iPhone 7 Release Date, Specs & Features: Next Apple Devices Getting Upgraded Touch ID [Rumors]

Even though Apple has not yet announced that it will be releasing a new iPhone this year, many speculations about the next generation of iPhones have circulated online. The most recent of which came from Mac Rumors. According to the report, Apple fans could expect an upgraded Touch ID on their iPhones soon. What does an upgraded Touch ID mean? Here's Mac Rumors' "reliable source" KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's explanation for it:

"We think the new iPhone, expected to launch in 3Q15, will be equipped with an upgraded Touch ID module, with which Apple (US) intends to offer a better and safer Apple Pay user experience with reduced reading errors. We therefore raise our 2015F shipments of Touch ID module by 12.4% to 262mn sets, boosted by Apple Pay and new iPhone models."

This 262 million expected units in the second quarter translates to a 77 percent increase from the same period a year ago. The analyst also revealed that the suppliers of the components of the new Touch ID would be Sunnic, ASE Kuo, and TSMC. Kuo also insists that the next iPhone is set to take center stage in the third quarter of the year, considering previous iPhone releases.

9to5mac recounts that the first iPhone to get the Touch ID feature was the iPhone 5S in 2013, followed by last year's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. It has also been made available on the new Apple tablets iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3. The feature was first introduced as a way to unlock Apple devices and a tool in purchasing at the iTunes and App Store. It however became more useful with the arrival of the Apple Pay.

Another recent rumor about the next generation of iPhones pertains to its camera. News outlet Taipei Times, citing analyst Jeff Pu, reported that it is likely that the new iPhone set for release this year would still get the current 8-megapixel camera, which the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have. This is contrary to earlier rumors that fans would see the "biggest camera jump ever" in the 2015 iPhone.

Joining the rumor mill on what the next iPhone has in store for avid Apple fans is the speculation that the next iPhone would have a joystick. Another says it would probably be bendable. Another one says it would get a facial recognition feature. Despite all these rumors, Apple has maintained its silence on yhe subject, keeping fans more and more excited and on the edge about the new products it would create.

Based on the predictions of Stabley Times, there would be at least two new iPhones to be released this year. These are the iPhone 6S and iPhone 7. Though there's also another claim that the other one, which is expected to have a larger size, would be called iPhone 6S Plus. It is believed that the iPhone 6S would come out alongside the Apple Watch in spring while the iPhone 7 would be out in September. None of these speculations have been confirmed nor denied by the tech giant.