The latest online leak suggests that Apple's upcoming flagship iPhone 7 would not feature a Smart Connector.

According to Tech Radar, only last month we heard rumors that Apple will bring the Smart Connector from its line of iPad Pro to the next iPhone. The Smart Connector is a three-pin port that can be used as an alternative charging point, and it also enables users to connect up accessories.

Now, according to the same Japanese blog Macotakara that broke the original story, and it is considered as an usually reliable source of information, Apple's latest Smart Connector hardware innovation will not come to the iPhone 7.

Forbes reports that the Smart Connector feature was clearly visible in a leaked photo of an Apple iPhone 7 prototype. But it seems that the high-tech company decided not to include it in the final design.

In the Apple's iPad Pro range, the Smart Connector enables the Lightning port to deliver both data and power simultaneously. For instance, with the iPad Pro, this means that a third-party keyboard would work the moment it is plugged in and would not need charging or batteries.

As tech experts mentioned at the time when the rumor about the Smart Connector first broke online, it is not all that obvious why Apple would need to feature a Smart Connector on something smaller than an iPad. In case that this still happens, apparently the extra port would likely come on the larger of the two iPhones.

The Smart Connector is not the only connector rumored to be missing from the iPhone 7. There have been plenty of rumors online about the disappearance of the long-standing 3.5 mm headphone jack from the upcoming Apple flagship mobile device.

According to various sources, Apple would consider to get rid of the headphone jack in an attempt to make the iPhone 7 thinner. However, in the next four months until the release of the latest Apple flagship phone, many things can still change.