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'iPhone 7' Rumored to Be Waterproof, Possibly Adopt Non-Metallic Casing Material

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The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus was just released in first-wave launch countries around the world last Friday, but a few new rumors about the 2016 "iPhone 7" have begun to surface online this morning. According to a source from the Chinese social media site Weibo (via Mac Otakara) [Google Translate], the next version of the iPhone will have a strengthened, waterproof frame and may ditch a metallic casing altogether.

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This strengthened body would certainly follow in the footsteps of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, which bolstered the weak points of its predecessors and moved to a stronger 7000 Series aluminum alloy. According to today's rumors, however, the so-called iPhone 7 will find its strength in a focus on a waterproof and dust-proof body that would allow iPhone users to worry less about dropping their smartphones in liquids.

This big new upgrade to the iPhone 7 would call for a new frame and casing material, and according to one of the postings on Weibo, Apple is in fact planning on adopting an entirely new material next year for the iPhone 7. If this turns out to be the case, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus would be the last in the iPhone line to include a metallic casing for the smartphone.

Mac Otakara also received news from reliable sources stating that the upcoming iPhone would have a "completely flat" LCD screen, but, as with all of today's rumors, it should be taken with a grain of salt given that we're just now under a year away from Apple revealing the device. These aren't the first rumors of the iPhone 7, either, with reports dating back to March concerning the 2016 iPhone's possibility of adopting Intel LTE Chips, including glass-on-glass touch panels, and being the thinnest iPhone yet.

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Top Rated Comments

M
mKizzo
137 months ago
Not too far fetched going by that video going around of the new iPhones being under water for over an hour and still working.
That and the fact that Sony has managed that on their smartphone for 2 years now...
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
B
Ballis
137 months ago
Make 4" an option and improve on overall design. And remove that ugly protruding camera. Then Ill be a buyer.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
A
Anaxarxes
137 months ago
Finally Liquid Alloy tech body with rugged design and non-physical 3D Touch home button is coming.

IMO, 10th iPhone will be something special.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
acctman Avatar
acctman
137 months ago
are people really dropping there phones in water to the point it needs to be water resistant? you can be without your phone in the pool. seems like a pointless feature to add being that the speakers, mic, charge port, etc would have to be water resistant. doing this would muffle/reduce clarity. why not focus on making the battery last longer or something more important. just my thoughts...
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Iconoclysm Avatar
Iconoclysm
137 months ago
It would be nice to see them do wireless charging, and Bluetooth headphones to get rid of the headphone jack, and waterproof the speaker/mic system. Just a thought.
Wireless charging is really niche right now. It's an inevitability but not with the current technology.

Ditching the headphone jack? No way. Requiring powered headphones is one of the worst things they could ever do...
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
clausbvc Avatar
clausbvc
137 months ago
The benefits of the smaller form factor of a 4" are numerous:

Smaller display is less costly
Fewer pixels to fire up - longer battery time (even with less space)
Better heat dissipation
Less prone to bending
Actually being mobile,
Fitting a pocket (the best camera is the one you carry)
Better grip, no over-reaching your thumb
Does not make you look like an mobile addict, even if you are

So I would strongly advocate for going back to a human form factor. When I reach my alien 2,5 meters high and my hands are grown by 30 percent, I might just like the bigger size, but not now.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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