It doesn't seem five minutes since Apple launched the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, but the rumour mill is already in full session for what Apple's going to announce next. It could be the iPhone 7, but it could also be the iPhone 6S. Whatever Apple end up calling it, we've collected all the latest details about the iPhone 6's successor to give a better idea about what to expect next autumn.
Of course, everything that we've got here is rumour and speculation. At this point, so far from the expected launch date, the current information is likely to be fairly innacurate, with only a sense of where the company is likely to go with its new smartphones. However, we'll be updating this article regularly and, as we approach the launch date, the information will get better and better, so keep coming back for the latest info.
IPHONE 6S & 7 NAME
Apple iPhone product names have usually been fairly easy to guess. The first phone to use a new design usually just gets a straight number; the following phone uses the same design with updated internals and gets an 'S' postfix. That's why we've had the iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4, 4S, 5 and 5S. Now that we're on the iPhone 6, the smart money would be on the next phones being the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. However, there's a small possibility that Apple will change things around and launch something completely different and call it the iPhone 7. The simply truth is that it's too early to tell at the moment and we'll have to wait until later in the year to find out for sure.
IPHONE 6S & 7 RELEASE DATE
Apple has traditionally launched its new iPhones in September, so we can expect the iPhone 7 to be released in a similar time window. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were revealed on 9 September 2014 and launched on 19 September, and the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C were unveiled on 10 September 2013 and the iPhone 5 was unveiled on 12 September, so it's probably safe to assume that the iPhone 7 will be announced in mid-September as well.
However, it's currently being widely speculated that Apple will start releasing iPhones twice a year to help it keep up with the competition from flagship Android phones. This could mean we'll see both the iPhone 6S and the iPhone 7 next year as Apple launches one in spring and then the other in autumn. Given the expense of its phones and the need to develop new technology we doubt that Apple would be able to launch two products in a year, with six months between models simply not providing enough time.
IPHONE 6S & 7 FLEXIBLE DISPLAY
Apple could be planning to make a flexible, foldable iPhone 7 or 6s, as it's just been granted a patent for such an idea by the US Patent and Trademark Office. The Flexible Electronic Devices patent was granted on the 6th January 2015, and according to the International Business Times, it describes a flexible or folding smartphone that doesn't damage the internal components.
The patent has six California-based Apple employees listed as the inventors and describes "flexible displays", "flexible touch-sensitive laters", "flexible housing", "flexible batteries", and "flexible printed circuits", suggesting that it may not be long before we see a flexible iPhone like the newly-announced LG G Flex 2.
We think it's probably unlikely that we'll see a 'bendable' iPhone 6s or iPhone 7 announced this year, but a 'flexible' display would certainly go a long way in addressing concerns iPhone 6 owners had about breaking their so-called 'bendy' phones when the handset first launched last September.
IPHONE 6S & 7 SAPPHIRE GLASS
We were expecting the iPhone 6 to have a sapphire glass screen, but Apple surprised everyone by choosing ion-strengthened glass, which is cheaper and easier to manufacture. However, it's possible we may yet see a sapphire glass iPhone, as Focus Taiwan has reported that manufacturer Foxconn is rapidly building a new display factory purely for handling Apple's iPhone orders. The company has apparently signed a deal with the Zhengzhou city government in Henan Province, China, to develop a 133-hectare factory right next to an existing iPhone 6 factory. The report also suggests the factory will be producing sapphire glass displays.
Last year, there were several high-profile leaks showing what an iPhone with a sapphire glass display would be able to resist, with front panels sourced directly from the factory and filmed being scratched by keys and knives to no effect whatsoever.
However, we're suspicious of any claims suggesting that Apple will be switching to sapphire soon, as Corning, the makers of Gorilla Glass, has produced smartphone display panels for almost every iPhone to date. The company also recently revealed the fourth iteration of its Gorilla Glass technology, which is better able to withstand accidental drops (one of the major causes of shattered or broken smartphone screens) and would seem ideally placed to appear in the next iPhone.
IPHONE 6S & 7 SCREEN SIZE
The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were a rapid departure from previous iPhones thanks to their larger 4.7in and 5.5in screen sizes, but is there still room for another potential 4in iPhone? MacWorld is currently predicting that Apple will release iPhones with three different screen sizes next year, updating the iPhone 5S with a 4in screen, a 4.7in successor to the iPhone 6, and a new 5.5in phablet to replace the iPhone 6 Plus. Whether this means we'll get a 4in iPhone 6C, a 4.7in iPhone 6S and a 5.5in iPhone 7 is anyone's guess, but we'll bring you all the latest information as it's confirmed.
IPHONE 6S & 7 TWO-LENS CAMERA
Another rumour doing the rounds is that the iPhone 7 will have a pair of upgraded rear camera sensors to give the biggest jump in picture quality ever seen on a smartphone. Daring Fireball's John Gruber said on his The Talk Show podcast that "a birdie of a birdie" told him that Apple is working on a two-lens camera system for future iPhones.
Although he didn't mention any specific technical details, he did postulate that the upgrade would mean a massive leap forward in terms of image quality, bringing the smartphone on par with some digital SLR cameras. Apple certainly wouldn't be the first company to use twin camera sensors, although the Duo Camera found in the HTC One (M8) was used to measure depth information and create depth of field effects rather than boost image quality.
It has been suggested Apple's approach may mirror that of small tech startup Corephotonics, which uses a dual-lens camera system with two different focal lengths. One sensor is used for wide angle images and the other is used for close-up and macro shooting. The two focal lengths would negate the degrading effects of digital zoom, and could still be used for 3D spacial measurements because the lens offset is a known entity. Apple holds a range of camera-related patents, including post-capture refocusing, interchangeable lens modules and external lens attachments; the dual-lens system could be an evolution of one of these.
We're highly sceptical of any rumours this early into a product's lifecycle - especially when there's a questionable source and no accompanying photos. However, Apple's development and manufacturing process has get progressively leakier with each subsequent release, so it's possible, however unlikely, that there could be a grain of truth to the rumour.
IPHONE 6S & 7 POP-OUT JOYSTICK
You can file this one under 'never going to happen'. A new patent has shown that Apple has planned a spring-loaded home button that would pop out from the case, to make it easier to play games. A tap on the home button would let it spring out, while another push would recess it back into the phone.
As clever an idea as this, it seems unlikely that this will appear in the next iPhone. For starters, the sensitive TouchID components are housed in this part of the phone. Secondly, a pop-out joystick could easily get broken or caught going in and out of a person's pocket. Until Apple has had time to get something like this right, we just can't see it happening.
Besides, it's important to reiterate that Apple puts in lots of patent applications each year, but only a fraction of them are actually developed into working products.