When will the iPhone 7 (or iPhone 6s Plus) launch in the UK? What new features and design changes can we expect in the new iPhone for 2015 when it comes out? And what will Apple's next iPhone be called: iPhone 7, iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus?
iPhone 7 - or 'iPhone 6s Plus', as it's increasingly being referred to - is a hot topic, 11 months on from the launch of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus and less than a month before we're likely to hear official news from Apple about its new iPhone launches for 2015. The web is full of speculation about new iPhone (s) that Apple will launch in 2015: rumours about the iPhone 7 release date, design, specs and features, and even its name.
This autumn we're sure to see a next-generation iPhone. What will the new iPhone 7 (or perhaps iPhone 6s, iPhone 6c, iPhone 6s Plus or simply 'New iPhone') look like? What new features can we expect? And when will the iPhone 7 come out? We round up the evidence to bring you everything there is to know about the iPhone 7 so far.
Bookmark this page for a regularly updated summary of all the information currently available - and all the rumours doing the rounds - related to the iPhone 7 or iPhone 6 Plus: details, clues, hints and rumours, as well as any leaked photos of the iPhone 7 that emerge. We'll update the article whenever we hear worthwhile new information (or scurrilous but interesting gossip) on the subject of the next iPhone.
Main sections in this article:
Macworld's verdict on the iPhone 7
Introduction: What is the iPhone 7?
iPhone 7 launch date rumours
iPhone 7 specification rumours (updated, 19 August, with leaked speed testing and specs)
iPhone 7 new features rumours
iPhone 7 design rumours (updated, 21 August, with impressive bend testing and analysis of the stronger new aluminium alloy, and discussion of a higher price tag)
iPhone 7 images and videos: leaked images, concept illustrations etc (updated, 19 August, with leaked photos of a pink model)
If you're looking for information about the current iPhone range, by the way, read our iPhone 6 review, iPhone 6 Plus review, iPhone 5s review and iPhone 5c review; and our iPhone buyers' guide.
And for more future-gazing, you can read our iPhone 6s and iPhone 6c release date and rumours. (We explain the differences between the iPhone 6c, iPhone 6s and iPhone 7 in the Introduction section of this article.)
Finally, find out what's in store for Apple fans throughout the rest of the year: Apple predictions for 2015. And take a look at Apple patents and the clues they offer about the future of iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch & Mac.
In a nutshell: Macworld's verdict on the iPhone 7
In our iPhone 7 / iPhone 6s Plus rumour roundup we cover a lot of ground: you'd be amazed by the clues, hints and general speculation about the iPhone 7 that people have managed to dig up. But for those who do not want all the detail, the following section sums up our verdict on the whole thing. Consider it a sort of TL; DR for the article as a whole.
In a nutshell, then, we reckon:
1) Apple will launch a couple of iPhones - expectations of an unprecedented three new models in one event look doubtful, ever since precisely two new iPhone identifiers were spotted in the wild - in mid-September 2015, much as it does every year. Expect it to launch in the week commencing 7 September, with 9 September touted as the likely date (although a Wednesday launch event is unusual for Apple - do not rule out 8th and 10th September). The retail launch is predicted for Friday 18 September.
2) It looks fairly certain that this will be a 4.7-inch phone (called either the iPhone 7 or the iPhone 6s), and a 5.5-inch model (the iPhone 7 Plus or deeply inelegant iPhone 6s Plus). If Apple does make another 4-inch iPhone (which, thanks to the success of the larger iPhones, is by no means a certainty) then we think it'll be called something like the iPhone 7 Mini, although reports suggest we'll have to wait until next year for a new 4-inch iPhone, if we ever see another one at all.
3) Bear in mind that this is Apple we're talking about, and consistent naming conventions are not its strong suit. The next iPhone could be called New iPhone Max for all we know.
4) The iPhone 7 will not be a fat phone, but we can not see that the iPhone 6 series phones need to be significantly thinner. At all. We expect roughly the same dimensions as the current generation. Tim Cook will probably be able to boast that it's "the slimmest iPhone ever", but the minor reduction in thickness will be exaggerated by favourable lighting. On the other hand, the rumour that the next iPhone will actually be fatter is, in our opinion, just that - a rumour.
5) It's starting to look, indeed, as though this will be a minor update on the physical front - a classic 'S' update. Leaked drawings from a case maker suggest that the new iPhone's design will be externally the same as the current models. This also makes sense given that in 2014 Apple made its most radical design changes for years.
Read: How to spot 'free iPhone' scams
6) Battery life in the iPhone 7 may be a little better than in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus (perhaps thanks to the use of contoured battery stacks to make better use of the internal space), but we do not expect it to be a lot better - and that's despite reports claiming that the 4-inch iPhone 6c will get an upgraded 1715mAh battery unit, up from the 1510mAh battery in the iPhone 5c. Jony Ive's comments have made it plain that Apple does not consider a higher battery life to be worth significant sacrifices in other areas (we suspect that, if they're honest, most smartphone buyers would agree) and Apple's larger-screen iPhones have decent batteries already.
iOS 9 will improve battery life of all the iPhones, in any case, so there's less need than ever for Apple to make sacrifices in order to squeeze in a bigger battery.
7) Higher screen resolution is a possibility - Apple exploded the 'Retina is as sharp as your eyes can see' myth with the iPhone 6 Plus, and the company is playing catchup against many of its rivals in this department. Apple may well apply the pixel density of the iPhone 6 Plus to all the models in the next generation; it could go even higher. And a harder screen material would play well, whether Apple manages to resurrect the sapphire situation or goes with Corning's new Project Phire.
8) It looks like 16GB will be the lowest storage offering once again; clever space-saving features in iOS 9 mean this will be less of a concern than in the past (until app developers start pushing their luck with even bigger install files). Expect 64GB and 128GB models, too.
9) We find the rumours of a dual-lens camera offering 'DSLR-like' picture quality highly convincing. The camera is a key area for every new iPhone and this new camera tech would be something Tim Cook could build a launch presentation around. The effects of the LinX acquisition probably will not be felt for another generation of iPhone, but the company's 3D camera sensors should make an appearance in future iPhones.
10) A higher megapixel rating (maybe as high as 12Mp for the rear-facing camera) is also possible - Apple has not increased the megapixel rating of its iPhone cameras since the iPhone 4s - but the company is known for worrying less about specs and more about qualititative differences in the user experience. Clues in the iOS 9 beta code suggest that the front-facing camera might get a bump to 1080p resolution, though.
