MARTIN HAJEK • FLICKR iPhone 7 is rumoured to drop the 3.5mm headphone port – but not in favour of a second speaker

Apple will unveil the successor to the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus at a launch event next month. Dubbed iPhone 7, the next Apple smartphone is expected to boast advanced photography capabilities and faster internals, while keeping a very similar hardware design to last year. Apple is widely rumoured to drop the industry-standard 3.5mm headphone port from its next smartphone, with whispers the US firm would ditch the hundred-year old technology starting back in November 2015. A swathe of leaked images and video around the device seem to have all-but confirmed that your current headphones will not work with the iPhone 7 – unless you use this awful adapter. The controversial decision to drop the 3.5mm port (some 300,000 people signed an online petition against the move within weeks of the rumours breaking online) was believed to have been made to make room for stereo speakers on the iPhone. These stereo speakers would dramatically improve sound quality when playing music or watching video on the iPhone 7.

APPLE • EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS Removing an industry-standard, like the 3.5mm headphone port, is always going to be painful

Apple recently introduced stereo speakers into the iPad line-up, with the launch of the iPad Pro. But a new leak appears to have disproved this hugely-popular rumour. Alleged schematics of the Apple iPhone 7 have been published online by NoWhereElse.fr, which the technology claims to have obtained from an assembly plant. According to the documentation, the second speaker grill – which sits along the bottom of the device, where the 3.5mm headphone port is located on the current generation of iPhone – is actually a microphone. Previous iPhone models, like the iPhone 5, have used this design. Although dual speaker grills were housed at the bottom of the device, only one was used as a speaker.

NOWHEREELSE.FR According to the documentation, the second speaker grill is actually a microphone

If the latest leak is genuine, is an improved microphone a good enough reason to drop the convenience of having an industry-standard 3.5mm headphone port on the device? Removing an industry-standard, like the 3.5mm headphone port, is always going to be painful. Remember the uproar when Apple ditched the 30-pin connector in favour of its more-capable, reversible Lightning connector with the iPhone 5? However it would be a much easier pill to swallow if Apple can justify its move with a genuinely new and exciting proposition – whether that's noise-cancelling EarPods at no extra cost, lightweight wireless headphones, or dual-stereo speakers. It will be interesting to hear the reasoning behind the design choices rumoured for the iPhone 7. And whether they will be good enough to make people accept this awful adapter.

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Elsewhere, the iPhone 7 is expected to feature a pressure-sensitive Home Button. Apple's re-engineered Home Button is rumoured react in different ways, depending on how much force is applied when the Home Button is pressed. iPhone 7 could be the first Apple smartphone to ship with a dual-camera set-up. Based on the latest rumours and leaks, the side-by-side rear twin cameras will appear like an elongated, pill-shaped protrusion from the aluminium back panel. Rumours suggest the strange new camera could allow iPhone owners to simultaneously snap a wide-angle image – as well as a cropped, or zoomed-in version of the same photo.

YOUTUBE • TINHTE.VN The small adapter includes a male Lightning connector for output and a 3.5mm port for your cans

YOUTUBE • TINHTE.VN The adapter included in the leak is very similar to Apple's current range of adapters

Apple has previously confirmed it has 800 people dedicated to working on the camera technology included in its best-selling iPhone. The Cupertino company is also rumoured to incorporate its new Smart Connector port, which can transmit both data and power. Apple uses the port – which sits flush with the body – to attach the Smart Keyboard accessory with the iPad Pro. Other rumoured features for the iPhone 7 include a faster A10 processor, water resistant case and faster 4G and wifi speeds.

BASTILLE POST The latest leaked image rumoured to be the iPhone 7 includes a Smart Connector and dual camera