It looks like the iPhone 7 is going to be waterproof
Apple news site MacRumors has got hold of a research note from Ming-Chi Kuo, an extremely reliable analyst from KGI Securities, about the upcoming Apple smartphone.
Among other changes reportedly coming to the next iPhone, due to be announced on September 7, is improved waterproofing - putting it on a par with the Apple Watch.
Apple has quietly beefed up the water resistance of its devices in recent years. YouTubers found that the iPhone 6s could be submerged in water with little-to-no damage. But it has never been a feature that Apple has shouted about.
Ming-Chi Kuo, however, says that the iPhone 7 will have IPX7 water resistance - an official measurement of water/dust-proofing. (This would be the first time an iPhone has been officially graded by Apple.)
This would allow for the submersion of the device in up to a meter of water for up to half an hour. So while it still wouldn't be suitable for swimming, it should hold up just fine if dropped in water, held under a tap, or so on.
The analyst has a number of other predictions for the iPhone 7, based on supply chain sources. These include that the device will come in five colours: silver, gold, rose gold, and the new matte black and "piano black."
The iPhone 7 is expected to look largely similar to its predecessor, the iPhone 6s, with one of the key upgrades being a new-and-improved camera. It is also reliably rumoured to be dropping the headphone jack, forcing users to transfer to wireless headphones or use a Lightning port adapter.
This relatively incremental upgrade comes before a more radical overhaul scheduled for 2017, the tenth anniversary of the launch of the iPhone.
Apple almost never comments on rumours and speculation about unannounced products - but it's not long now til we learn the truth of the matter.