which is definitely not a safe assumption — it’s not entirely clear that there is much of a practical benefit to outfitting an iPhone with 4 distinct speakers. While Apple is certainly familiar with a four speaker design thanks to the iPad Pro, a comprehensive speaker system is arguably more of a compelling feature on a large-scale tablet than on a smartphone.
As for other iPhone 7 features that we’ve seen make the rounds, one of the biggest rumors suggests that the iPhone 7 Plus will feature an advanced dual-camera system. As for features that will reportedly grace all iPhone 7 models, we can likely look forward to a bigger battery, a blazing fast A10 processor, a waterproof design, and according to some, wireless charging capabilities.
Not to be outdone, we’ve also seen an influx of iPhone 7s rumors over the past few weeks, with some reports even hinting that Apple may call the iPhone 7s the iPhone 8. Feature wise, a growing number of analysts are anticipating that Apple’s iPhone in 2017 will feature curved OLED display. More recently, John Gruber just two weeks ago relayed some “scuttlebutt” which points to Apple’s 2017 iPhone featuring an edge-to-edge display with an embedded home button and front-facing camera.