11) The iPhone 7 could get a USB-C port, like the new 12-inch MacBook, but we think this is unlikely. The change from 30-pin to Lightning is recent enough (and was painful enough for many users) that to switch again now would be highly controversial.
12) And as for the other out-there rumours? 3D screen: no. Curved display: almost certainly not. Curved or flexible iPhone: nope. Edge-to-edge screen: yes, quite possibly. Spring-out gaming joystick in the Home button: definitely not. Wireless charging: maybe, but probably not yet.
See also: How to set up WhatsApp Web on your iPhone
Macworld poll: Which size of iPhone would you prefer?
What do you want from your next iPhone: a 4-inch screen, like on the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s; a 4.7-inch phone, like the iPhone 6; or a 5.5-inch smartphone, like the iPhone 6 Plus? Or something else entirely?
Let us know your preferred form factor for the next iPhone by answering our poll:
iPhone 7 rumours: What is the iPhone 7?
Sorry if that sounds obvious, but it's not as simple a question as it sounds. The iPhone 7 is not the seventh iPhone (the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were the ninth and tenth iPhones respectively, so that ship sailed a long time ago) but it's what we are for convenience calling Apple's next large-screen (phablet-form ) iPhone launch.
At the moment Apple sells iPhones in three sizes: with 4-inch screens (the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s); with a 4.7-inch screen (the iPhone 6) and with a 5.5-inch screen (the iPhone 6 Plus). We're currently working on the basis that Apple will make at least one new model in all three sizes, and for now we're choosing to call those theoretical devices iPhone 6c, iPhone 6s and iPhone 7.
(However, an anonymous source in Apple's supply chain recently claimed that the company is not currently planning to make another 4-inch iPhone. We're not sure about that - and think it would be a mistake for Apple - but you can read more about the rumour in our iPhone 6c round-up.)
[Find out about the Apple Watch: Complete Guide to Apple Watch: release date, UK price, specs, size & weight]
iPhone 7 rumours: What will the next iPhone be called? Will it be iPhone 6s or iPhone 6c instead?
Before we get on to specs and other technical details, one of the first things we want to address is the name of the next iPhone. If Apple sticks to its traditional naming conventions, then it's more likely that the 2015 iPhone will be called the iPhone 6s instead of the iPhone 7. (This could be accompanied by a larger iPhone 6s Plus, and a cheaper iPhone 6c.)
However, it's been rumoured for a few years that Apple is considering dropping the 'S' naming convention (and the more recent 'C' convention, seen on the iPhone 5c), as it's beginning to be perceived negatively. After all, it does make it seem like it's not a completely new device, but rather a stepping stone to the next iPhone.
Well-known (and usually reliable) Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who works for KGI Securities, has issued a prediction note to investors in which he forecasts that Apple will indeed launch an iPhone 7 in autumn 2015, skipping the 6s generation entirely. Part of his reasoning for this is the contention that Apple will add a significant upgrade feature to the next iPhone: Force Touch. And the in-betweener 'S' generations of iPhone are traditionally more conservative updates that do not offer any terribly exciting new features.
(Against this, Expert Reviews points out that "with the iPhone 5s Apple introduced Touch ID and went 64-bit: these huge changes were not enough for the company to jump straight to iPhone 6, and Force Touch is not even in that league "- although the site does suggest that Apple may skip the 'S' generation simply to reduce confusion.)
We will not know what the next iPhone is called until Apple confirms it, of course.
Another option that's been proposed by keen Apple followers is that the iPhone 7 will be called the iPhone Air, following the example of the MacBook Air and iPad Air lines. But that's a bit wacky for our tastes.
iPhone 7 release date rumours: When is the iPhone 7 coming out?
If Apple sticks to its traditions, we can expect the iPhone 7 to arrive in mid-September 2015 - we've been predicting 8 September for a while now, but anonymous sources "close to Apple" have apparently named 9 September as a more likely date.
The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were unveiled on 9 September 2014 (and released to the public on 19 September); the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s were unveiled on 10 September 2013; the iPhone 5 was unveiled on 12 September. There's a pattern there that the eagle-eyed reader may be able to spot.
But on 7 August we got firmer predictions from Buzzfeed, which quoted anonymous sources close to Apple who expected the iPhone 7 / iPhone 6s to launch on Wednesday 9 September. Hedging somewhat, the sources name this only as "the most likely date", but are more certain that it will happen some time in that week. Since Apple rarely holds launch events on Wednesdays (Tuesdays and Thursdays are more common) we still would not like to rule out the 8th - and the 10th too, for that matter.
iPhone 7 / iPhone 6s Plus retail launch
It seems increasingly likely that the iPhone 6s / iPhone 6s Plus / iPhone 7 will hit UK shops on Friday 18 September 2015.
Sources in Germany and Japan report that distributors are gearing up for that date, and the UK would ordinarily be part of the 'first wave' of retail launch dates along with Germany, Japan and the US. Last year consumers in the four countries all got their hands on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus on 19 September.
(The first wave varies slightly from year to year, but always includes France, Canada and Australia as well as the four countries above.)
The German rumours originated with the (German-language) blog Macerkopf.de, which reckons two of the three big wireless carrier forms in that country are preparing for that date.
The (Chinese-language) site ITHome, meanwhile, claims the same date will see iPhone 6s / iPhone 6s Plus sales start in Japan.
All of this fits with the widely reported announcement date of 9 September which we discuss below: a nine-day delay between unveiling and UK availability is pretty standard. For the iPhone 6 generation the gap was 10 days; for the 5s and 5c it was also 10; for the iPhone 5 it was nine days. And launching on a Friday fits the pattern too: new iPhones have gone on sale for the first time on a Friday since the iPhone 4s.
As for pre-orders, ITHome predicts a start date of 11 September.
iPhone 7 / iPhone 6s Plus 'being tested already'
Word on the street is that Apple has been testing two new iPhone models since July. That's the claim of a marketing company named Fiksu, which says it has seen around 150 examples of two new identifier codes, which appear to correspond to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, or iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
The two new identifiers, incidentally, are "iphone8,1" (87 examples were seen) and "iphone8,2" (67). For comparison, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were tagged as "iphone7,2" and "iphone7,1" respectively.
Good - if predictable - confirmation that Apple is well on course for a September launch of the new phones. On the down side, it seems to disprove the theory that we're going to get an iPhone 6c. Boo to that.
iPhone 7 launch date rumours: 'Biggest order ever'
With two months still to go before the expected launch date of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus (or more traditional but less elegant iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus), Apple has sent its hardware suppliers an order for a staggering 85 to 90 million units - more than for any smartphone launch in Apple's history.
