7 Things You Should Know About the Unannounced iPhone 7

There was a time when iPhone rumors were for full-on, neck-bearded, basement-dwelling geeks. The current one will have barely hit the market before the features of the next one are pondered, blogged, and debated vigorously.

It is no longer the sole domain of sites like Mac Rumors. It is mainstream news in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. iPhone rumors are more than mainstream. They are internationally relevant. The best ones usually start in Asia where the manufacturing takes place.

Just keep in mind that even the most informed sources know nothing until Tim Cook is holding the new one on stage in the fall. Apple tests everything, and can change almost any element at the last minute, as they have done so often in the past if a feature set isn’t ready.

With that in mind, here are the seven most interesting bits of what we think we know right now:

1. More of the Same, only Better

Scuttlebutt is that Apple may be moving the iPhone to a three-year design cycle. That means instead of getting a major new look, the iPhone 7 (or whatever it will be called) will look much like the 6s with which you are already familiar.

That means durability and accessory options will be about the same as well. If you needed an iPhone 6 screen protector overlay before, you will likely need to pick up the one designed for the iPhone 7 when it comes out later this year. These overlays are made of tempered glass and are engineered to provide maximum protection.

In the past, when the design of the iPhone doesn’t change, people have been able to keep their accessories they purchased for the previous device. Because there is no expectation for a big redesign, that might be the case this time around.

2. Dual Rear Camera

This rumor has been all over the place. Apple may not have a decision at the time of this writing. While no one knows what Apple would do with the dual camera system, many expect such a system in at least some of the iPhones this year.

Some believe it will be a feature of the big one but not the small one. Some think there may be a pro model above the two models expected to be released. The latest rumors suggest that Innotek, not Sony will be the sole supplier of the part.

3. Jack-gate

One of the earliest and most polarizing rumors is that the discrete headphone jack will go away. Apple is set to move audio out to the Lightning connector. Some competitors have already shipped phones without headphone jacks as if to beat Apple to the punch.

But if the iPhone 7 does ship without a headphone jack, be prepared for jack-gate. It will be the great tech controversy of 2016. And there is reason to believe its coming to an iPhone 7 near you.

4. iPhone Gets the Blues

Some say that Space Grey will be replaced. Others say it will remain alongside the new option. But they are all saying that the next iPhone will come in Deep Blue.

5. End of the Storage Wars

Tired of hearing people complain about the base model coming in at a paltry 16GB of storage? Word on the street is that 32GB will be the new base storage amount, finally putting an end to the iPhone storage wars.

6. Well Connected

You know that new Smart Connector on the iPads Pro that has no current function other than an accessory keyboard? Many believe that will make an appearance on the larger iPhone 7 Plus.

7. It Will Remind You of How Great the Previous iPhone Was

At the end of the day, the iPhone 6 and 6s remain amazing devices. Many will choose to stick with what they have and wait for the 10th anniversary edition. Despite all the new features, experts say this may be the first major iPhone release that is okay to skip.

The one thing we can be certain of is that the new models will be rolling out this September.