iPhone 7S

Leaked images of the iPhone 7S Plus

iPhone 7S screen

Hottest leaks:

• A sharper, OLED display
• A new size
• Improved 3D Touch

There are a number of iPhone 7S screen rumors, but one we keep hearing is that it could have an OLED display, rather than an LCD one.

In fact, the president of Sharp has even said the iPhone 7S will have an OLED screen, and as Sharp makes some iPhone screens he should know, though we’re a long way out from launch, so plans could change.

OLED displays are used by Samsung and on the Apple Watch, and tend to sport superior contrast to LCD. They’re also better suited to being curved, which we’ve also heard the iPhone 7S might be, though that seems less likely.

Another change we might see is the resolution, as Apple is lagging behind rivals there and sharper screens are apparently being prototyped, including one that’s more than 1440 x 2560, though that sounds like too much of a jump.

Finally, the size might change, or an extra size option might be added, with both 5-inch and 5.8-inch sizes rumored. 5 inches would slot between the existing 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch sizes, while 5.8 inches would dwarf them, but even larger phones have been launched by other companies.

And beyond the visual differences, there's a chance Apple will also improve 3D Touch, making it more sensitive and accurate than it is currently, according to one source.

The iPhone 7S might also feature True Tone technology, allowing the screen to adjust its colors based on the ambient light around you. The iPad Pro 9.7 already has this feature, so it's a very believable addition.

iPhone 7S camera and battery

Hottest leaks:

• A single-lens camera
• Wireless charging
• 3D cameras

We’re not expecting a huge change to the camera on the iPhone 7S, with just a single-lens rumored

 for the 7S, and a dual-lens for the iPhone 7S Plus and iPhone 8.

In all cases there are sure to be some improvements though. The iPhone 7S Plus for example is said to have optical image stabilization for both lenses, rather than just one as is the case on the iPhone 7 Plus. 

That’s according to a research note from respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, obtained by MacRumors.

Everything else is speculation, but a change in megapixel count is possible, at least on the rear cameras (which currently sit at 12MP). It’s less likely that the front-facing camera’s count will change, as Apple only recently upped it to 7MP.

There's also the possibility of 3D cameras, which could add augmented reality functions to the phone. Though these likely would require a dual-lens snapper, and might be reserved for a more premium model. You can see rough sketchessupposedly showing a 3D camera below.

As for the battery, there’s evidence that Apple might finally include wireless charging. 

That stems from a rumor that Foxconn (which is involved in manufacturing iPhones) is experimenting with the tech, and from a research note obtained by 9to5Mac, which states that all iPhone 7S models will have wireless charging.

That rumor has been repeated since, more than once, and bolstered by the fact that Apple has now joined the Wireless Power Consortium (an industry group focused on the adoption of a wireless charging standard).

There's even evidence for it in the iOS 11 beta, with a hidden sound file possibly designed to play when you charge your phone wirelessly. It also showed up in leaked X-rays of the device, and with the phone likely to have a glass back it will be in a better position for wireless charging than if it had a metal one.

However, you might not be able to charge your iPhone 7S wirelessly at launch, as it's also rumored that while the hardware will be ready, the software won't, so it might be enabled as an update after launch.

One Plus 5 Review

The OnePlus 5 is simply stellar.

It delivers a grade-A experience and nearly all the specs you demand in a flagship phone for hundreds of dollars less than the Samsung Galaxy S8, Google Pixel and Apple iPhone 7.

This is the fourth major phone from Chinese phone maker OnePlus, which has earned a reputation for creating cheap, quality Android phones that undercut the competition. While OnePlus doesn't have the volume or pure brand clout as Samsung, Apple and even Huawei, it has garnered a loyal following through flash sales and word-of-mouth recommendations.

The OnePlus 5 excels at serving high-performing hardware, like the latest Snapdragon chipset and an enduring, fast-charging battery. It's also on trend with a dual-lens rear camera that takes artsy portraits and can hold its own against the iPhone 7 Plus.

But it doesn't have super-slim bezels or the water-resistant body that so many top-tier phones do. And its price, while still hundreds less than its top-tier competitors, inches closer to them than years past due to its more expensive features. As a result, the phone isn't quite the deal it once was. But, rest assured, the trade-off is more than fair.

The OnePlus 5 hopped aboard the dual-camera trend and has two rear shooters. Unlike other phones that have two cameras for wide-angle or monochrome purposes, the phone has a standard 16-megapixel shooter and a secondary 20-megapixel telephoto lens. This enables it to take "bokeh" images that have a shallow depth of field and blurred backgrounds (as if you took the photo with an DSLR camera).

The effect turns my run-of-the-mill photos of my friends into something more artsy and dramatic, and it works the same way the 7 Plus' cameras do. You need to stand 1-6 feet away from your subject to use the effect, and there were times when the camera didn't recognize or "catch" the subject initially. But when it worked, my pictures looked great. Due to its longer focal length, the telephoto lens has a fixed optical 1.6x zoom (it then adds digital "multi-frame technology" to bring it up to 2X), so you can toggle between the standard lens or zoom in on distant objects clearly and steadily with the telephoto.

The effect doesn't always work perfectly every time on both the OnePlus and the iPhone. It can be patchy around objects with tricky outlines (like with stray hairs and such). But the iPhone did a slightly better job at reading these situations and determining where best the blurring should start and end. The iPhone's bokeh effect also looked softer and more natural at times. In some of the OnePlus' portraits, the foreground looked too harshly contrasted with the blurred background, and the effect looked too digitally rendered.

Overall though, not much has changed from the 3T. The OnePlus 5 carries over the fingerprint sensor that sits below the screen, as well as the headphone jack and the toggle button on the edge that changes vibration and silence levels. The display, which is now fortified with Gorilla Glass 5 to make it tougher, is vibrant and sharp, but it's the same 1,080p resolution.

The phone also isn't water resistant. This isn't a huge knock, and a few years ago it would be a nonissue. But it's one of the key features if you want to stay competitive against other flagships today. And while water resistance in phones isn't completely ubiquitous yet, it's soon evolving from a nice-to-have feature to a must-have among the higher-tiered devices.

There have been comments on how much it resembles the iPhone, but I'm not bothered by any of this. Sure, I'll be ready to praise any (successful) attempt of making a phone look different, but the majority of phones look similar anyway. What matters is that the device feels good and solid. In the case of the OnePlus 5, it does on both accounts.

After the OnePlus 5 launched, XDA Developers reported that the phone was deliberately skewing benchmarks and configuring its core processors to maximize its results.

In response, OnePlus claimed that, "We have allowed benchmark apps to run in a state similar to daily usage, including the running of resource intensive apps and games. Additionally, when launching apps the OnePlus 5 runs at a similar state in order to increase the speed in which apps open. We are not overclocking the device, rather we are displaying the performance potential of the OnePlus 5." Co-founder Carl Pei also addressed the issue on Reddit.

Optimizing for benchmarks is nothing new, but it can be misleading. As such, we forewent posting two of our three usual benchmark tests (AnTutu and Geekbench 4.0 -- which the OnePlus configured for). In its place is our remaining benchmark (3DMark) and two browser-based tests, Octane and Jetstream.