Apple iPhone 7 launch: What to watch out for tonight
A dual-lens camera, a 32-GB model, five colour options and lightning earpods in place of headphone jacks are some of the upgrades iOS users can expect.
Apple's iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be launched at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco at 10.30 pm IST. The wait for the tech major's latest offering has been riddled with speculation on possible upgrades and new features. A number of leaks, including one on Apple's Hong Kong website, have added to the anticipation.
Here's a roundup of what you can expect:
- Models: This year, Apple is expected to launch only two versions of its upgraded iPhone – the iPhone 7 (4.7-inch display) and the iPhone 7 Plus (5.5-inch display). There will be no "S" version of the phones this year. The models will be available in five colours, which include the silver, gold and rose gold. However, the old space gray option is being replaced with a dark black.
- Storage: Apple has done away with the unpopular 16GB storage capacity option. Both iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be available with 32GB, 128GB and 256GB memory. While the iPhone 7 Plus will come with 3GB of DRAM, iPhone 7 will get DRAM of 2GB.
- No headphone jack: News of Apple doing away with the headphone jack was one of the most significant leaks about the new models. iPhones will now come with lightning earpods and a lightning 3.5-mm jack adapter.
- Dual-lens rear camera on iPhone 7 Plus: While both camera lenses will be 12 megapixel, one will be a wide-angle camera with a 6P lens, larger pixel sizes and optical image stabilisation; the other will be a telephoto lens with a 5P lens and smaller pixel sizes. This feature is expected to push the iPhone's price up by about $40 (around Rs 2,600).
- Price: The 32-GB version of iPhone 7 is expected to cost around $795 (approximately Rs 53,000). The iPhone 7 Plus with a capacity of 256GB will cost almost $1,200 (around Rs 80,000), indicating that these upgrades will be no easier on the wallets than their predecessors.
The iPhone's latest iteration will not see any design changes this year. This has already raised excitement for Apple's iPhone 8 model, which is expected to see a major overhaul in design to mark the company's 10th anniversary.