The iPhone 7 might not be as waterproof as we'd hoped

iPhone 6S

We're not expecting big changes to the design of the iPhone 7, but one thing that had been rumored was a waterproof body, a genuinely useful feature that Apple has so far seemed reluctant to embrace.

But sadly the latest leak suggests we might have longer still to wait for a truly waterproof iPhone.

Xiaomi Today spotted a post on Weibo supposedly containing information from a Foxconn insider, and it claims that while the iPhone 7 is more waterproof than the iPhone 6S it's still far from being IP68 certified.

IP68 certification is the standard of dust and waterproofing that phones like the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Sony Xperia X Performance have, so it sounds like the iPhone 7 might be more just splash resistant rather than waterproof.

Of course there's no way to verify this rumor and an earlier leak specifically stated that the iPhone 7 Plus does have IP68 certification, so it's possible that at least one of Apple's upcoming handsets will even if this rumor is right, as this post is specifically talking about the 4.7-inch model.

Colors, buttons and cameras

A few other things are revealed by the Weibo post, but they're largely details that we've heard before. Apparently the iPhone 7 will launch in gold, rose gold and black for example, but not the briefly rumored deep blue color.

The post also notes that there's no 3.5mm headphone jack and that the camera lens is larger than on the iPhone 6S, as has become apparent from numerous leaked pictures.

The iPhone 7 also supposedly has a capacitive home button rather than a button that you physically push down. This too is a rumor that's popped up before, though one with far less certainty behind it, especially as one of the leaks turned out to be an Android copycat.

We should know one way or the other soon though, as the iPhone 7 is pegged for an early September launch.

James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.