iPhone 7 to Be Waterproof, Sport 3GB of RAM: TrendForce

The iPhone 7, which Apple is expected to launch next year, could feature a memory boost, according to a research firm. The handset is also said to have waterproof capabilities. The research firm also expects Apple to launch a 4-inch iPhone next year.

TrendForce said that it expects the next iPhone - currently expected to be called the iPhone 7 - to sport 3GB of RAM. Interestingly, TrendForce notes that the '5.5-inch' version of the next iPhone will bear 3GB of RAM, with no word on whether the smaller variant will get the same amount of RAM. If not, this could suggest that Apple may have plans to make the 'Plus' model of its iPhone lineup more feature-rich in the coming years.

The firm also noted that it expects the next iPhone to be waterproof. While the latter addition seems plausible, the memory boost might not be on the cards, considering how Apple has introduced hardware features over the past few years.

It was only this year when Apple finally upped the memory module on its iPhone models from 1GB to 2GB in iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. It seems unlikely that Apple will offer such a hardware upgrade in just one year. From iPhone 5, released in 2012, to iPhone 6 Plus, released last year, Apple stuck with 1GB RAM for its smartphones.

As for the other expectation, Apple may consider making its new iPhone model waterproof. Interestingly, the company is already moving forward along these lines, with the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus found by reviewers and users to be exceptionally water-resistant, despite no announcement of the feature by Apple. The company may be ready to make the announcement with iPhone 7 however, once it is more sure of its water-resistant technology. Notably, Samsung's top-end phones are water-resistant, while manufacturers like Motorola included the feature in almost all its recent phones.

TrendForce also noted that it expects to see a new 4-inch iPhone - widely referred to as the iPhone 6c - in the second half of next year. Multiple reports in the past few months have claimed that Apple plans to launch a 4-inch iPhone next year. It is rumoured to have features similar to the iPhone 5s, notably the Touch ID, an improved FaceTime HD camera with f/2.2 aperture, and support for 802.11ac Wi-FI and Bluetooth 4.1 wireless standards. KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a reliable track record on upcoming Apple products, recently predicted an iPhone 6c launch set for 2016.

TrendForce estimates that Apple will manage to ship 260 million iPhone units next year with an annual growth of 12.5 percent, and market share of 18.5 percent.