For comparison, Apple ordered 70 to 80 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus units, itself at the time the biggest and most successful ever iPhone launch event.
All of this is according to a new report in the Wall Street Journal, which also claims that the phone units that have been ordered are, as was widely expected, divided into two models: a 4.7-inch unit and a 5.5-inch unit, matching the screen dimensions of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. This report appears to put paid to hopes that Apple would refresh its line-up of 4-inch iPhone models, which have remained static since the launch of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c in September 2013.
Finally, the WSJ predicted that the new iPhones would have the same screen resolution as their immediate predecessors, but claimed that a new fourth colour option would be added on top of the silver, gold and Space Grey currently offered.
iPhone 7 launch date rumours: August
However, a new rumour holds that Apple will actually launch the new iPhones in August. Economic Daily News (a Chinese-language site) cites supply-chain sources to support its claim that the new iPhone 6s is already in production, and that the devices will launch in August, a month earlier than expected.
We're not wholly convinced by this: let us just say that we'll need to hear this corroborated by other sources before we start updating our diaries. Apple's supply chains, in contrast with its in-house design and engineering teams, are notoriously leaky, and if something as big as that is going on we can expect to hear more about it. So until we hear more, we'll continue to predict a September launch for the iPhone 7.
iPhone 7 launch date rumours: Two iPhones a year
So much for the likely launch date. But it's possible - and has been widely speculated - that Apple will begin releasing new iPhones twice a year, to help it keep up with the ever growing and ever improving competition. This would mean an iPhone launch event in the spring of 2015 followed by another in the autumn.
In this case we would expect less dramatic enhancements in each update: perhaps an 'S'-class update in the spring followed by the full iPhone 7 in autumn. Or Apple might choose to update its 4-inch smartphones in one set of announcements and its larger phones in the other.
Indeed, another tech site says it has a source in the supply chain that backs all this up - claiming that, while the iPhone 7 will have to wait until September, the iPhone 6s will be launched in spring alongside the Apple Watch.
It's an interesting theory, but if we were betting men and women Macworld would put its money on a September launch for the next range of iPhones.
You can also read our full first look review of the Apple Watch, and our Apple Watch Release Date story, including UK pricing for the Apple Watch.
iPhone 7 rumours: Specifications
It's time to get a bit more technical. Let's talk iPhone 7 specs.
iPhone 7 specs rumours: Processor
A Dutch tech site has leaked a screenshot that appears to show key tech specs and speed testing for one of Apple's new iPhones. And if this leak is to be believed, the new A9 processor going to be seriously fast: about 57 percent faster than the iPhone 6 Plus, on paper, and faster even that the iPad Air 2.
"iPhone 8,2" is understood to be the codename for one of the two new iPhone models, by the way, as we explain in the launch date section. If you can not make them out, here are the tech specs shown in the screenshot:
1.51GHz ARM processor (presumably A9?) With 3 cores
2GB RAM
iOS 8.1.2
And the Geekbench 3 speed scores shown:
1811 (single-core)
4577 (multi-core)
For comparison, in Macworld's own Geekbench 3 testing last year the iPhone 6 scored 1517 and 2586, the iPhone 6 Plus scored 1626 and 2917, and the iPad Air 2 - the fastest iOS device currently available - scored 1818 in single and 4520 in multi. Comparative testing in the leaked documentation puts the Air 2's scores at a slightly lower 1787 and 4499 respectively. (The two devices are running different iterations of iOS 8, which may be explain the differences, since the listed hardware specs are virtually identical.)
The iPhone 6s (or 6s Plus) therefore appears to be the fastest iPhone to date, by a hefty distance, and by the slimmest of margins the fastest mobile device Apple has released. (As the Motley Fool observes, this could legitimately be described as 'PC-class' performance, an unthinkable achievement for mobile devices just a few years ago.)
In fact, the new iPhone's results are close enough to those of the iPad Air 2 (and its processor is clocked at virtually the same speed, according to the leaked results) that we think the iPhone 6s could in fact be simply running an A8X - or an A9 that's almost indistinguishable from it.
Samsung is already being pegged as the supplier of Apple's A9 processor for its next generation of smartphones. The processors are expected to be manufactured using a 14-nanometer design. The new chips are expected to be smaller, more efficient and of course more powerful.
Srini Sundararajan, a semiconductor industry analyst with Summit Research, has predicted that the next iPhone (which he refers to as the iPhone 6s, which seems increasingly to be the expected branding) will boast speed "to kill for": performance that is "perceptibly superior to the iPhone 6 ".
That might not seem like a particularly grand claim, since one would naturally expect improvements in speed across each successive smartphone generation. But remember that an 'S' update is traditionally one with only minor improvements, and Sundararajan quantifies his predictions - these are significant upgrades. The anticipated A9 processor in the iPhone 6s will be 20 percent more powerful, he reckons, 12 to 15 percent smaller and 35 percent more power-efficient than the A8, and offer (unspecified) graphical speed increases too.
"The 6S will have better computational horsepower, which will make every function better," says Sundararajan. "Which means a lot of programs will be faster and have better stability."
The iPhone 6's A8 chip uses a 20-nanometer process, and the majority are manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). Analysts have been reporting for some time that Samsung wants to once again become the sole manufacturer of Apple's chips, and has been offering competitive prices in an attempt to convince Apple to strike a deal; and according to the Inquirer, it has (at least partially) succeeded.
The site, basing its claims on sources quoted in a Korean-language news page, says that Samsung will make three quarters of the A9 chips used in the iPhone 7. (We still believe that Apple itself will design the A9 chip, as it has done with A-class processor chips in the past.)
The remaining chips will still be provided by TSMC, it appears: indeed, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reckons TSMC has been roped in at the last minute and asked to make 30 percent of the A9 chips for the next iPhone.
Samsung vs TSMC
An additional titbit about the A9 chip, which you may find interesting even though it's unlikely to directly affect consumers: Apple is reportedly playing off its two main processor suppliers, Samsung and TSMC, against one another, asking each firm to cut the price they ask for supplying the A9 components.
Whereas TSMC has refused, Samsung is so keen to keep the gig that it has agreed to price discounts and what Digitimes calls "almost-free backend services"; and as a result of this looks like getting the lion's share of the supply contract.
Prospective savings for Apple, then, but do not expect this to substantially alter the price of the iPhone 7 or iPhone 6s when it launches.
iPhone 7 specs rumours: RAM
AppleInsider is quoting "a person familiar with Apple's future product plans" who reckons that Apple is about to bump the amount of RAM in the iPhone line for the first time in three years: from 1GB to 2GB in the iPhone 7.
