Word has it that the new Apple iPhone 7 (and possibly the iPhone 7 Plus) may be completely waterproof – good enough to take underwater photos with.
According to a recent news piece by Patently Apple, the Cupertino-based smartphone maker was issued a batch of 80 patents, one of which is a patent for underwater photo editing controls.
Obviously, the patent application would have gone in months ago, so it’s not a stretch to assume that the iPhone 7 launch on September 7 will include this particular feature, which is essentially a set of color-correction controls for underwater photography.
The current iPhones aren’t waterproof, and one of the reasons could be that the biggest “leak” could come from the 3.5mm audio port that sources say won’t be featured on the new iPhone 7.
By removing both the audio port and the stereo speaker, Apple could be “prepping” the phone for underwater photography. However, the question that raises is: how are other device makers able to make their phones completely waterproof despite retaining the headphone port?
For example, Samsung’s S7, S7 Edge and Note 7 are all waterproof to IP68 standards (meaning they can be submerged in up to 1.5 meters of water) despite the fact that they still have the 3.5mm port to use with analog headsets. Removing the port on the iPhone 7 could be seen as a major inconvenience to users who may have invested a lot of money on high quality headphones and earphones.
We will only have the answer to all these questions when the iPhone 7 and its bigger version the iPhone 7 Plus are released at the end of the first week of September, but with the patent being granted so close to the release date for the new iPhone, rumors are bound to float around.
As of now most sources in the know are almost certain that the 3.5mm jack and the stereo speaker will be gone from the new iPhone. Now, with the rumor about a waterproof, underwater-capable iPhone 7 on the loose, it’s going to be an exciting wait for September 7 when the new iPhone is released to the world.
Despite doubts around the iPhone 7 not being “disruptive” enough or different enough from its predecessor range of iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, you can’t deny the fact that overnight lines are going to form once again for the release of the new smartphone from Apple.
