Plenty of people have opinions on when Apple will introduce the next iPhone and what it will look like. But perhaps no rumor has been more convincing than a prototype that surfaced online this week—and to skip right to the juicy part: no, it doesn't have a headphone jack.
In a video posted to YouTube (below), Unboxing Therapy showed off a prototype of what it called an "iPhone 7 Plus," which it obtained from a company in China.
Its form factor looks nearly identical to the iPhone 6s Plus, though the purple metallic color is unlike any Apple product we've ever seen.
The prototype is also different from several previous iPhone 7 rumors that have surface in recent months. Its camera housing is larger than the one on the iPhone 6s, but significantly smaller than a leaked photo from Chinese repair shop Rock Fix that was teased in June.
There are two cameras in the housing, however, which would allow for higher-quality photos shot in less-than-optimal lighting conditions. The housing protrudes significantly from the back of the phone, meaning that the device wobbles a bit when it's placed face-up on a flat surface.
Gone are the two antennas that run horizontally across the back of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. Instead, the Unboxing Therapy prototype appears to have the antenna integrated into the sides of the handset, similar to the iPhone 4s.
There are three metal dots near the bottom of the back are likely for docking with accessories like a keyboard. There's also a Lightning connector on the bottom edge, but—gasp!—no headphone port. The absence of a headphone jack is widely rumored on the next iPhone (though some prototypes have included one) and there have been no shortage of theories about how Apple will pipe audio out of the device.
If the no-headphone-jack rumors hold true, it will be a field day for adapter makers, who will see a new market for Lightning connector headphone attachments sprout overnight.