It was bound to happen: the first images claiming to show the iPhone 7’s design have hit the web.
A France-based technology news site named No Where Else published images on Sunday of what it claims to be as the iPhone 7’s backplate. The image appears to show a computer screen used by someone at China-based Catcher Technology, which has in the past supplied the metal chassis, or enclosure, for the Apple’s iPhones.
Business Insider earlier discovered the report.
The iPhone chassis in the picture is somewhat different than the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. Most notably, the horizontal antenna lines on the back of the iPhone 6s seem to have been scrubbed in favor of lines around the spine. The device’s backplate has the Apple logo (of course), as well as holes for where the smartphone’s rear-facing camera would poke through. Beyond that, the chassis doesn’t appear to come with too many design differences compared to the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
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No Where Else also published what appears to be a rendering of a new iPhone, which resembles the backplate pictured in the photo.
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 7 at a press event later this year. While rumors have been flying fast and furious, the company has kept a tight-lid on its plans for the future.
Given Apple’s secrecy—and its iron-like grip on suppliers to not share details on any new devices—it’s hard to say whether the images leaked on Sunday are indeed real. For one, there’s no mention on the screen capture that the chassis is indeed the iPhone 7, and without dimensions, it’s impossible to know whether it’s something else entirely, such as a mockup that will never come to the market.
It’s also possible that the chassis is the iPhone 6c, the smartphone Apple is expected to unveil at a special press event scheduled for March 21. That device could come with a somewhat similar design to the iPhone 6s but boast a 4-inch screen, compared to the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch displays available in the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, respectively.
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To throw even more cold water on the rumor, it’s unknown whether Apple has even finalized its iPhone 7 design—it’s still months from launching, after all—so this could be a first-take at what the company has planned.
Still, Apple hasn’t been as iron-clad with its rumors over the years, and suppliers have been known to punch holes in its otherwise strong armor. Therefore, it’s possible that the images are indeed the real thing.
For its part, Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the leak.
But if history is our guide, expect many more of these leaks in the ensuing months as we get closer to the iPhone 7’s eventual unveiling—and at least some of them (perhaps even this one)—to be the real deal.
