iPhone 7: Reports Of Waterproof Device, Thinnest iPhone Model Yet Come As Best Buy Offers iPhone 6s For $1

iPhone 7 is coming in 2016, according to reports. Perhaps the most detailed report of the coming iPhone 7 comes from the website Know Your Mobile, which reports the latest iteration of the Apple smartphone could be waterproof and the thinnest iPhone model to date.

The website reports that not only would an iPhone 7 be released in September 2016, but an iPhone 7 Plus and an iPhone 6c could be among Apple’s product offerings in the fall of next year.

Back to the features Know Your Mobile said would be included in the iPhone 7, not only are the newest models reported to be waterproof (to the relief of many accident-prone smartphone users), but the website says Apple’s latest model of the iPhone 7 Plus will also feature a larger amount of RAM.

“According to always-reliable analyst-come-tipster, Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 7 will be the thinnest iPhone Apple has ever produced at around 6mm, making it around the same size as current iPod Touch models.

“But that’s not all — Apple will also bump the memory up inside the iPhone 7 Plus model to 3GB of RAM as well, which should translate into super-fast performance when coupled with Apple’s next-generation A10 chipset.”

Know Your Mobile said the increase in RAM will set the iPhone 7 Plus apart from its competitors — including the iPhone 7 and iPhone 6s — in part due to its improved computing power. The biggest difference between standard iPhone and iPhone Plus models has been the improved camera on the Plus.

As for how the iPhone 7 could be the thinnest iPhone model yet, Know Your Mobile and other sources have reported a design update from Apple that would consolidate the earplug port with the power port. Initial reviews of the idea have been mixed, though it should be noted that Apple has not confirmed the update, nor have reviewers in the blogosphere actually worked with any updated hardware.

The news of an updated iPhone 7 comes as Best Buy took the drastic step of offering the iPhone 6s for $1 in this last run up to Christmas, according to CBS News. The $1 offer is good for the 16GB models signed with a two-year contract with either Sprint or Verizon. In years past, such offers have been ways for retailers to clear out supply before an expected influx of new inventory.

But with retailers clearing out inventory and preparing for the latest iPhone models, some Wall Street analysts are wondering how well the iPhone 7 can do in comparison to previous models. Competition is ever-increasing, with Android phones snatching up a larger and larger portion of the marketplace. One of the top competitors is the Samsung Galaxy, which features a sharp camera and strong computing power — something Apple will be responding to with the iPhone 7 Plus.

Morgan Stanley’s Katy Hubert is quoted by Forbes as predicting a decline in iPhone sales next year by as much as six percent, to 231 million units. But she said Apple’s “flagship” device, such as the iPhone 7, could continue to be strong. So, what does this mean for Apple? Is it the beginning of the end? Not necessarily, Forbes writer Ewan Spence said, but it would still be seen as a failure for the California-based company since other manufacturers are approaching sales figures seen by Apple’s “flagship” products.

“Given the industry’s sales figures, any Android manufacturer would be happy with sales in the region of 74 million, but given that value is 500,000 less than iPhone sales in the last financial year, such a high number would be seen by many as a failure for Apple.”

Are you looking forward to the latest iPhone 7? Will you purchase the iPhone 6s for $1 this week or are you going to hold out until next year’s models hit the market? Tell us in the comments section below.

[Photo by Stephen Lam/Getty Images]