PHOTOS: iPhone 7 and 'Pro' designs leaked

A mockup of the possible next iPhone 7.

A few months away from it's official release, design photos and renditions of Apple's next iPhone are already making the rounds on the internet as some photos of the model were also leaked online.
According new design leaks from the every reliable OnLeaks, via uSwitch, Apple will be canning the Plus and throwing all its best technology into a new 'iPhone 7 Pro' leaving the relatively smaller iPhone 7 as the significantly poorer relation, Forbes reported.
The iconic phone has always garnered mass speculation ahead of it's release, with websites, blogs and analysts sharing their predictions and leaked mock images of the phone. After nine versions of the phone, since its launch in 2007, the hysteria around the phone refuses to die down among its legions of fans.
Commenting on the leaks by OnLeaks (Steve Hemmerstoffer), Forbes analyst said:

'Of course the obvious question to ask at this point is how seriously should we take Hemmerstoffer? I'd say 'Very'.
Over the last few years he has risen to become arguably the most reliable leaker on the planet and revealed schematics for the Galaxy S6, S7, Note 5, iPhone 6S and SE months ahead of their releases all of which proved to be on the money.'

Here are some of the major upgrades the next iPhone may get:
Cameras
The internet has been abuzz about the next iPhone receiving an advanced camera - and as per reports the iPhone 7 Pro will receive a significantly more advanced dual lens camera compared to the iPhone 7.
Whether Apple uses the lens separately for standard and wide angle shots (like the LG G5) or to enable an optical zoom remains to be seen, but this upgrade will likely prove the biggest factor when choosing between the new iPhones, opined Forbes' Gordon Kelly.

Based on the leaked design images, the camera housing does look to be larger than for the iPhone 6S which may indicate the phone should still get decent upgrade. But will it perform in low light?

Connectivity
'Smart Connector' - it seems that the iPhone 7 will not have it and instead will only be offered on the iPhone 7 Pro.

'What is the Smart Connector? Apple introduced it with the iPad Pro range last year (signified by the three dots on the back of the device) and it allows the Lightning port to supply both power and data simultaneously. This means things like third party keyboards, headphones with integrated DACs and more can take their power from the device allowing them to slim down by ditching the need for batteries - Forbes'

Chassis
According to a leak - Apple won't make any major changes from the chassis used for both the iPhone 6/6 Plus and iPhone 6S/6S Plus. In fact the new iPhones will have identical dimensions to the slightly thicker 6S and 6S Plus: 138.30 x 67.12 x 7.1mm and 158.22 x 77.94 x 7.3mm respectively.
Basically, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Pro will have the same dimensions as the iPhone 6S and the 6S Plus.

Headphone jack
There may not be a headphone jack, according to the leaked designs. Apple will remove the headphone jack from both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Pro in 2017. Analysts had predicted this change in the past few years.

No second speaker
Although making away with a 3.5mm headphone jack, there may not be a second external speaker to give the phones a stereo setup like many of their Android rivals, but this now looks off the cards. A shame when their battery capacities still look low.

Antenna bands
Apple will shift them to the bottom of the phone allowing for cleaner backs on both phones.


Release date?
Since the iPhone 6S was unveiled on 9 September in 2015, industry analysts predict a similar launch date this year.

iPhone releases over the years:2007 - iPhone 2008 - iPhone 3G 2009 - iPhone 3GS 2010 - iPhone 4 (new design) 2011 - iPhone 4s 2012 - iPhone 5 (new design) 2013 - iPhone 5s 2014 - iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus (new design) 2015 - iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus

RAM
The iPhone 7 may ship with 2GB RAM, while the iPhone 7 Pro could include 3GB RAM, and there is said to be a different camera system in the iPhone 7.
Storage
According to Apple 'fan site', MacRumors, an unconfirmed rumor suggests the larger iPhone 7 Pro could include a high-end 256GB storage option that would not be available with the iPhone 7.

With Samsung and other Android devices introducing breakthrough technologies, the heat is on Apple to launch a phone that will once again be an industry gamechanger.