Alleged iPhone 7 Prototype Case Leak Shows Four Separate SpeakersIn a curious twist on recent rumors about the upcoming
iPhone 7, French language blog
Nowhereelse.fr today posted a series of images purporting to show a prototype rear case for the next-gen iPhone featuring four separate speakers.
According to previous rumors, Apple could
drop the headphone jack in the iPhone 7 and replace it with a second speaker that would potentially allow for the use of an additional
audio amp provided by Cirrus Logic, which would also supply the noise-cancellation smart codec in an also-rumored Lightning-equipped headphone accessory.
<img src="
" alt="iPhone-7-Prototype Italian" width="524" height="600" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-503624" />
Other more recent rumors based on alleged leaked iPhone 7 blueprints have cast doubt on that claim, showing
no second speaker in place of the missing headphone jack and suggesting Apple's evolving iPhone design will continue to have a single speaker setup.
Today's post by serial leaker
Steven Hemmerstoffer has therefore thrown a curveball into the rumor mill, with some images apparently taken from a promotional video made by an Italian casemaker, which allegedly received a prototype iPhone 7 case in anticipation of the coming refresh in September.
<img src="
" alt="iPhone-7-Prototype Italian 02" width="524" height="600" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-503625" />
While the wider lens and lack of horizontal antenna lines are
consistent with previous leaks, the appearance of four separate speaker grilles - two at the top and two along the bottom - is a new, albeit sketchy contender.
As Hemmerstoffer himself notes, it doesn't seem viable for a speaker to sit so close to the camera module, unless the reorientation of the camera and LED flash holes from a horizontal alignment across the rear of the handset, to a vertical arrangement running down it, somehow allows for the possibility.
In addition, it's unclear what benefit four speakers would have in such a small profile over one or even two of them. Still, the alleged leak remains an unexpected and therefore interesting development in the continuing iPhone 7 rumor story.
<img src="
" alt="iPhone-7-Prototype Italian 03" width="528" height="581" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-503626" />
Other, more consistent industry mutterings and leaks suggest Apple's new iPhones will look similar to the
iPhone 6 and
iPhone 6s series, featuring only minor tweaks to the design such as the
horizontal antenna band removal, flush camera, and a thinner Lightning port, while the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus model is thought to get exclusivity to
a dual-lens camera system and Smart Connector.
<div class="linkback">Related Roundup:
iPhone 7 </div>
Discuss this article in our forums
<div class="feedflare">
<img src="[url]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MacRumors-Front?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img>[/url]
<img src="[url]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MacRumors-Front?d=6W8y8wAjSf4" border="0"></img>[/url]
<img src="[url]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MacRumors-Front?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img>[/url]
</div><img src="
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MacRumors-Front/~4/-Zg4vV_RsRE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>
Source:
Alleged iPhone 7 Prototype Case Leak Shows Four Separate Speakers