Aside from the anonymous source, there's a certain logic to the timing of the move, as AppleInsider observes: the last time Apple bumped iPhone RAM came one cycle after the company had done the same thing to its iPad line, and the iPad Air 2 got an extra gig of RAM last October.
Update, 19 Aug: the leaked Geekbench results posted above appear to confirm that at least one of the new iPhones will get 2GB of RAM.
iPhone 7 specs rumours: Battery life
The most recent rumour about the next 4-inch iPhone - widely known as the iPhone 6c - is that it will see an upgrade in battery capacity from 1510mAh (in the iPhone 5c) to 1715mAh, and this suggests that Apple is at least aware that battery life is a priority for a lot of users. But we're not convinced, given the already larger capacities of the batteries in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, and their longer battery lives, that this will be a major concern for the next large-screen iPhone.
However, another rumour holds that Apple will take the battery developments it deployed in the 12-inch MacBook - whereby contoured, layered battery units are stacked inside the chassis in order to take up every possible inch of space - and use these to squeeze more battery volume inside the iPhone 7.
(According to Wired's write-up, Apple actually claims to adjust its battery contours on a machine-by-machine basis, by photographing the inside of the chassis and modifying the battery stack to fit all the tiny imperfections - which, if it's true, It is amazing.)
Apple could even, thanks to the new battery technology, make more radical changes to the overall design of the iPhone, because its engineers no longer to base their work on a fixed battery shape; although the idea of Jony Ive coming up with a BlackBerry Passport-esque square design at this point in the iPhone's history is a little off-putting.
One site that's discussing this rumour, www.igyaan.in, argues that it will enable Apple to make the next iPhone slimmer. Which contradicts the latest entry in our design section: the rumour that the iPhone 7 will be very slightly fatter than the iPhone 6 Plus, in order to squeeze in the components to power Force Touch. I guess we're back to square one in that department.
Smartphone battery life is one of those things that everyone says is important, and once again Apple will hear many requests for improved battery life in the iPhone 7 - but you do wonder how much of a compromise the average Apple fan would be willing to make in return. What if, in order to achieve a superb battery life, the iPhone 7 was twice the weight, or cost significantly more? What if the screen was less powerful or the processor scaled back?
Mirroring these thoughts somewhat, Jony Ive discussed battery life briefly in an interview with the Financial Times' 'How to spend it' supplement recently. And he gave fairly heavy hints that Apple does not think battery life is a high enough priority to make compromises in other areas worth it.
"Talking of performance, when the issue of the frequent need to recharge the iPhone is raised, [Ive] answers that it's because it's so light and thin that we use it so much and therefore deplete the battery. With a bigger battery it would be heavier, more cumbersome, less 'compelling'. "
It's possible that will see conservative increases in battery life, as we did with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. But those advances were feasible because the bodies of those devices were larger, and they could therefore accommodate larger batteries. And it sounds like Apple will not be sacrificing portability to make the iPhone 7 have a significantly better battery life.
Sorry, everyone. Still, cheer up: as the Express reports, Apple was recently granted a patent that would allow it to embed solar panels under the screen of future iPhones, thereby doing away with the need to charge them up at all. No, it's not going to appear in the iPhone 6s, but some day ...
(We have the latest rumours about the Apple iCar here, along with Why we do not think Apple will make an iCar.)
iPhone 7 specs: Screen size
What screen size will the iPhone 7 have? There are a number of competing theories.
Of the three smartphone screen sizes Apple currently sells, the 4.7 inches of the iPhone 6 appears to be the favourite among customers. The iPhone 6 Plus and its 5.5-inch screen strikes many people as too big; the 4-inch iPhone 5s seems too old-fashioned and titchy to many more. 4.7 inches may be the sweet spot for the average Apple fan.
But it seems unlikely that Apple will give up on its other screen sizes as easily as that. For one thing, there are definitely smartphone users out there who still value smaller devices: those with smaller hands, those who prefer to use their smartphone one-handed, people who just do not like change. (That last category includes the author of this article, to be quite candid. I wrote a little about the significance of very small alterations in the size and shape of smartphones in an article that I called The handbag theory.)
Apple may seek to placate this market by updating its 4-inch line-up. And while it's been consistently outsold by the iPhone 6, the iPhone 6 Plus has not been a sales disaster either - and it's an important product for Apple in terms of prestige and acquiring a foothold in new markets.
For simplicity, therefore, we're predicting three new iPhones from Apple over the next year or so. An update of the iPhone 5s with a 4-inch screen, which we're calling the iPhone 6c; a 4.7-inch update of the iPhone 6, which we're calling the iPhone 6s; and a new phablet, based on the iPhone 6 Plus, with a 5.5-inch screen. This last update is the one we're calling the iPhone 7, and will be the focus of this article.
Update, 17 July: a new report from the Wall Street Journal appears to confirm that 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhones will launch in autumn 2015; we discuss this in more detail in the iPhone 7 launch date section. Sadly for fans of 4-inch iPhones, there's no news on that front, so you will probably have to wait until 2016 - or longer.
Does the new iPod touch make an updated 4-inch iPhone more likely?
Our colleague Jason Snell, writing for Macworld US, discusses the theory that Apple's recent refresh of its iPod touch line may signal a similar update to its line of 4-inch iPhones.
"The new iPod touch, for all its advancements, still sports the same 4-inch Retina display as the iPhone 5, 5s, and 5c. And it makes me wonder if maybe, just maybe, it's the first hint that we'll be seeing an updated 4-inch iPhone this fall.
"My guess is that there will be a new 4-inch iPhone this fall. It might look more like a small iPhone 6, or it might take a cue from the new iPod touch and remain exactly the same on the outside, while being completely different internally. But will it be a "cheap iPhone"? I doubt it. More likely, it'll be outfitted with last year's iPhone 6 technology and fill the slot that's one step down from whatever replaces the iPhone 6. "
There are plenty of fans of the smaller, 4-inch-screen form factor here in the Macworld UK office, and we think it would be unwise of Apple to abandon this market entirely.
Read the rest of Jason's thoughts here.
iPhone 7 specs rumours: Storage capacity - No increase from 16GB minimum
Let's discuss the iPhone 7's storage capacity.
Each time the iPhones get updated we speculate about the possibility that Apple will boost storage: removing the 16GB baseline option and starting at 32GB. (At the moment, for last year's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus at any rate, there is a curiously isolated 16GB model, a gap, and then the 64GB and 128GB models above. You can buy a 32GB iPhone 5s, while the iPhone 5c comes in an 8GB storage flavour only.)
