Apple Scraps iPhone 7 Pro, To Launch 2 Variants iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus Only

Now that it has served its purpose as simply a fallback device in case the iPhone 7 Plus messed up in terms of a new functionality, Apple reportedly scrapped the iPhone 7 Pro, with “reliable sources” confirming the news to Japanese site Mac Otakara recently. So now, consumers should not expect a third variant of the iPhone 7 to show up during Apple’s September event.

Earlier today, MacRumors learned that the iPhone 7 Pro was simply created as a backup device to the dual-lens variant of the upcoming iPhone 7. Hence, Apple may have thought of naming the dual-lens variant prototype as the iPhone 7 Pro with the contingency plan of scrapping this variant if the introduction of the new camera technology to the larger iPhone backfires. Now that things have worked out, however, the Cupertino giant is said to have ditched the idea of launching a variant with the “Pro” moniker and reverted its naming system to include just the iPhone 7 for the standard version and the iPhone 7 Plus for the larger 5.5-inch dual-lens device.

Though this new report has clarified the official names of the iPhone 7 devices ahead their launch, it is still not clear if Apple will only be releasing an iPhone 7 Plus handset with a dual-lens system, or if it also plans to release one without the dual-lens technology. Should it release both variants under the Plus line, consumers could expect that the dual-lens camera would most likely come with the most expensive price tag and the biggest memory onboard.

Meanwhile, with this new report coming into light, 9To5Mac claims that everyone can now consider the iPhone 7 line as the second “S” line after the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus smartphones, since both 2015 and 2016 variants can be considered as minor upgrades from 2014’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s Plus, design-wise.

Still, it is work noting that the iPhone 7 line will be the most revolutionary yet, given that the universal 3.5mm headphone jack has been excluded from these devices. With the absence of the audio jack, there are sources claiming that the new iPhones would either rely on Bluetooth connectivity or a Lightning dongle to provide users with a means of listening to sound or music from the devices.

As for the other specifications and features of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, Mac Otakara’s sources stated that the phones will indeed feature the rumored flush, pressure-sensitive Home button and the powerful A10 chip. Other than these two, the internals and the external features of the devices would be the same ones found in the current iPhones.

The iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus are expected to be publicly announced at Apple’s Sept. 7 event. Pre-orders for the two are expected to commence on Sept. 9, while their wide release is expected to begin on Sept. 16.