iPhone 7 to Be Radically Different from Its Predecessors?: Release Date, Specs & Features

All the latest rumors and speculations about Apple's next iPhone all say the same thing: the mobile device will be better and drastically different from its predecessors.

The arrival of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus in September brought about modest internal changes to Apple's highly popular smartphones. According to CNET, this could mean that the tech giant is getting ready to showcase a complete redesign for the iPhone 7 when it rolls out in 2016, possibly in September if we were to follow Apple's usual timetable for releasing their products.

Expectations for a longer battery life are in for the company's next iPhone, given that the iPhone 6S didn't provide a big boost in battery life over the iPhone 6, CNET wrote. Apple's new Smart Case addressed the issue, though it came with a number of negative reactions.

Also expected for the iPhone 7 is the removal of the home button, which would let the manufacturer to offer a bigger screen display. Other rumors for the iPhone 7 are a thinner and lighter body, a waterproof technology just like its rival devices, and a Lightning connector that serves as the universal port for the power cord and headphone jack, the news outlet listed.

USwitch reported recently that the rumored waterproof feature of the iPhone 7 came from a patent filed by Apple.

A self-healing elastomer inside a port will reportedly protect the future iPhone's Lightning connector, and will be able to prevent liquid from entering the handset's inner components, uSwitch wrote. The elastomer would only be penetrated when a cable is inserted into the device.

An iPhone 7 prototype that features wireless charging has also fueled rumors that Apple's next mobile device will not have a 3.5mm headphone socket, G for Games added. 9to5 Mac wrote that if the company is planning to have a thinner iPhone 7 than its predecessors, it makes sense that its headphone socket will be trimmed, probably with a 2.5mm one.

Among the rumored specs for the iPhone 7 are a 6 mm thickness and a wraparound screen. British publication The Week claimed that Apple filed a patent in September for "sidewall displays," with an image accompanying the patent showing a device with "a screen that stretches all the way around."

In order to accommodate this rumored wraparound screen, Apple will likely ditch the home button -- just as predicted -- and incorporate a fingerprint recognition feature on the screen, the news outlet added.

Note that these are speculations for now and an official statement from Apple is yet to be had.