iPhone 7: All the rumors about the specs, design and features of Apple's 2016 iPhone

With the March 21 introduction of the 4-inch iPhone SE now in the rear-view mirror, we have turned our speculative focus to the forthcoming iPhone 7, expected to materialize sometime later this year. In a TV interview with CNBC's Jim Cramer in early May, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the iPhone 7 will have a killer feature: "We are going to give you things that you can't live without, that you just don't know you need today."

So, a pretty high bar has now been set. And to be clear: we have no hard info. But between assumptions and the new expectations set by Cook, we paint below a portrait of the most intriguing gossip about Apple's next big thing.

Editors' note: This story was originally posted on December 14, 2015 and last updated on May 8, 2016.

Announcement and release dates
According to Apple's traditional cadence, iPhone models always debut in the fall. That changed on March 21, 2016, with the introduction of the iPhone SE, a new model that combines the look of the iPhone 5S with the soul of theiPhone 6S.

That noted, the iPhone SE is a relatively minor, mid-cycle update that brings little to the table in terms of design, features, or specs. Given this, there remains a pervasive expectation that we'll see the next major iPhone update, right on schedule, in the fall of 2016.

Could Apple flip the script and bring out a new iPhone at its Worldwide Developer's Conference, which it recently confirmed is scheduled to begin on June 13, 2016? Highly unlikely.
Design:
For the past several years, Apple's iPhone updates have followed a predictable cycle: major design changes in even-numbered years, followed by "under the hood" tech upgrades that keep the same basic physical chassis in odd-numbered "S phone" years. For 2016, then, a total redesign is a near certainty -- possibly with some dramatic innovations.
However, the iPhone 7 may buck this trend. According to Barclays analyst Mark Moskowitz, supply chain murmurs indicate that the iPhone 7 won't have "any must-have form factor changes," suggesting that we'll see only a few modest refinements and perhaps some newer internal components. In this vein, MacRumors has suggested that the iPhone 7 will have a design that's "very similar" to that of theiPhone 6 and 6S, though without the antenna bands that run across the current generation. And we still expect the company to release two versions of the phone -- ostensibly, a standard-sized, 4.7-inch iPhone 7 and larger 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus.

Apple Patent Application Publication (US 2015/0357741 A1).

Given the regularity with which folks drop phones in toilets and other bodies of water, could Apple develop a water-resistant or waterproof chassis? (By the way, here'swhat to do when it inevitably happens to you.) Other manufacturers have already gone there, of course: Samsung with theGalaxy S5, Sony with its Z5 Premium and Motorola with its entry-level Moto G. Still, the fact that Samsung did not make theGalaxy S6 waterproof suggests that it's not a critical feature for most consumers.

In recent months, multiple sources (of varying reliability) have reported that the iPhone 7 will be waterproof and dustproof.Business Insider reports that Apple has filed for a new waterproofing-related patent. Titled "Electronic Device with Hidden Connector," the application suggests that ports could be covered with a "self-healing elastomer." According to the patent description, iPhone ports equipped with this technology would be covered with membranes, which could be penetrated by aheadphone or USB connector, for example, and which would seal back up once the connector is withdrawn.

Building on this narrative, 9to5Mac has reported that Apple is developing a new set of Bluetooth earphones that could be introduced simultaneously with the iPhone 7. The fruit of the company's acquisition of Beats Electronics, the new earphones, potentially called "AirPods," are rumored to be completely wireless, similar to the Motorola Hint.

One of the more interesting iPhone 7 predictions involves a move away from the physical home button. As CNET reported earlier, recent iPhone innovations -- specifically the pressure-sensitive 3D Touch screen and increasing always-on hands-free functionality of Siri -- have diminished the need for it, and that a buttonless iPhone would be a natural move for a company with such a strong preference for clean lines as well as simple design. That would also allow the large top and bottom bezels to shrink, effectively allowing Apple to squeeze a larger screen into the same size body. The trick, of course, would be keeping the all-important Touch ID fingerprint sensor somehow integrated into the device.

Note that the melodramatic iPhone 7 "leaked concept" video in circulation on social media has been flagged as a fake. The video shows a cleansuit-clad employee, ostensibly of Foxconn, one of Apple's longtime suppliers, handling a home button-less iPhone 7 until, offscreen, someone shouts, "Hey!". Nice try, folk.
Camera :
any sources reported that there would be a significant step up in quality with the iPhone 6S's camera; a 10-megapixel camera and a two-lens DSLR-style camera were presented as two distinct possibilities. And though the 6S upped the standard iPhone's game with a much improved front-facing camera, only the 6S Plus features optical image stability capabilities that deliver higher quality photos and video in low light environments.

In mid-March 2016, Taiwanese site Apple.club.tw posted what it says are images of a dual-camera module that it says will be included on the iPhone 7 Plus. Since then, sources have reported that the dual lens array will be available only on the 5.5-inch Plus version and not the base iPhone 7 model.

There might also be technology leveraging Apple's 2015 acquisition of Israeli technology company LinX Imaging, which has developed smaller sensors that can deliver DSLR-quality images with optical zoom and improved performance in darker environments.