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

[the8thark]

The benefits of the smaller form factor of a 4" are numerous:

Smaller display is less costly
Fewer pixels to fire up - longer battery time (even with less space)
Better heat dissipation
Less prone to bending
Actually being mobile,
Fitting a pocket (the best camera is the one you carry)
Better grip, no over-reaching your thumb
Does not make you look like an mobile addict, even if you are

So I would strongly advocate for going back to a human form factor. When I reach my alien 2,5 meters high and my hands are grown by 30 percent, I might just like the bigger size, but not now.

4 inches is amazing for a phone as described above. There is one catch, the iPhone today is really a mini tablet that just happens to take phone calls as well. This matters because 4 inches is amazing as a phone but is not good at all as a tablet. People want to use their iPhone more and more as a tablet these days. That's why Apple abandoned the 4 inch size.

I think the 5/5S is a nice compromise size. Ok as a tablet (just) and not phablet sized (6/6+ family of phones) ie too large to be uaed properly as a phone.

 

[Smigit]

Well for starters this isn't wireless. A clunky, awkward, bulky charging pad that's bigger than the device to be charged. Ridiculous.

And people complain about the cost of a second lightening cable for charging their phone in the car or at work. Imagine the price tag for a new charging pad, which knowing Apple would very likely have propriety chips to allow them to enforce MFi certification.

 

[The Doctor11]

I deal with a lot of phone repairs. I see 10x as many glass breakage as I do water damage. I'd rather they work on that.

But then you'd be out of job

 

[the8thark]

Not according to the rumor, which states NON-metallic

The last non-metalic iPhone sold soooo well (note my sarcasm). The 5C was a relative flop. I hope Apple don't repeat the 5C's mistakes.

 

[Aluminum213]

You can't say this with any sort of authority. It's very possible that once the 5S moves out of the low price tier position that another 4" could take its place. There are a LOT of people making this request.

Yes, Apple is going to regress in size when the increase in size is what most Apple and Android users wanted


again, go get a cheap $50 4" android phone if you want one so bad

 

[unplugme71]

Jeez. Can you give us 2 weeks to enjoy the 6S before posting a rumor on the next model.

 

[dannys1]

It seems the 6s is already pretty waterproof, 10 minutes under water and they both still worked, how much more waterproof do you need it to be? This is going to survive the drunk girl drop down the toilet easily!

 

[Avieshek]

Visit Appleinsider.com for more minute details and explanation including wh't material and flat-LCD.

READ the comment section for further information about the material

 

[unplugme71]

Yes, Apple is going to regress in size when the increase in size is what most Apple and Android users wanted


again, go get a cheap $50 4" android phone if you want one so bad

Why wouldn't they. If there's a demand they will. I know a lot of people complain about the jump to bigger sizes.

I'd love a 4" iPhone again.

 

[oldmacs]

Yes, Apple is going to regress in size when the increase in size is what most Apple and Android users wanted


again, go get a cheap $50 4" android phone if you want one so bad

4 inches is not a regression - some people simply like big screens, some like smaller screens. I love my iPhone 5 to bits, I don't need a bigger phone and hate phones I can not use one handed. I shudder to think what will happen when my 5 becomes too outdated to use.

A $50 Android phone is not going to cut it for iPhone users who want smaller screens. Sony are doing it right with their Xperia Compact, they've made the bezels small enough so that the form factor is close in size to the 5S. Sadly the Xperia Compact runs Android. I'd get one otherwise.

 

[username:]

The benefits of the smaller form factor of a 4" are numerous:

Smaller display is less costly
Fewer pixels to fire up - longer battery time (even with less space)
Better heat dissipation
Less prone to bending
Actually being mobile,
Fitting a pocket (the best camera is the one you carry)
Better grip, no over-reaching your thumb
Does not make you look like an mobile addict, even if you are

So I would strongly advocate for going back to a human form factor. When I reach my alien 2,5 meters high and my hands are grown by 30 percent, I might just like the bigger size, but not now.

The massive sales figures of the iphone 6, 6+, 6s and 6s+ indicate you are wrong

 

[oldmacs]

The massive sales figures of the iphone 6, 6+, 6s and 6s+ indicate you are wrong

They don't really prove anything other than some people like the larger screens. Where is the evidence that they wouldn't be higher if there was a 4 inch variety? Those rumours of new 4 inch iPhones won't die, and once rumours have reached a certain point, theres usually some substance behind them. Even if Apple strongly considered making new 4 inch iPhones it would suggest there is some sort of demand. Perhaps they're waiting till the 5S disappears.

 

[Four oF NINE]

Why wouldn't they. If there's a demand they will. I know a lot of people complain about the jump to bigger sizes.

