Multiple rumors and leaks point to the fact that Apple's upcoming flagship smartphone, the iPhone 7 will have dual speakers. However, leaked schematics reveal that this might not be the case.
It has been previously reported that the iPhone 7 will be dropping the 3.5mm headphone jack in favor of Lightning earphones. With the headphone jack out of the way, Apple is expected to fill out the space with a second speaker, with numerous leaked designs of the smartphone showing that there are speaker grills on either side of the Lightning port at the bottom of the iPhone 7.
However, according to the documents, which were first spotted by French website NowhereElse.fr, the additional holes at the bottom of the iPhone 7 may be purely cosmetic, with Apple deciding to fill out the bottom of the smartphone with the second set of speaker grills to maintain symmetry.
According to the Chinese text of the schematics, the area that is currently occupied by the headphone jack on iPhones will contain only a microphone and microphone mesh on the iPhone 7. There is no mention if there will be a speaker in that area, with most of the holes of the speaker grill seemingly without any function whatsoever. Only the one furthest to the right will have a function, as it will be serving as a microphone.
Further adding to the discovery is a pair of images shown by MacRumors on the design of the iPhone 7 casing. The drawings reveal that the holes of the left speaker grill are not cut all the way through, except for one which would serve as the microphone hole.
However, as with any other rumor in advance of an official announcement, the report could still turn out to be untrue or simply incomplete. While the second speaker grill could house the microphone, there is still seemingly enough space to fit in a second speaker module. As such, Apple users who have been looking forward to the iPhone 7 having stereo speakers should not lose hope just yet, but still ready themselves to be disappointed if this report turns out to be true.
Another recent leak on the iPhone 7 revealed that Apple will be replacing the option of a space gray color with space black, which will be offered in addition to the rose gold and gold options.
Market experts have warned that the iPhone 7 might not be able to live up to expectations, with the smartphone to post lower sales compared with its predecessors despite several new features, as it is being seen as a minor upgrade to the iPhone 6s without any new groundbreaking improvements.
