Apple are reportedly hard at work on the next major iPhone – the iPhone 7 – and while we have practically no official information about the device yet, there are plenty of rumors going around. Some of them paint a very interesting picture about what we can expect from the device, and from what we’re hearing, this is shaping up to be a very important release by the company for more reasons than one.
They are apparently reevaluating their approach to the physical design of the iPhone to an extent, looking to come up with ways to reduce the overall size and weight of the phone and make it a truly compact smartphone aimed at people who love elegance.
One of the changes that we’re allegedly going to see in the new iPhone is a move towards smaller bezels and a smaller overall frame, as Apple want to establish this phone as one of the most elegant models on the market. How exactly they’re going to do that is still a mystery, but there are plenty of suggestions roaming around within the community.
One particular rumor claims that Apple are looking into removing the famous Home button of the device, something that has been met with some mixed responses from their fans. On one hand, it’s still the only physical button for navigating the operating system (except of course the lock/volume controls), and it makes sense to move everything towards a more unified design.
On the other, it’s a classic feature of the iPhone that some people would not like to see removed, even if just for sentimental reasons. But of course, when designing a device like that, sentiments are the last thing that the company should prioritize in their decision-making procedure, so they would be smart to focus on the features that people actually want to see.
They might also be trying to shrink the device around the screen and bring it even closer to a design that’s almost all screen on the front. This is a direction that other companies on the market have already been moving in for some time, so it would only make sense for Apple to attempt that as well. It would also make sense in light of their approach to the device’s design, where Apple have been very actively trying to promote elegance and minimalism lately.
All in all, it looks like the keyword for the iPhone 7 is going to be “small”, and the company is quite literally looking to cut some corners, although without any of the negative implications of that statement. We might see a phone that sets some new trends on the market if they play their cards right, and it’s not unusual for other companies to follow the lead of Apple when they do something that draws a lot of attention. With the iPhone 7, they definitely have the potential to do that once again.
Some have been worried that the new iPhone 7 might lose some of its performance if that’s really the direction that Apple are taking with its design though. A smaller body doesn’t necessarily have to mean weaker hardware of course, but hopefully there won’t be any issues with the design of the iPhone that will limit its potential. After all, the iPhone is also known for its powerful hardware and good performance above many other things, so it would be disappointing to see the next one coming with performance problems.