A new report from DigiTimes, a Taiwan-based news outlet, claims that Apple will be opting for a touch-sensitive home button for its upcoming iPhone 7. This means that the new iPhone 7 will ditch the physical home button as found on all the current and previous generations of the iPhone lineup.
Other than having a touch-sensitive home button, the report also reiterates previous rumors that claimed the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus to be waterproof and dust proof. Numerous rumors and reports over the past few years claimed over and over that Apple’s upcoming iPhone will be water and dust proof.
It’s worth noting that Samsung – Apple’s arch rival launched its Galaxy S7 and Galaxy s7 Edge with IP68 certification that makes the two devices waterproof and dust-proof as well. The Korean giant achieved all that without compromising the overall look and feel of its devices. So, it makes perfect sense for Apple to add water proofing to its upcoming iPhone 7 and the Plus lineup.
As far as the touch-sensitive home button is concerned, we have seen numerous design concept featuring a home button built into the display of the device, however, it still remains unclear for now. A touch sensitive home button will continue to feature Touch ID, Apple’s fingerprint sensor, however, a patent filed by Apple indicates that the fruit company might be working on a technology to integrate the Touch ID right into the display of the device.
While a model number jump has always brought major device changes to the iPhone lineup in the past, iPhone 7 is expected to be an exception by offering modest design changes over the current iPhone 6s. Other rumors claim the iPhone 7 to be 1mm thinner, which will be achieved by the removal of 3.5mm audio jack. Despite being thinner than the iPhone 6s, iPhone 7 will reportedly have a camera flushed with its rear shell. Ugly antenna lines are also said to be relocated to achieve better look and feel of the device.
Given the changes expected in the iPhone 7, it does indeed seems like an “S” upgrade as claimed by the trusted Ming-Chi Kuo from KGI Securities who believes that the iPhone 7 is not going to have “many attractive selling points.”