No headphone port on iPhone 7 “confirmed”

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Images of a case purporting to be for the upcoming iPhone 7 show no sign of a headphone port, adding strength to rumours that Apple will lose it in favour of wireless and Lightning headphones.

The pictures have been obtained and shared by usually reliable tipster @OnLeaks, and they show a transparent case for the iPhone 7.

At the bottom of the case there are two equally sized spaces which are said to be for speaker grilles, suggesting that there won’t be a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The rumour that Apple would be removing the headphone jack has been circling for some time, with many industry analysts claiming Apple would use the Lightning connection to plug in headphones, or bundle a pair of wireless AirPods with the iPhone 7.

It was initially reported that Apple would keep the headphone port, but use a new D-shaped connector instead.

Philips and Audeze have both produced pairs of headphones that use the Lightning connection and it’s possible that the port could support hi-res audio through the Apple Music streaming service.

Removing the headphone port would make the iPhone 7 thinner than previous generations and also potentially make it waterproof.

The iPhone 7 is expected to be announced in September, so until then we just have rumours to go on.

For now, take them with a pinch of salt, but if you're an avid Apple fan you may want to hold off buying an expensive pair of headphones until the new phone is revealed.

MORE: Apple iPhone 6S review

Max Langridge

Max is a staff writer for What Hi-Fi?'s sister site, TechRadar, in Australia. But being the wonderful English guy he is, he helps out with content across a number of Future sites, including What Hi-Fi?. It wouldn't be his first exposure to the world of all things hi-fi and home cinema, as his first role in technology journalism was with What Hi-Fi? in the UK. Clearly he pined to return after making the move to Australia and the team have welcomed him back with arms wide open.