I'd love a 4" iPhone again.

I wasn't screaming for a bigger phone when I had the iPhone 5S and it was 4 inches. But at 4.7, it's not huge like those clown shoe Plus phones. Hardly a deal breaker

It seems the 6s is already pretty waterproof, 10 minutes under water and they both still worked, how much more waterproof do you need it to be? This is going to survive the drunk girl drop down the toilet easily!

A lot of electronics dropped in water will work.. for a while.. but then the damage sets in, as water corrosion takes a toll. This can take days, weeks or even months.

 

[oldmacs]

I wasn't screaming for a bigger phone when I had the iPhone 5S and it was 4 inches. But at 4.7, it's not huge like those clown shoe Plus phones. Hardly a deal breaker

Its a deal breaker for plenty. Its the difference between being able to use the iPhone one handed and not.

Everyone has different needs and considerations when choosing a phone, and for some people a phone that is too large is definitely a deal breaker.

As usual, I'm preparing to be flamed as people here seem to hate anyone who dares to wish for a product that Apple isn't making.

 

[username:]

4 inches is not a regression - some people simply like big screens, some like smaller screens. I love my iPhone 5 to bits, I don't need a bigger phone and hate phones I can not use one handed. I shudder to think what will happen when my 5 becomes too outdated to use.

Luckily that will be quite a few years away, given that ios 9 still supports the 4s!! A four year old device! And you can still happily run an iphone 4 on ios 8.

 

[Smigit]

I imagine they're more likely to work on reducing the bezel than shipping smaller displays, which could accomplish much of the desired effect anyway while retaining the larger screen. The current one isn't massive, but shaving a few mm's off would help massively with any reach issues people may have.

I disagree that a smaller display phone means improved battery life. You aren't just asking for a smaller display but a smaller device all round, which means a dramatic decrease in the battery size since it's the easiest component to miniaturise for the different device (you probably can't do much with memory, cpu etc since the larger devices are also striving to shrink those already). If anything you'll likely get worse battery assuming the smaller device is running in the same chips at the same speeds, simply due to the sacrifice you make to battery capacity outweighing the power consumption savings.

The Plus models I believe have better battery life compared to the non-plus models since any extra real estate in the device added by the large display gets allocated to the battery, while the rest remains basically the same.

 

[spazzcat]

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

I believe Sony stopped listing them as water proof, and now listed them as water resistant.

 

[oldmacs]

Luckily that will be quite a few years away, given that ios 9 still supports the 4s!! A four year old device! And you can still happily run an iphone 4 on ios 8.

I'd say it will either be the end of next year or the year after that. Not terribly much time unfortunately.

 

[Razeus]

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

..and yet no one cares about Sony phones.

 

[oldmacs]

I imagine they're more likely to work on reducing the bezel than shipping smaller displays, which could accomplish much of the desired effect anyway while retaining the larger screen. The current one isn't massive, but shaving a few mm's off would held massively with any reach issues people may have.

If they could get the 4.7 iPhone iPhone down into a case similar in size to the 5S then that would work for me.

Or they could just sell a 4 inch Phone and be done with it Options for every one = everyone is happy.

 

[Four oF NINE]

Its a deal breaker for plenty. Its the difference between being able to use the iPhone one handed and not.

Everyone has different needs and considerations when choosing a phone, and for some people a phone that is too large is definitely a deal breaker.

As usual, I'm preparing to be flamed as people here seem to hate anyone who dares to wish for a product that Apple isn't making.

I'm speaking only for myself of course; YMMV

 

[username:]

They don't really prove anything other than some people like the larger screens. Where is the evidence that they wouldn't be higher if there was a 4 inch variety? Those rumours of new 4 inch iPhones won't die, and once rumours have reached a certain point, theres usually some substance behind them. Even if Apple strongly considered making new 4 inch iPhones it would suggest there is some sort of demand. Perhaps they're waiting till the 5S disappears.

"Some" should read most. Most people like larger screens. And that is the key. Smart businesses go for the largest market. And you are advocating for apple to further splinter their product line up, which has been identified as a mistake they made in the past.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

The entire phone body will be made out of sapphire, screen included.

Wireless headphones would be okay if they can be wirelessly charged along with the iPhone.

Or even better, if they just didn't require a battery at all (IE, if the iPhone could transmit power to it along with the signal, much like wired headphones do, but wirelessly. Although honestly, it seems more likely Apple would introduce that feature to their wireless keyboards before they do it with headphones.)

 

[OCMike]

Please be Liquid Metal; Please be Liquid Metal.

 

[nia820]

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.

We'll probably get that around iPhone 9s.