Apple's iPhone 7 is almost here. The next big evolutionary upgrade in Apple's iPhone line-up, the iPhone 7 will bring together all of Apple's latest hardware with a brand-spanking new design, signalling a huge departure from the current iPhone series, the iPhone 6, 6S and its respective Plus variants.
We'll be going hands-on with the iPhone 7 later this evening, but until then here's a quick rundown of everything we're expecting Apple to announce come 6pm tonight.
Headphone jack begone?
By far the most controversial part of the iPhone 7 is Apple's supposed decision to remove the 3.5mm headphone jack, forcing music fans to either listen wirelessly over Bluetooth or buy a new pair of Lightning-powered headphones.
Admittedly, Lightning-powered headphones do have their benefits. We've already seen Lightning-based in-ear buds from both JBL and Libratone, for example, that incorporate active-noise-cancelling without the need for bulky external battery packs, with the power required to activate ANC delivered by the Lightning connector itself and processing taking place on the phone. It's also been suggested that Apple will include a 3.5mm-to-Lightning adapter in the box, making it easier to carry on using your favourite headphones.
However, regardless of whether you buy Lightning-powered headphones or stick with your current pair using the adapter, you still won't be able to charge your phone on the go and listen to music at the same time, so we'll have to wait and see how irksome this is during everyday use once we get one in for review.
Design
Of course, with no headphone jack taking up precious chassis space, you can also expect a thinner, lighter iPhone 7 compared to the current models. However, it’s worth noting that several leaked iPhone 7 case pictures show quite a pronounced camera bump on the back, so its overall dimensions might not be quite as slim as you might expect.
Apple’s also supposed to be eliminating those pesky antenna lines on the back as well, leaving you with a completely seamless finish across the rear. Instead, the antenna lines are expected to form a border around the back of the phone. There was also some talk of Apple removing the home button, but according to leaked case pictures, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Hardware
As expected, the iPhone 7 will most likely launch with Apple's brand-new A10 processor and M10 coprocessor, as well as 2GB of RAM. This will offer more power than the existing A9 chip on the iPhone 6s, and its new GPU should be able to cope with more demanding games as well.
Camera
A speed boost is one thing, but what we're really looking forward to trying out is the iPhone 7's new camera. The rumours are that the resolution will remain the same at a staid 12 megapixels. However, with an improved sensor, larger individual pixels and an increased aperture, the iPhone 7 should be able to deliver superior pictures compared to its immediate predecessors, especially when it comes to low light.
There’s also the possibility Apple will include a dual-lens rear-facing camera this time round, although current rumours suggest this will be limited to the larger iPhone 7 Plus (or Pro, as it might be called). This will allegedly use two 12-megapixel sensors with larger 1/3in sensors.
Display
At the moment, we're expecting Apple to stick with a 4.7in, 1,334 x 750-resolution display for the iPhone 7, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will be exactly the same panel. Instead, expect improved image quality and a less reflective display. It's also likely that the iPhone 6s's 3D Touch technology will be making a return appearance, along with potentially improved sensitivity. Who knows, we may even see some Apple Pencil support to give Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 a run for its money.
Software
As with every new iPhone launch, the iPhone 7 will come with the latest version of iOS, which in this case will be iOS 10. We’ve already been hands-on with the developer preview, but here’s a quick summary of all the key headline features. First and foremost is the newly designed lockscreen, which now gives each notification its own interactive bubble. Swiping left and right from the lockscreen will also bring up a list of widgets as well as a search bar.
You’ll also be able to delete Apple apps (finally), and Siri has now been opened up to developers, so you should see more Siri support across third-party apps. Mail and Messages have also received small design tweaks, and the iOS Photos app now supports facial recognition, making it easier to create dynamic libraries for different people.
Price
Apple rarely changes the price of its latest iPhones, so the iPhone 7 should cost the same as the current iPhone 6s (which should, in turn, receive a price drop once the iPhone 7 pre-orders are live). Of course, this may change depending on whether Apple decides to ditch the entry-level 16GB version and start at 32GB, but at the moment we're working on £539 for the entry-level model, £619 for the 64GB version and £699 for the 128GB version.