Apple's iPhone 7 to be unveiled on 7 September
Release date, specs, leaked photos - it's all here!
The iPhone 7, Apple's next flagship handset, will be unveiled on 7 September at an event in San Francisco, California.
Apple has sent out invitations for press to gather at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. The launch is due to kick off at 10am local time, (6pm BST).
We've compiled everything we know so far about the forthcoming iPhone 7 and rumoured iPhone 7 Plus into one handy article.French Apple blog Nowhereelse.fr has obtained an image purporting to show the rear camera module. The new module indicates the presence of OIS which will be a boon to shaky-hands photographers if true.
Both handsets will have a newly designed home button that replaces the traditional 'click' with a vibrating sensation that responds to pressure.
Sources close to the matter said that the much-rumoured removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack also appears to be going ahead. The new phones will instead use Bluetooth and the charging port for connectivity.
The same people reported that the larger iPhone 7 Plus is likely to feature a dual-camera system (similar to that employed on this year's Huawei and LG models).
The new dual-camera set-up will produce brighter, more detailed photos. It is said that photos taken in low light will especially reap the rewards of the new technology.
Earlier this month, renowned YouTube tipsters Unbox Therapy posted a video showing an iPhone 7 Plus prototype. You can watch it below.
Release date
Prominent tipster Evleaks believes that pre-orders for the next iPhone will begin on 9 September 2016.
Apple is nothing if not predictable when it comes to release dates, and its hardware releases usually fall on a Friday. If this is the case we should be able to get our hands on it on 16 September.
Price
Apple won't buck the trend and make the next iPhone any cheaper than the last. We expect the iPhone 7 32GB model to cost £539 (in place of the current iPhone 6S), rising to £619 and £699 for the 64GB and 128GB variants.
Specs and rumours
We can expect two new iPhone models: the 4.7in iPhone 7 and the 5.5in iPhone 7 Plus. Macworld reckons that both handsets will see a substantial redesign after the near identical iPhone 6S Plus.
Pokémon Go fans should join the hunt for the elusive black and blue iPhone 7. New pictures have emerged of the iPhone 7 in every colour but the new ones - that means Silver, Space Grey, Gold and Rose Gold. The photo shows dummy units and is believed to have originated from a third-party company that builds iPhone accessories.
It has long been assumed that the Apple A10 processor will feature in the upcoming iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Benchmark scores for the processor have now appeared on Geekbench and show that the new chip will offer a 20 per cent performance boost over the A9.
Although impressive, the A9 saw a 50 per cent bump over the A8 so it appears things have been dialled down this time. The resulting scores put it more on a par with the A9X chip in the iPad Pro.
Recently-leaked images indicate the addition of a Smart Connector, as well as a new capacitive Home Button.
According to supply chain research, analysts believe that Apple will drop the 16GB storage option and instead offer a larger 32GB by default. Analysts from IHS boast a decent track record in terms of accurate Apple rumours, and let's not forget that it was supply chain sources that first hinted at a smaller 4in iPhone. That device would later break ground as the iPhone SE.
The base 16GB has endured since the iPhone's inception in 2008.
A further leak comes courtesy of the infamous Twitter personality known as The Malignant who reposted an image supposedly from an internal meeting held with Foxconn. If true the next iPhone could very well have an IP68 water and dust resistance rating, as well as support for wireless charging.
An image has also appeared on China's Weibo social network purporting to show the new device in Rose Gold. If true it points to the phone lacking the much rumoured dual rear camera.