UK Edition
iPhone 7 specs: Apple 'to boost speed by 50 per cent'
The next installment of the iPhone series is due to be unveiled by Apple in September. Reports and leaks suggest that, beyond removing the headphone jack and introducing a touch-sensitive home button, the upcoming iPhone 7 will look pretty much the same as the last two models.
However, it may be what's under the hood that counts. Despite last year's iPhone 6s receiving a big boost to processing power, the next generation could see another leap.
Benchmark tests, supposedly leaked from China, suggest that the new device could be even more powerful than the high-speed iPad Pro.
Leaked iPhone specs
Screenshots from Geekbench, a processor benchmarking tool used to determine how fast devices are, appear to have emerged on Chinese internet forums showing details of the iPhone 7, and published by Dutch blog TechTastic.
The benchmark shows a device running iOS 10, the upcoming software, with 3GB of RAM and a 2.37GHz processor. In RAM terms this represents a 50 per cent upgrade on last year.
The Geekbench performance scores show 3,548 and 6,430 for single core and multi-core respectively. That compares to 2,490 and 4,405 for the iPhone 6s and 3,224 and 5,446 for the iPad Pro.
Although Apple watchers have questioned how reliable the supposed leaks are, the iPhone 7 has been rumoured to have 3GB of RAM before.
'Space black' colour
The iPhone already comes in black, but it seems like the iPhone 7 might come in something that could be described as none more black, or more likely - "space black".
Twitter user The Malignant recently posted what they claimed to be the rear shell of a space black iPhone 7. Given that the Apple Watch already comes in such a colour, this isn't such a stretch.
Apple has also been rumoured to be introducing a blue iPhone 7.
Touch ID power button on MacBook
It's been a while since we've had a new MacBook Pro, but the wait could be worth it with a number of upgrades to the laptop line possibly going to be announced at the same time as Apple reveals the iPhone 7 in September.
According to 9to5Mac, the laptop's power button could be equipped with Touch ID, possibly making the computer more secure and rendering passwords obsolete.
The new laptops are also expected to have a touch-sensitive bar along the top, with an OLED panel that can be adjusted depending on what it's being used for.
Release date
In typical Apple fashion, the iPhone 7 is likely to be unveiled in early September at an event in California, and go on sale a few days later.
It is likely to be an action-packed event, with the company expected to unveil a new Apple Watch and MacBook laptops, as well as possibly an upgraded iPad Pro.