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iPhone 7 - or 'iPhone 6s Plus', as it's increasingly being referred to - is a hot topic, 11 months on from the launch of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus and less than a month before we're likely to hear official news from Apple about its new iPhone launches for 2015. The web is full of speculation about new iPhone (s) that Apple will launch in 2015: rumours about the iPhone 7 release date, design, specs and features, and even its name.
This autumn we're sure to see a next-generation iPhone. What will the new iPhone 7 (or perhaps iPhone 6s, iPhone 6c, iPhone 6s Plus or simply 'New iPhone') look like? What new features can we expect? And when will the iPhone 7 come out? We round up the evidence to bring you everything there is to know about the iPhone 7 so far.
Bookmark this page for a regularly updated summary of all the information currently available - and all the rumours doing the rounds - related to the iPhone 7 or iPhone 6 Plus: details, clues, hints and rumours, as well as any leaked photos of the iPhone 7 that emerge. We'll update the article whenever we hear worthwhile new information (or scurrilous but interesting gossip) on the subject of the next iPhone.
Main sections in this article:
Macworld's verdict on the iPhone 7
Introduction: What is the iPhone 7?
iPhone 7 launch date rumours
iPhone 7 specification rumours (updated, 19 August, with leaked speed testing and specs)
iPhone 7 new features rumours
iPhone 7 design rumours (updated, 21 August, with impressive bend testing and analysis of the stronger new aluminium alloy, and discussion of a higher price tag)
iPhone 7 images and videos: leaked images, concept illustrations etc (updated, 19 August, with leaked photos of a pink model)
If you're looking for information about the current iPhone range, by the way, read our iPhone 6 review, iPhone 6 Plus review, iPhone 5s review and iPhone 5c review; and our iPhone buyers' guide.
And for more future-gazing, you can read our iPhone 6s and iPhone 6c release date and rumours. (We explain the differences between the iPhone 6c, iPhone 6s and iPhone 7 in the Introduction section of this article.)
Finally, find out what's in store for Apple fans throughout the rest of the year: Apple predictions for 2015. And take a look at Apple patents and the clues they offer about the future of iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch & Mac.
In a nutshell: Macworld's verdict on the iPhone 7
In our iPhone 7 / iPhone 6s Plus rumour roundup we cover a lot of ground: you'd be amazed by the clues, hints and general speculation about the iPhone 7 that people have managed to dig up. But for those who do not want all the detail, the following section sums up our verdict on the whole thing. Consider it a sort of TL; DR for the article as a whole.
In a nutshell, then, we reckon:
1) Apple will launch a couple of iPhones - expectations of an unprecedented three new models in one event look doubtful, ever since precisely two new iPhone identifiers were spotted in the wild - in mid-September 2015, much as it does every year. Expect it to launch in the week commencing 7 September, with 9 September touted as the likely date (although a Wednesday launch event is unusual for Apple - do not rule out 8th and 10th September). The retail launch is predicted for Friday 18 September.
2) It looks fairly certain that this will be a 4.7-inch phone (called either the iPhone 7 or the iPhone 6s), and a 5.5-inch model (the iPhone 7 Plus or deeply inelegant iPhone 6s Plus). If Apple does make another 4-inch iPhone (which, thanks to the success of the larger iPhones, is by no means a certainty) then we think it'll be called something like the iPhone 7 Mini, although reports suggest we'll have to wait until next year for a new 4-inch iPhone, if we ever see another one at all.
3) Bear in mind that this is Apple we're talking about, and consistent naming conventions are not its strong suit. The next iPhone could be called New iPhone Max for all we know.
4) The iPhone 7 will not be a fat phone, but we can not see that the iPhone 6 series phones need to be significantly thinner. At all. We expect roughly the same dimensions as the current generation. Tim Cook will probably be able to boast that it's "the slimmest iPhone ever", but the minor reduction in thickness will be exaggerated by favourable lighting. On the other hand, the rumour that the next iPhone will actually be fatter is, in our opinion, just that - a rumour.
5) It's starting to look, indeed, as though this will be a minor update on the physical front - a classic 'S' update. Leaked drawings from a case maker suggest that the new iPhone's design will be externally the same as the current models. This also makes sense given that in 2014 Apple made its most radical design changes for years.
Read: How to spot 'free iPhone' scams
6) Battery life in the iPhone 7 may be a little better than in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus (perhaps thanks to the use of contoured battery stacks to make better use of the internal space), but we do not expect it to be a lot better - and that's despite reports claiming that the 4-inch iPhone 6c will get an upgraded 1715mAh battery unit, up from the 1510mAh battery in the iPhone 5c. Jony Ive's comments have made it plain that Apple does not consider a higher battery life to be worth significant sacrifices in other areas (we suspect that, if they're honest, most smartphone buyers would agree) and Apple's larger-screen iPhones have decent batteries already.
iOS 9 will improve battery life of all the iPhones, in any case, so there's less need than ever for Apple to make sacrifices in order to squeeze in a bigger battery.
7) Higher screen resolution is a possibility - Apple exploded the 'Retina is as sharp as your eyes can see' myth with the iPhone 6 Plus, and the company is playing catchup against many of its rivals in this department. Apple may well apply the pixel density of the iPhone 6 Plus to all the models in the next generation; it could go even higher. And a harder screen material would play well, whether Apple manages to resurrect the sapphire situation or goes with Corning's new Project Phire.
8) It looks like 16GB will be the lowest storage offering once again; clever space-saving features in iOS 9 mean this will be less of a concern than in the past (until app developers start pushing their luck with even bigger install files). Expect 64GB and 128GB models, too.
9) We find the rumours of a dual-lens camera offering 'DSLR-like' picture quality highly convincing. The camera is a key area for every new iPhone and this new camera tech would be something Tim Cook could build a launch presentation around. The effects of the LinX acquisition probably will not be felt for another generation of iPhone, but the company's 3D camera sensors should make an appearance in future iPhones.
10) A higher megapixel rating (maybe as high as 12Mp for the rear-facing camera) is also possible - Apple has not increased the megapixel rating of its iPhone cameras since the iPhone 4s - but the company is known for worrying less about specs and more about qualititative differences in the user experience. Clues in the iOS 9 beta code suggest that the front-facing camera might get a bump to 1080p resolution, though.
11) The iPhone 7 could get a USB-C port, like the new 12-inch MacBook, but we think this is unlikely. The change from 30-pin to Lightning is recent enough (and was painful enough for many users) that to switch again now would be highly controversial.
