Apple dropped the iPhone 7 headphone jack for a speaker grille … but no speaker

Repair specialists discover Apple has drilled some holes leading nowhere into the bottom of its phone

Eagle eyed Apple fans irritated by the absence of a 3.5mm headphone socket on the iPhone 7 Plus may have been somewhat appeased by signs of another speaker in its place. The row of holes, giving the base of the phone a pleasing symmetry, hinted at something going on inside.

But a teardown by repair company iFixit has revealed the grille to be nothing more than an aesthetic adornment.