'iPhone 7' Rumored to Be Waterproof, Possibly Adopt Non-Metallic Casing Material

[MacRumors]

The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus was just released in first-wave launch countries around the world last Friday, but a few new rumors about the 2016 "iPhone 7" have begun to surface online this morning. According to a source from the Chinese social media site Weibo (via Mac Otakara) [Google Translate], the next version of the iPhone will have a strengthened, waterproof frame and may ditch a metallic casing altogether.

This strengthened body would certainly follow in the footsteps of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, which bolstered the weak points of its predecessors and moved to a stronger 7000 Series aluminum alloy. According to today's rumors, however, the so-called iPhone 7 will find its strength in a focus on a waterproof and dust-proof body that would allow iPhone users to worry less about dropping their smartphones in liquids.

This big new upgrade to the iPhone 7 would call for a new frame and casing material, and according to one of the postings on Weibo, Apple is in fact planning on adopting an entirely new material next year for the iPhone 7. If this turns out to be the case, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus would be the last in the iPhone line to include a metallic casing for the smartphone.

Mac Otakara also received news from reliable sources stating that the upcoming iPhone would have a "completely flat" LCD screen, but, as with all of today's rumors, it should be taken with a grain of salt given that we're just now under a year away from Apple revealing the device. These aren't the first rumors of the iPhone 7, either, with reports dating back to March concerning the 2016 iPhone's possibility of adopting Intel LTE Chips, including glass-on-glass touch panels, and being the thinnest iPhone yet.

Article Link: 'iPhone 7' Rumored to Be Waterproof, Possibly Adopt Non-Metallic Casing Material

 

[penajmz]

Not too far fetched going by that video going around of the new iPhones being under water for over an hour and still working.

 

[infiniteentropy]

It would be nice to see them do wireless charging, and Bluetooth headphones to get rid of the headphone jack, and waterproof the speaker/mic system. Just a thought.

 

[mKizzo]

Not too far fetched going by that video going around of the new iPhones being under water for over an hour and still working.

That and the fact that Sony has managed that on their smartphone for 2 years now...

 

[Ballis]

Make 4" an option and improve on overall design. And remove that ugly protruding camera. Then Ill be a buyer.

 

[nfl46]

I'm definitely looking forward to the iPhone 7! Performance wise Apple has gotten it right with the 6S/6S Plus. I am looking forward to smaller bezels and thinner phone.

 

[BrodieApple]

Plastic? PLEASE no. Hopefully because this rumour is so early it's unlikely.

 

[Anaxarxes]

Finally Liquid Alloy tech body with rugged design and non-physical 3D Touch home button is coming.

IMO, 10th iPhone will be something special.

 

[Paradoxally]

Plastic? PLEASE no. Hopefully because this rumour is so early it's unlikely.

It's not plastic. Something better than a metallic casing.

 

[Sandstorm]

I have a pretty active lifestyle (frequent cycling, hiking, snowboarding and so on) and truly waterproof iPhone would be a very very welcome addition. I don't intend to swim with it, but I can't count how many times I was doing something near/on water/rain and the only thing in my mind was - omg, will the iPhone in my pocket be OK...
Second biggest wish - longer battery life!

 

[justperry]

Oh, common MR, the new iPhones are barely released and you already start this.

 

[bushido]

yes please. ever since I got my apple watch I keep thinking how awesome it would be to take the phone into the pool with me for some great shots

 

[Frankyette]

Plastic? PLEASE no. Hopefully because this rumour is so early it's unlikely.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[joshen]

Could it be liquid metal?

 

[acctman]

are people really dropping there phones in water to the point it needs to be water resistant? you can be without your phone in the pool. seems like a pointless feature to add being that the speakers, mic, charge port, etc would have to be water resistant. doing this would muffle/reduce clarity. why not focus on making the battery last longer or something more important. just my thoughts...

 

[Iconoclysm]

It would be nice to see them do wireless charging, and Bluetooth headphones to get rid of the headphone jack, and waterproof the speaker/mic system. Just a thought.

Wireless charging is really niche right now. It's an inevitability but not with the current technology.

Ditching the headphone jack? No way. Requiring powered headphones is one of the worst things they could ever do...

 

[Iconoclysm]

are people really dropping there phones in water to the point it needs to be water resistant? you can be without your phone in the pool. seems like a pointless feature to add being that the speakers, mic, charge port, etc would have to be water resistant. doing this would muffle/reduce clarity. why not focus on making the battery last longer or something more important. just my thoughts...

Right, water only exists around where people are doing recreational activities... There are tons of people who do work such as cleaning buildings that risk dropping their phone into a bucket of water or a toilet on a daily basis. Let alone any other physical labor type of work that involves liquid materials.

 

[Cloudsurfer]

What about carbon? Maybe we'll see a composite body.

 

[WRX-SRQ]

New iPhones, only 4 days old. MacRumors on the iPhone 7, be like...

 

[Iconoclysm]

That and the fact that Sony has managed that on their smartphone for 2 years now...

It's rated to be less waterproof than an Apple Watch, I'd imagine Apple is going for something a bit more substantial. Also, to obtain that "waterproofing" you have to plug up all of the ports on the phone.

Let's get real, Sony has found a workaround.

 

[penajmz]

are people really dropping there phones in water to the point it needs to be water resistant? you can be without your phone in the pool. seems like a pointless feature to add being that the speakers, mic, charge port, etc would have to be water resistant. doing this would muffle/reduce clarity. why not focus on making the battery last longer or something more important. just my thoughts...

Even by cooking you run the risk of getting your phone water damaged. I don't think most people care about taking their phone into the pool but accidental water damage can happen in a whole lot of different scenarios.

 

[MrXiro]

It would be nice to see them do wireless charging, and Bluetooth headphones to get rid of the headphone jack, and waterproof the speaker/mic system. Just a thought.

The only problem with going BT only is that if your headphones go dead and you're not going to be around any power for a few hours... what do you do? I think they should always have the option to plug in wired headphones of some sort.

Wireless charging on the other hand is a gimmick and not entirely useful. It doesn't charge your phone faster, you still need to be "tethered" to a wireless portal/dock now, instead of just wired in. And the biggest downfall; you can't use your phone while it's charging on the wireless plate. Don't get me wrong, it's a neat little parlor trick... ooo magical charging! But it doesn't do anything better or faster in terms of charging your phone than just plugging in.

I have imagined a NFC bluetooth speaker with a wireless charging plate so that they connect when you set it down. But Apple doesn't allow NFC BT pairing yet.

 

[kingpushup]

Finally Liquid Alloy tech body with rugged design and non-physical 3D Touch home button is coming.

IMO, 10th iPhone will be something special.

Yes I hear rumor that Apple is seeing improved liquid alloy yields since employing a non-metallic additive. Could be this.

Definitely interested to hear the casing options Apple is considering.

 

[OllyW]

Could it be liquid metal?

That would still be metallic.

 

[Jamo12]

yes please. ever since I got my apple watch I keep thinking how awesome it would be to take the phone into the pool with me for some great shots

With the 3D touch, this may be possible. Capacitive and water don't mix. This might be a good solution.