12) And as for the other out-there rumours? 3D screen: no. Curved display: almost certainly not. Curved or flexible iPhone: nope. Edge-to-edge screen: yes, quite possibly. Spring-out gaming joystick in the Home button: definitely not. Wireless charging: maybe, but probably not yet.
See also: How to set up WhatsApp Web on your iPhone
Macworld poll: Which size of iPhone would you prefer?
What do you want from your next iPhone: a 4-inch screen, like on the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s; a 4.7-inch phone, like the iPhone 6; or a 5.5-inch smartphone, like the iPhone 6 Plus? Or something else entirely?
Let us know your preferred form factor for the next iPhone by answering our poll:
iPhone 7 rumours: What is the iPhone 7?
Sorry if that sounds obvious, but it's not as simple a question as it sounds. The iPhone 7 is not the seventh iPhone (the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were the ninth and tenth iPhones respectively, so that ship sailed a long time ago) but it's what we are for convenience calling Apple's next large-screen (phablet-form ) iPhone launch.
At the moment Apple sells iPhones in three sizes: with 4-inch screens (the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s); with a 4.7-inch screen (the iPhone 6) and with a 5.5-inch screen (the iPhone 6 Plus). We're currently working on the basis that Apple will make at least one new model in all three sizes, and for now we're choosing to call those theoretical devices iPhone 6c, iPhone 6s and iPhone 7.
(However, an anonymous source in Apple's supply chain recently claimed that the company is not currently planning to make another 4-inch iPhone. We're not sure about that - and think it would be a mistake for Apple - but you can read more about the rumour in our iPhone 6c round-up.)
[Find out about the Apple Watch: Complete Guide to Apple Watch: release date, UK price, specs, size & weight]
iPhone 7 rumours: What will the next iPhone be called? Will it be iPhone 6s or iPhone 6c instead?
Before we get on to specs and other technical details, one of the first things we want to address is the name of the next iPhone. If Apple sticks to its traditional naming conventions, then it's more likely that the 2015 iPhone will be called the iPhone 6s instead of the iPhone 7. (This could be accompanied by a larger iPhone 6s Plus, and a cheaper iPhone 6c.)
However, it's been rumoured for a few years that Apple is considering dropping the 'S' naming convention (and the more recent 'C' convention, seen on the iPhone 5c), as it's beginning to be perceived negatively. After all, it does make it seem like it's not a completely new device, but rather a stepping stone to the next iPhone.
Well-known (and usually reliable) Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who works for KGI Securities, has issued a prediction note to investors in which he forecasts that Apple will indeed launch an iPhone 7 in autumn 2015, skipping the 6s generation entirely. Part of his reasoning for this is the contention that Apple will add a significant upgrade feature to the next iPhone: Force Touch. And the in-betweener 'S' generations of iPhone are traditionally more conservative updates that do not offer any terribly exciting new features.
(Against this, Expert Reviews points out that "with the iPhone 5s Apple introduced Touch ID and went 64-bit: these huge changes were not enough for the company to jump straight to iPhone 6, and Force Touch is not even in that league "- although the site does suggest that Apple may skip the 'S' generation simply to reduce confusion.)
We will not know what the next iPhone is called until Apple confirms it, of course.
Another option that's been proposed by keen Apple followers is that the iPhone 7 will be called the iPhone Air, following the example of the MacBook Air and iPad Air lines. But that's a bit wacky for our tastes.
iPhone 7 release date rumours: When is the iPhone 7 coming out?
If Apple sticks to its traditions, we can expect the iPhone 7 to arrive in mid-September 2015 - we've been predicting 8 September for a while now, but anonymous sources "close to Apple" have apparently named 9 September as a more likely date.
The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were unveiled on 9 September 2014 (and released to the public on 19 September); the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s were unveiled on 10 September 2013; the iPhone 5 was unveiled on 12 September. There's a pattern there that the eagle-eyed reader may be able to spot.
But on 7 August we got firmer predictions from Buzzfeed, which quoted anonymous sources close to Apple who expected the iPhone 7 / iPhone 6s to launch on Wednesday 9 September. Hedging somewhat, the sources name this only as "the most likely date", but are more certain that it will happen some time in that week. Since Apple rarely holds launch events on Wednesdays (Tuesdays and Thursdays are more common) we still would not like to rule out the 8th - and the 10th too, for that matter.
iPhone 7 / iPhone 6s Plus retail launch
It seems increasingly likely that the iPhone 6s / iPhone 6s Plus / iPhone 7 will hit UK shops on Friday 18 September 2015.
Sources in Germany and Japan report that distributors are gearing up for that date, and the UK would ordinarily be part of the 'first wave' of retail launch dates along with Germany, Japan and the US. Last year consumers in the four countries all got their hands on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus on 19 September.
(The first wave varies slightly from year to year, but always includes France, Canada and Australia as well as the four countries above.)
The German rumours originated with the (German-language) blog Macerkopf.de, which reckons two of the three big wireless carrier forms in that country are preparing for that date.
The (Chinese-language) site ITHome, meanwhile, claims the same date will see iPhone 6s / iPhone 6s Plus sales start in Japan.
All of this fits with the widely reported announcement date of 9 September which we discuss below: a nine-day delay between unveiling and UK availability is pretty standard. For the iPhone 6 generation the gap was 10 days; for the 5s and 5c it was also 10; for the iPhone 5 it was nine days. And launching on a Friday fits the pattern too: new iPhones have gone on sale for the first time on a Friday since the iPhone 4s.
As for pre-orders, ITHome predicts a start date of 11 September.
iPhone 7 / iPhone 6s Plus 'being tested already'
Word on the street is that Apple has been testing two new iPhone models since July. That's the claim of a marketing company named Fiksu, which says it has seen around 150 examples of two new identifier codes, which appear to correspond to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, or iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
The two new identifiers, incidentally, are "iphone8,1" (87 examples were seen) and "iphone8,2" (67). For comparison, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were tagged as "iphone7,2" and "iphone7,1" respectively.
Good - if predictable - confirmation that Apple is well on course for a September launch of the new phones. On the down side, it seems to disprove the theory that we're going to get an iPhone 6c. Boo to that.
iPhone 7 launch date rumours: 'Biggest order ever'
With two months still to go before the expected launch date of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus (or more traditional but less elegant iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus), Apple has sent its hardware suppliers an order for a staggering 85 to 90 million units - more than for any smartphone launch in Apple's history.
For comparison, Apple ordered 70 to 80 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus units, itself at the time the biggest and most successful ever iPhone launch event.
