Apple is not changing the design of the iPhone significantly from the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s to the iPhone 7, according to a source that MacRumors spoke with, who has “provided reliable information in the past.”
One of two iPhone 7 design changes reported by MacRumors’ include is the removal of the horizontal antenna bands on the back of metal case. The antenna bands on the top and bottom visible on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s however would remain in place.
The other major design change for the iPhone 7, again according to MacRumors’s, is the rear-camera sitting at level with the rest of the iPhone casing. At the moment, with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s, the camera protrudes out roughly a couple millimeters.
As one reddit user pointed out, if MacRumors’ source turns out to be accurate, Apple has seemed to adopt a trend of only launching a major redesign every four years, give or take, or two generation cycles.
For example, from 2007 to 2010, the original iPhone, plus the 3G and 3GS, can be grouped together as similarly designed. However, from 2010-2014, the iPhone 4, 4s, 5 and 5s could be consider another design period.
If the above observation has any basis in reality, then the next major iPhone redesign should be the iPhone 8 generation, which, assuming Apple keeps up with its past trend of launching a new iPhone No. model every two years, should be released in 2018.
However that’s not to say Apple doesn’t have any surprises for this September, when the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are expected to be unveiled. Recent rumors indicate the iPhone 7 Plus may have a dual rear-camera system, and there’s always the possibility of a wireless charging feature. This is all assuming the biggest surprise the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus may have in store isn’t the lack of a headphone jack, of course.
