iPhone 7 Rumor: Apple Could Ditch 3.5mm Headphone Jack For All-In-One Lightning Connector

Apple’s next-generation flagship smartphone, dubbed the “iPhone 7,” is expected to be so thin that it could ditch the standard 3.5mm headphone jack. According to the latest rumor, the company may replace the headphone jack on the upcoming device with an all-in-one Lightning connector.

Apple’s new Lightning connector could support Lightning-equipped and Bluetooth headphones to accommodate a form factor, which is expected to shave more than 1mm of the current iPhone thickness, Japanese website Mac Otakara reported Friday, citing sources familiar with the plan.

The report also said that Apple is likely to outfit the gratis EarPods headset with a digital-to-analog converter integrated into its plug. As a result, third-party manufacturers could also be forced to create a Lightning-to-analog adapter, Apple Insider reported, adding that the California-based company had hinted at Lightning-enabled headphone accessories during a session at the Worldwide Developers Conference last year.

Apple’s Made for iPhone (MFi) program, which was announced in June 2014, allows third-party manufacturers to create headphones that can be connected to iOS devices via a Lightning cable. Philips has been building Lightning-equipped Fidelio M2L and Fidelio NC1L headphones over the past 14 months, MacRumors reported.

Although the latest iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus are only a few months old, the rumor mill of the iPhone 7 has already started gaining momentum. According to recent rumors, the upcoming iPhone could feature 3 GB RAM and is likely to come with a waterproofed exterior.

There were also reports saying that the iPhone 7 could be able to squirt water from its speaker ports. According to an Apple patent application recently published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the company is working on a technology that uses electrical charges to push liquid out through the iPhone’s speaker and microphone ports.