All of this is according to a new report in the Wall Street Journal, which also claims that the phone units that have been ordered are, as was widely expected, divided into two models: a 4.7-inch unit and a 5.5-inch unit, matching the screen dimensions of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. This report appears to put paid to hopes that Apple would refresh its line-up of 4-inch iPhone models, which have remained static since the launch of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c in September 2013.
Finally, the WSJ predicted that the new iPhones would have the same screen resolution as their immediate predecessors, but claimed that a new fourth colour option would be added on top of the silver, gold and Space Grey currently offered.
iPhone 7 launch date rumours: August
However, a new rumour holds that Apple will actually launch the new iPhones in August. Economic Daily News (a Chinese-language site) cites supply-chain sources to support its claim that the new iPhone 6s is already in production, and that the devices will launch in August, a month earlier than expected.
We're not wholly convinced by this: let us just say that we'll need to hear this corroborated by other sources before we start updating our diaries. Apple's supply chains, in contrast with its in-house design and engineering teams, are notoriously leaky, and if something as big as that is going on we can expect to hear more about it. So until we hear more, we'll continue to predict a September launch for the iPhone 7.
iPhone 7 launch date rumours: Two iPhones a year
So much for the likely launch date. But it's possible - and has been widely speculated - that Apple will begin releasing new iPhones twice a year, to help it keep up with the ever growing and ever improving competition. This would mean an iPhone launch event in the spring of 2015 followed by another in the autumn.
In this case we would expect less dramatic enhancements in each update: perhaps an 'S'-class update in the spring followed by the full iPhone 7 in autumn. Or Apple might choose to update its 4-inch smartphones in one set of announcements and its larger phones in the other.
Indeed, another tech site says it has a source in the supply chain that backs all this up - claiming that, while the iPhone 7 will have to wait until September, the iPhone 6s will be launched in spring alongside the Apple Watch.
It's an interesting theory, but if we were betting men and women Macworld would put its money on a September launch for the next range of iPhones.
You can also read our full first look review of the Apple Watch, and our Apple Watch Release Date story, including UK pricing for the Apple Watch.
iPhone 7 rumours: Specifications
It's time to get a bit more technical. Let's talk iPhone 7 specs.
iPhone 7 specs rumours: Processor
A Dutch tech site has leaked a screenshot that appears to show key tech specs and speed testing for one of Apple's new iPhones. And if this leak is to be believed, the new A9 processor going to be seriously fast: about 57 percent faster than the iPhone 6 Plus, on paper, and faster even that the iPad Air 2.
"iPhone 8,2" is understood to be the codename for one of the two new iPhone models, by the way, as we explain in the launch date section. If you can not make them out, here are the tech specs shown in the screenshot:
1.51GHz ARM processor (presumably A9?) With 3 cores
2GB RAM
iOS 8.1.2
And the Geekbench 3 speed scores shown:
1811 (single-core)
4577 (multi-core)
For comparison, in Macworld's own Geekbench 3 testing last year the iPhone 6 scored 1517 and 2586, the iPhone 6 Plus scored 1626 and 2917, and the iPad Air 2 - the fastest iOS device currently available - scored 1818 in single and 4520 in multi. Comparative testing in the leaked documentation puts the Air 2's scores at a slightly lower 1787 and 4499 respectively. (The two devices are running different iterations of iOS 8, which may be explain the differences, since the listed hardware specs are virtually identical.)
The iPhone 6s (or 6s Plus) therefore appears to be the fastest iPhone to date, by a hefty distance, and by the slimmest of margins the fastest mobile device Apple has released. (As the Motley Fool observes, this could legitimately be described as 'PC-class' performance, an unthinkable achievement for mobile devices just a few years ago.)
In fact, the new iPhone's results are close enough to those of the iPad Air 2 (and its processor is clocked at virtually the same speed, according to the leaked results) that we think the iPhone 6s could in fact be simply running an A8X - or an A9 that's almost indistinguishable from it.
Samsung is already being pegged as the supplier of Apple's A9 processor for its next generation of smartphones. The processors are expected to be manufactured using a 14-nanometer design. The new chips are expected to be smaller, more efficient and of course more powerful.
Srini Sundararajan, a semiconductor industry analyst with Summit Research, has predicted that the next iPhone (which he refers to as the iPhone 6s, which seems increasingly to be the expected branding) will boast speed "to kill for": performance that is "perceptibly superior to the iPhone 6 ".
That might not seem like a particularly grand claim, since one would naturally expect improvements in speed across each successive smartphone generation. But remember that an 'S' update is traditionally one with only minor improvements, and Sundararajan quantifies his predictions - these are significant upgrades. The anticipated A9 processor in the iPhone 6s will be 20 percent more powerful, he reckons, 12 to 15 percent smaller and 35 percent more power-efficient than the A8, and offer (unspecified) graphical speed increases too.
"The 6S will have better computational horsepower, which will make every function better," says Sundararajan. "Which means a lot of programs will be faster and have better stability."
The iPhone 6's A8 chip uses a 20-nanometer process, and the majority are manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). Analysts have been reporting for some time that Samsung wants to once again become the sole manufacturer of Apple's chips, and has been offering competitive prices in an attempt to convince Apple to strike a deal; and according to the Inquirer, it has (at least partially) succeeded.
The site, basing its claims on sources quoted in a Korean-language news page, says that Samsung will make three quarters of the A9 chips used in the iPhone 7. (We still believe that Apple itself will design the A9 chip, as it has done with A-class processor chips in the past.)
The remaining chips will still be provided by TSMC, it appears: indeed, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reckons TSMC has been roped in at the last minute and asked to make 30 percent of the A9 chips for the next iPhone.
Samsung vs TSMC
An additional titbit about the A9 chip, which you may find interesting even though it's unlikely to directly affect consumers: Apple is reportedly playing off its two main processor suppliers, Samsung and TSMC, against one another, asking each firm to cut the price they ask for supplying the A9 components.
Whereas TSMC has refused, Samsung is so keen to keep the gig that it has agreed to price discounts and what Digitimes calls "almost-free backend services"; and as a result of this looks like getting the lion's share of the supply contract.
Prospective savings for Apple, then, but do not expect this to substantially alter the price of the iPhone 7 or iPhone 6s when it launches.
iPhone 7 specs rumours: RAM
AppleInsider is quoting "a person familiar with Apple's future product plans" who reckons that Apple is about to bump the amount of RAM in the iPhone line for the first time in three years: from 1GB to 2GB in the iPhone 7.
