iPhone 7 is expected to stick to Apple’s September release date, however, Cupertino might possibly change this date in a bid to stay close to the dashing Samsung as far as the U.S. smartphone market is concerned.
The latest market reports indicate that Samsung is well ahead of the rest when it comes to U.S. smartphone market. This is unusual for Apple, however, it happens at a time when the company recently announced that it is experiencing poor sales in the smartphone industry. On the contrary, the release of Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge seems to be at the heart of Samsung’s success over Apple, something that might propel the latter into unveiling this year’s flagship – iPhone 7 and a possible iPhone 7 Plus (Pro) – earlier than the usual date.
According to the released stats, Samsung had a 28.8% market share with respect to the country’s smartphone market by the end of March 2016. On the other hand, Apple managed a mere 23% of the entire smartphone market thanks to the sales of iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, which are last year’s flagships released in September.
As mentioned above, Apple recently made its earnings public, indicating that there is a serious drop in business for the American tech giant. Now that the latest stats show that Samsung is well above the iPhone maker in terms of market share, the Tim Cook-led team might opt for an earlier release to try and boost its sales in the third and final quarters of the year.
Samsung changed its game plan with the release of Galaxy S6 featuring a refreshed design, but at the expense of some vital features such as microSD card support and water resistance. While the design from last year was further perfected with the release of Samsung Galaxy S7, the new phone went back to old ways, a move that seems to have worked perfectly for the South Korean tech giant. The re-introduction of water and dust resistance, as well as expandable storage, have really helped spur the sales of both Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge.
An early iPhone 7 could be the killer for Apple
With Apple being outshone by Samsung in its own backyard, a new iPhone 7 is probably what will help Cupertino regain its top spot in the country. However, releasing the phone in September might have some damaging effects on the company’s revenue in 2016, but with Apple rumored to be working on releasing three models of the iPhone 7 – the standard 4.7-inch model and two 5.5-inch models mainly differentiated by a dual camera system – it is also possible that the company might return to its leading ways by the end of this year.
The release of the iPhone SE was one step towards this target, but this pint-sized phone doesn’t have what it takes to hand the crown back to Apple.
iPhone 7 enthusiasts can expect to see a very slim and light device – slimmer and lighter than any previous iPhone – as well as a clean finish. In addition, it has been rumored that Apple will bring wireless charging, waterproofing, lightning port (instead of 3.5mm headphone jack) as well as a larger battery. Other things to expect on this year’s iPhone are a new iOS 10 as well as A10 chipset.
If Apple is really into improving the sales it made during Q1 2016, releasing the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus early enough might just be the trick. In fact, it will help the company avoid the idea of having to deal with Samsung Galaxy Note 6, which is also rumored to see an earlier release in a bid to fend off competition from the iPhone 7 Plus or iPhone 7 Pro.