Apple might get rid of the home button on the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, according to a report from Chinese tech news site, DigiTimes (via i4U).
The home button has been on every Apple touchscreen device since the first generation iPod Touch and iPhone, both of which were released 10 years ago in 2007.
DigiTimes claims there will be a touch-sensitive button instead of the button you mechanically press down to wake your iPhone or return to your home screen.
If you want an idea of what a touch-sensitive home button looks like and how it works, check out the new HTC 10 smartphone, which has a touch sensor instead of a button that works as a fingerprint reader and a home/wake button.
One of the main benefits of replacing a mechanical home button with a touch sensor is to reduce the moving parts that could potentially break. Also, from my experience with the HTC 10's touch sensor, it does feel a little more "modern" compared to physically pressing a button down.
The same report also claims that the next iPhone will be waterproof, as well as dust proof.
Indeed, Apple quietly added some water-resistant rubber foam gaskets designed to keep liquids out from key parts of the iPhone 6s generation, but it made no official mention that the iPhone 6s is resistant to water. In tests performed by iPhone users, the gaskets do seem to make the iPhone 6s more water-resistant than previous models.
Resistance to water certainly has its merits, as a single drop in a sink full of water could fry your expensive iPhone. Samsung gave water-resistance to its latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S7, to much fanfare.
DigiTimes has a mixed track record when it comes to iPhone rumors, but other rumors from reputable sources have made similar claims about the iPhone's home button and water-resistance.
Other rumors include redesigned antenna strips on the back of the iPhone so they're not as visible, no headphone jack, and a dual camera on the Plus model.