Aside from the anonymous source, there's a certain logic to the timing of the move, as AppleInsider observes: the last time Apple bumped iPhone RAM came one cycle after the company had done the same thing to its iPad line, and the iPad Air 2 got an extra gig of RAM last October.
Update, 19 Aug: the leaked Geekbench results posted above appear to confirm that at least one of the new iPhones will get 2GB of RAM.
iPhone 7 specs rumours: Battery life
The most recent rumour about the next 4-inch iPhone - widely known as the iPhone 6c - is that it will see an upgrade in battery capacity from 1510mAh (in the iPhone 5c) to 1715mAh, and this suggests that Apple is at least aware that battery life is a priority for a lot of users. But we're not convinced, given the already larger capacities of the batteries in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, and their longer battery lives, that this will be a major concern for the next large-screen iPhone.
However, another rumour holds that Apple will take the battery developments it deployed in the 12-inch MacBook - whereby contoured, layered battery units are stacked inside the chassis in order to take up every possible inch of space - and use these to squeeze more battery volume inside the iPhone 7.
(According to Wired's write-up, Apple actually claims to adjust its battery contours on a machine-by-machine basis, by photographing the inside of the chassis and modifying the battery stack to fit all the tiny imperfections - which, if it's true, It is amazing.)
Apple could even, thanks to the new battery technology, make more radical changes to the overall design of the iPhone, because its engineers no longer to base their work on a fixed battery shape; although the idea of Jony Ive coming up with a BlackBerry Passport-esque square design at this point in the iPhone's history is a little off-putting.
One site that's discussing this rumour, www.igyaan.in, argues that it will enable Apple to make the next iPhone slimmer. Which contradicts the latest entry in our design section: the rumour that the iPhone 7 will be very slightly fatter than the iPhone 6 Plus, in order to squeeze in the components to power Force Touch. I guess we're back to square one in that department.
Smartphone battery life is one of those things that everyone says is important, and once again Apple will hear many requests for improved battery life in the iPhone 7 - but you do wonder how much of a compromise the average Apple fan would be willing to make in return. What if, in order to achieve a superb battery life, the iPhone 7 was twice the weight, or cost significantly more? What if the screen was less powerful or the processor scaled back?
Mirroring these thoughts somewhat, Jony Ive discussed battery life briefly in an interview with the Financial Times' 'How to spend it' supplement recently. And he gave fairly heavy hints that Apple does not think battery life is a high enough priority to make compromises in other areas worth it.
"Talking of performance, when the issue of the frequent need to recharge the iPhone is raised, [Ive] answers that it's because it's so light and thin that we use it so much and therefore deplete the battery. With a bigger battery it would be heavier, more cumbersome, less 'compelling'. "
It's possible that will see conservative increases in battery life, as we did with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. But those advances were feasible because the bodies of those devices were larger, and they could therefore accommodate larger batteries. And it sounds like Apple will not be sacrificing portability to make the iPhone 7 have a significantly better battery life.
Sorry, everyone. Still, cheer up: as the Express reports, Apple was recently granted a patent that would allow it to embed solar panels under the screen of future iPhones, thereby doing away with the need to charge them up at all. No, it's not going to appear in the iPhone 6s, but some day ...
(We have the latest rumours about the Apple iCar here, along with Why we do not think Apple will make an iCar.)
iPhone 7 specs: Screen size
What screen size will the iPhone 7 have? There are a number of competing theories.
Of the three smartphone screen sizes Apple currently sells, the 4.7 inches of the iPhone 6 appears to be the favourite among customers. The iPhone 6 Plus and its 5.5-inch screen strikes many people as too big; the 4-inch iPhone 5s seems too old-fashioned and titchy to many more. 4.7 inches may be the sweet spot for the average Apple fan.
But it seems unlikely that Apple will give up on its other screen sizes as easily as that. For one thing, there are definitely smartphone users out there who still value smaller devices: those with smaller hands, those who prefer to use their smartphone one-handed, people who just do not like change. (That last category includes the author of this article, to be quite candid. I wrote a little about the significance of very small alterations in the size and shape of smartphones in an article that I called The handbag theory.)
Apple may seek to placate this market by updating its 4-inch line-up. And while it's been consistently outsold by the iPhone 6, the iPhone 6 Plus has not been a sales disaster either - and it's an important product for Apple in terms of prestige and acquiring a foothold in new markets.
For simplicity, therefore, we're predicting three new iPhones from Apple over the next year or so. An update of the iPhone 5s with a 4-inch screen, which we're calling the iPhone 6c; a 4.7-inch update of the iPhone 6, which we're calling the iPhone 6s; and a new phablet, based on the iPhone 6 Plus, with a 5.5-inch screen. This last update is the one we're calling the iPhone 7, and will be the focus of this article.
Update, 17 July: a new report from the Wall Street Journal appears to confirm that 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhones will launch in autumn 2015; we discuss this in more detail in the iPhone 7 launch date section. Sadly for fans of 4-inch iPhones, there's no news on that front, so you will probably have to wait until 2016 - or longer.
Does the new iPod touch make an updated 4-inch iPhone more likely?
Our colleague Jason Snell, writing for Macworld US, discusses the theory that Apple's recent refresh of its iPod touch line may signal a similar update to its line of 4-inch iPhones.
"The new iPod touch, for all its advancements, still sports the same 4-inch Retina display as the iPhone 5, 5s, and 5c. And it makes me wonder if maybe, just maybe, it's the first hint that we'll be seeing an updated 4-inch iPhone this fall.
"My guess is that there will be a new 4-inch iPhone this fall. It might look more like a small iPhone 6, or it might take a cue from the new iPod touch and remain exactly the same on the outside, while being completely different internally. But will it be a "cheap iPhone"? I doubt it. More likely, it'll be outfitted with last year's iPhone 6 technology and fill the slot that's one step down from whatever replaces the iPhone 6. "
There are plenty of fans of the smaller, 4-inch-screen form factor here in the Macworld UK office, and we think it would be unwise of Apple to abandon this market entirely.
Read the rest of Jason's thoughts here.
iPhone 7 specs rumours: Storage capacity - No increase from 16GB minimum
Let's discuss the iPhone 7's storage capacity.
Each time the iPhones get updated we speculate about the possibility that Apple will boost storage: removing the 16GB baseline option and starting at 32GB. (At the moment, for last year's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus at any rate, there is a curiously isolated 16GB model, a gap, and then the 64GB and 128GB models above. You can buy a 32GB iPhone 5s, while the iPhone 5c comes in an 8GB storage flavour only.)
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