There has been speculation that Apple was going to completely revamp the home button feature in the iPhone 7. In October 2015, Piper Jaffray managing director and senior research analyst Gene Munster predicted that the home button on the iPhone 7 could be eliminated in favor of a digital button that would utilize 3D Touch. About 6 months later, supply chain sources told Storm Media that the iPhone 7 will have a touch-sensitive digital button rather than the traditional physical button separated from the display — which would make the front of the device completely flush. And this past week, sources with the Japan-based Apple news blog Mac Otakara agreed that the iPhone 7 will have touch-sensitive 3D Touch home button.
Mac Otakara said that there is a “high possibility” that Storm Media’s supply chain sources have credibility. This is what the front panel of the iPhone 7 may look like with the flushed home button:
#Apple purported #iPhone7 & #iPhone7Pro from panels.
Little differences with previous series. (via Weibo) pic.twitter.com/oMXafbobLG— The Malignant (@the_malignant) July 23, 2016
Essentially, the new home button will not actually shift even when it is pushed down by the user's finger. But when the user pushes down on the button area, they will feel haptic vibration feedback that is comparable to 3D Touch on the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus or Force Touch on the Apple Watch.
It’s worth mentioning that these rumors are questionable because the iPhone 7 release date is still about two months away. However, it seems more believable because there are multiple sources that have confirmed this feature. MacRumors pointed out that a flush home button makes sense because the iPhone 7 is rumored to be waterproof too. The removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack and a physical home button would prevent liquid from being able to seep into the device.
There are rumors that Apple plans to eventually get rid of the home button on the iPhone altogether in favor of an edge-to-edge display. By completely revamping the home button in the iPhone 7, it seems like users will start becoming accustomed to the removal of the home button in the "iPhone 8" (coming in 2017 as part of the iPhone 10 year anniversary). And rumor has it that Apple will be able to integrate the Touch ID fingerprint sensor directly within the display.
What other features will the iPhone 7 have? Instead of the headphone jack, it will have an extra speaker for stereo sound and utilize the Lightning port for headphones. By removing the 3.5mm headphone jack, the iPhone 7 is most likely going to be thinner and lighter than its predecessors. And the antenna lines will be shifted from the back of the iPhone 7 to the top and the bottom. The larger 5.5-inch "Plus" version of the iPhone 7 is expected to have a dual-lens camera and a Smart Connector for data and power transfer. Plus Apple is expected to offer a 256GB option for the iPhone 7, which I am looking forward to.
According to credible sources, pre-orders for the iPhone 7 are expected to begin on September 9th followed by an actual release date of September 16th. Apple may actually end up calling its upcoming flagship smartphone the "iPhone 6SE" instead of the "iPhone 7," which would be a deviation from Apple's standard naming pattern. The suspense is building and I cannot wait to hear what Apple has in store within a couple of months!
What are your thoughts about the potential iPhone 7 home button changes? Please leave a comment!
