iPhone 7 rumors and news leaks

Enjoying the feel of that sparkly new rose gold iPhone 6S in your hand, and the joy of 3D Touch? We don’t want to spoil that love affair, but Apple’s already working on the iPhone 7 — and rumors about it are beginning to heat up.

Here’s what we think we know about Apple’s next major smartphone release so far.

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iPhone 7 rumors and news leaks

Enjoying the feel of that sparkly new rose gold iPhone 6S in your hand, and the joy of 3D Touch? We don’t want to spoil that love affair, but Apple’s already working on the iPhone 7 — and rumors about it are beginning to heat up.

Here’s what we think we know about Apple’s next major smartphone release so far.

Touch ID is no longer a button, and 3D Touch rumors

The iPhone’s home button is iconic, but it may disappear on the iPhone 7. Analysts at Cowen and Company hinted that the home button may not actually be a button anymore, but rather a flat surface that unlocks the screen with Force Touch tech and your fingerprint. An earlier report from 9to5Mac stated that the flat home button will offer haptic feedback to simulate the feeling of having touched a button.

set’s surrounding glass and “cannot be pressed in.” Rumor has it that the capacitive home button will support tap-based app shortcuts and gestures for summoning Siri and pulling up a list of running apps, among other functions.

Other reports reveal that 3D Touch will become more useful on the iPhone 7, which makes sense, given its heavy integration intoiOS 10. A December 2015 report from Ming-Chi Kuo said that 3D Touch will still feature prominently in the new iPhone — and so far, Kuo believes the tech will work the same way on the iPhone 7 as on the 6S. Earlier reports teased the possibility of multi-3D Touch, but it’s unclear if it will arrive on this year’s iPhone.

Apple iPhone 3D touch

Hard press on the Notes app to initiate Quick Actions.

Jeffrey Van Camp/Digital Trends

A report from inside China suggested that five iPhones were being tested, each with one particular feature of interest. Those features include wireless charging, fingerprint recognition on the display, multi Force Touch, dual-cameras, and a USB Type-C connector. Previous patents have suggested Apple is working on wireless charging and fingerprint recognition technology on the display, though the patent for wireless charging was filed three years ago.

If the new iPhone comes with any of those technologies, it’ll be sure to be popular.

New design with key changes

If Apple follows its own Digital Trends, the iPhone 7 should come with an entirely new design. So far, rumors indicate that the next iPhone will be water resistant, feature liquid metal, and eliminate antenna lines. There are also rumors that it could sport a smart connector, and do away with the headphone port.

Now it seems that at least the lack of a headphone jack may be true. The Wall Street Journal said in mid June that although the iPhone 7 won’t bring huge changes, it will do away with the headphone jack to slim the phone down and increase water resistance.