iPhone 7 Release Date: Waterproofing May Be a Feature of Next Iteration
The iPhone 7's release may still be more than a year away, but rumors about its specs and features have been circulating online.
Apple's next flagship smartphone are expected to run on the powerful A10 processor and KGI securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that the device will come with at least 2 GB of RAM. There are also reports saying the iPhone 7 will be waterproof, according to Tech Times.
While the iPhone 6s is water-resistant, recent patents hint that Apple is planning to make its next smartphones waterproof. One patent describes speakers that are able to expel liquid with the use of sound. Another patent titled "Electronic Devices with Housing Port Shutters" shows ports that can block liquid from entering the device, the International Business Times (IBT) reports.
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The document, which was published by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, describes a housing in which the display and other smartphone components are attached. The audio components may be mounted inside the said housing for protection.
"A shutter may be interposed between the audio component and the housing port," the IBT quotes the patent. "The shutter may have an electrically controlled positioner that is used to position a movable shutter member."
The iPhone 7 is also rumored to do away with the tempered glass LCD screen and feature sapphire OLED displays, which are already being used in Apple Watches. Apple had also previously tried to incorporate OLED displays in its previous smartphones.
There are also whispers about Apple's plan to make the iPhone 7 even slimmer by ditching the 3.5millimeter headphone jack and replace it with a Lightning port. This will entail a big adjustment for all Apple users, but the next smartphone will definitely be thinner and sleeker, the report relays.
The iPhone 7 is expected to be released in the second half of 2016. Rumor has it that Apple could launch the next flagship smartphone earlier, but the tech giant has not yet confirmed anything. The upcoming iPhone could carry a price tag of not less than $649.
