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New leak highlights how boring the iPhone 7 really is

Published Jun 23rd, 2016 9:00AM EDT
iPhone 7 Accessories iPhone 6s
Image: iPhone 7 Concept

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The iPhone 7 will be a close copy of the iPhone 6s, multiple trustworthy reports claimed, as Apple transitions to a three-year iPhone redesign approach — at least temporarily. The iPhone 7 might not even be called iPhone 7 according to one report, as that honor might apparently be reserved for the 2017 iPhone series, which would mark Apple’s 10-year iPhone anniversary.

Some of the main changes coming to the 2016 iPhone concern the headphone jack, antenna lines and rear cameras, and now a new report says there will be other tiny modifications.

DON’T MISS: Why the boring iPhone 7 is the smartest thing Apple has done in years

According to Japanese Apple blog Macotakara, this year’s iPhones will pack a larger cutout for the ear speaker, the ambient light sensor will be relocated from the left side to the right side, and the proximity sensor will feature a yet-to-be-explained “dual specification.”

In other words, the iPhone 7 is shaping up to be so boring that blogs are actually issuing reports on a slightly bigger hole on the front of the phone. What’s more, Apple blogs are covering the news as if it were news.

These sort of changes won’t affect you unless you’ve got screen protectors for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus that you were hoping to continue using, because they won’t fit the new iPhone. The report says that accessories manufacturers have stopped receiving orders due to these tiny design changes.

The site also reiterated for the 400th time that iPhone 7 will feature a slightly bigger camera while the iPhone 7 Plus will have a dual lens rear camera. That’s exactly what we expect from the upcoming iPhones, as these are features that have been mentioned time and time again in reports detailing the 2016 Apple smartphones.

Overall, these rumors will make the iPhone 7’s design appear “boring” to those people who’re looking for something totally new. But just as the iPhone 6s was a major upgrade over the iPhone 6 in spite of recycling the same overall design, the iPhone 7 is likely to be an impressive device, regardless of its housing.

iPhone buyers looking to jump from an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6s to the newest Apple will probably ignore the number of antenna lines or the placement of sensors, and they’ll appreciate the most important upgrades: internal hardware and iOS 10. The removal of the headphone jack, on the other hand, will draw plenty of criticism at least at first, but it won’t matter much in the long run.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.