Apple iPhone 7 rumours: Will iPhone 6SE be the real name?

Now a rumours from a German website called apfelpage.de claim Apple won’t launch iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus, but will instead name it as the iPhone 6SE. According to the website, which cites supply chain sources, packaging labels for the next iPhone are going with the iPhone 6SE tag, rather than iPhone 7.

The rumour comes even as there are reports that Apple will keep the big changes for iPhone 8 in 2017 (which marks the 10th anniversary for iPhone) and instead introduce only minimal design changes for the iPhone 7.

But the report needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, because Apple usually doesn’t break the naming cycle. The iPhone SE was launched to cater to those who miss the 4-inch iPhone as well as capture that segment of users who wanted to buy more budget smartphone.

There are no concrete reasons as to why Apple will name the next one as iPhone 6SE, so we’ll have to wait and watch on this one.

Retail sales open September 16

The latest one comes from Evan Blass, who runs the @evleaks handle on Twitter, which is known for its accurate leaks. Blass recently tweeted: “iPhone 2016 release: week of September 12th.” He followed it with another tweet, “Just to clarify, this refers to the retail release, not the launch event. To be even more specific, it should happen on Friday, Sept. 16th.”

Of course there’s a lot of debate whether Blass has gotten his dates right, with many wondering when the actual launch event will take place and whether it will be a September 12 or early date for the iPhone 7 launch. Given that August is yet to start, we can expect more Apple iPhone 7 launch date leaks to take place in the coming weeks.

No headphones

This is one rumour that remained consistent with the iPhone 7 series. Apple is expected to ditch the 3.5-mm headphone jack and instead can go for headphones supported via the Lightning Connector port. Design leaks from Japanese blogs have hinted at the end of the 3.5-mm headphone jack.

A recent Wall Street Journal report which quoted sources said Apple plans to get rid of the jack and instead go for a new pair of headphones. The report also claimed the iPhone 7 series will be lighter, and water-resistant, but Apple won’t introduce major design changes.

Apple iPhone will have no 3.5 mm headphone jack, say report. (Image source: AP)

iPhone 7 Pro with dual rear camera, bigger camera on iPhone 7

Apple might launch an iPhone 7 Pro version with a bigger display and a dual rear camera set-up on the back. Apple won’t be the first company to introduce such a set-up; recently Huawei launched the P9 with a dual camera lens set-up. Leaks have indicated Xiaomi could launch a Redmi Pro phone with a dual-camera as well.

Recently photos spotted by Nowhere Else, claimed to show all three phones side by side: iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and an iPhone 7 Pro with dual rear camera setup. Earlier, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from KGI securities predicted that the iPhone 7 Plus will come with such a camera set-up.

Other image leaks have indicated a bigger camera set-up for the Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus although it is unclear if the company will bump up the 12MP sensor.

Also read: Apple iPhone 7 won’t have 3.5mm headphone jack: WSJ report

A10 benchmarks

Apple iPhone is expected to come with the A10 chip, and the company usually doesn’t reveal the number cores or clock speeds. However, on GeekBench benchmark tests for an Apple A10 chip have been doing the rounds, which confirm the chip will be as powerful as Apple’s A9X chipset.

According to the GeekBench tests, Apple’s iPhone 7 could dethrone Qualcomm and Exynos of the smartphone world and the chip scores 3000, just shy of the Apple 9X chipset and much ahead of the Apple A9 chip.

Also read: Apple iPhone 7 will go on sale on September 16: Report

Design Change

Apple iPhone 7 won’t really see a major design change, according to various analyst notes. An investor note by Credit Suisse said Apple iPhone 7 will see a ‘muted’ upgrade cycle and Apple will instead focus on iPhone 8, which will also mark the 10th anniversary of the new device.

The report by Credit Suisse analyst Kulbinder Garcha said they expect features like a bigger OLED display, no home button, enhanced Taptic engine, full glass display, wireless charging to make an appearance in the iPhone 8. The note also said Apple iPhone 8 could come with a curved glass design similar to the earlier iPhone 4s, adds the note.

Apple iPhone 7 will be launched in September 2016, and CEO Tim Cook has promised an upgrade that will convince users to switch. We’ll have to wait and see how what iPhone 7 brings to the table.