With around three months remaining until Apple is expected to announce the tentatively named iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, detailed renders of the next-generation smartphones continue to surface on the web.
The latest CAD renders, posted on Chinese social media and shared by French website NWE, provide a closer look at the possible design of the smartphones and paint a clearer picture of which features may be included.
The 3D renders are consistent with many previous iPhone 7 leaks, showing an iPhone 6s-like design with repositioned antenna bands, no headphone jack, and a dual-lens camera exclusive to the larger 5.5-inch model. Meanwhile, the smaller 4.7-inch model has a larger camera cutout as seen previously.
There is also the addition of a second speaker grille occupying the space that would normally house the 3.5mm headphone jack, corroborating rumors that the iPhone 7 series may deliver stereo sound. At least one render has shown no stereo speakers in the past, however, so the feature's inclusion is still debated.
On the bottom remains a Lightning connector, which is expected to evolve into an all-in-one port for audio output, charging, and accessory connectivity. There is also a traditional looking SIM card slot, which likely rules out a sketchy rumor about the iPhone 7 having dual SIM trays for use with multiple carriers.
Other features consistent with the iPhone 6s include a side-facing power button and pill-shaped volume controls, mute switch, dual-LED flash, and a microphone on the bottom and next to the rear camera.
The renders offer no hints about Apple's plans to use a flush, touch-sensitive home button, a feature that could be reserved for the tenth-anniversary iPhone with an OLED display and glass casing expected in 2017.
There is also no Smart Connector depicted, despite some earlier rumors claiming the new accessory connector will expand from the iPad Pro to iPhone.
Apple is widely expected to announce the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in September. In addition to the aforementioned features shown in these renders, the smartphones are expected to be slightly thinner with faster Apple A10 processors, 32GB of base storage, improved waterproofing, and faster LTE and Wi-Fi. 3GB of RAM is said to be exclusive to the 5.5-inch model.
