7 iPhone 7 Rumors We Hope Are True

Today, at 10 a.m. PST, Apple CEO Tim Cook will preside over the announcement of the iPhone 7, the most anticipated iPhone since the 6, way back in 2014. They changed a lot that year by increasing the screen size from 4 to 4.7 inches – most importantly, Samsung Galaxy owners could now fit in – but there’s still plenty left to be desired. From sound quality to battery life to camera ability, here are the tech world rumors that we really hope are true.

There might not be a headphone jack
This might be the scariest all-but-confirmed rumor going around: the classic 3.5 mm headphone jack is being scrapped and now all headphones must go through the lightning port (meaning no more simultaneous charging and listening) or via Bluetooth, all in a quest for the slimmest phone possible. What will I do with the $300 set of Beats I just bought from the Apple store, you ask? Chances are they’ll include a 3.5-mm-to-Lightning adapter in the box – or even a new set of proprietary noise-canceling earbuds – powered by the more advanced port – thus beginning a new collection of half-functioning items that only work with Apple. Of course, none of this will bug you once you realize just how much cooler lightning headphones really are. 

Base storage is now up to 32 gigs
Part of the joy of owning an iPhone is rapidly deleting entire months’ worth of photos to open up enough space to snap just one of you and your mom when she shows up for the weekend. Apple is reportedly planning on taking away some of that pleasure by upping the base storage from 16 gigs to 32 gigs. This is clearly to appease the iPhone 6 buyers who were outraged when the last phone eliminated the 32 MB tier – skipping straight from 16 to 64. According to reports, the iPhone 7 would offer 32, 64 and 128 GB, and some even suggest that the iPhone 7 Plus 5.5-inch model will go all the way up to 256 GB. (Which, let’s be fair, will still only hold a handful of 4K videos.)

Water-resistant design
Here’s one where Apple finally had to give in and follow in Samsung’s path; the Galaxy Note 7 can be submerged in water for 30 minutes. While we might not be optimistic enough to think the new phone will work in a pool, we can hope it’s at least as waterproof as the Apple Watch.

Dual cameras for more interesting photos
Though this has been rumored to only be available on the iPhone 7 Plus mega-sized model, dual cameras are something that electronics companies like LG and HTC have been experimenting with. Two lenses not only offer better focus, they allow the user to experiment with different focusing techniques – like the “bokeh effect,” preferred by fashion photographers, which lets the foreground stay in focus while blurring the back – mimicking the styles of much larger (and more expensive) digital SLRs. Goodbye, camera industry. Hello, complete human dependence on smart phones.

Second output speaker for better sound
While the new phone is rumored to be losing the headphone jack, the good news is that some believe the real estate on the phone will be used to add an additional speaker. There is also speculation that the top of the phone will also be a speaker – meaning the two will be far enough apart to allow for real stereo sound right from your iPhone. Which is good, because until now the only way to fake-turn your iPhone into a stereo was by putting it in a bowl.

The home button isn’t a button anymore
Until now, the home button has been an actual button – but leave it to the iPhone 7 to switch that up, too. Instead, there will be what appears to be a button, but is flush with the rest of the phone, mimicking the vibrations, tricking your brain into thinking there’s a button when there’s just a patch of glass. Consider this your introduction to virtual reality touch.

Best Battery in iPhone history
OK, there might not be much to back this up, but reports from earlier this summer claimed that there would be a significant jump – 14 percent – in battery life, a big deal given that they weren’t also increasing the phone’s size. (There was an increase between the 5 and 6, but the phone also grew so the extra life was effectively canceled out.) Of course, this might only mean an extra hour of battery life. So throw the extra charger pack in your bag. You’re still going to need it.