Apple released the iPhone 7 late last week at its annual Apple Event, and it was not greeted with the usual fanfare. Rumors that the new iPhone would come without a headphone jack, and leaks of its design showing little change to its outward appearance sparked more outrage than excitement. Well, the iPhone 7 has been revealed and it seems as if the overall consensus is “meh.” While it’s not a totally disappointing phone, some may consider its new features to be too lackluster to warrant an upgrade. But we’ll leave that up to you. We’ve laid out the highlights of the iPhone 7 so you can determine if an upgrade is in your future.
iPhone 7 Features: The New
Water Resistance. One of the more exciting things about this newest iteration of the iPhone is its IP67 water and dust resistance rating. It can withstand up to 1m of water for 30 minutes…or so Apple tells us. While we don’t recommend taking this iPhone out for a swim, you should be ok if you accidentally drop it into the toilet or spill a glass of water on it.
Welcome Black. The defining Space Grey of the iPhone 6 and 6S is now long gone and has been replaced with a glossy jet and matte black. Other colors include gold rose gold, and silver. The shiny black looks especially cool now that Apple has concealed the antenna bands around the back of the phone.
More Storage, Better Hardware. The 16GB option for the iPhone is no more. Now you can choose from 32GB, 128GB, and 256GB. It also has the new A10 Fusion processor chip with four computing cores: two high-performance processors and two high-efficiency cores. This means that (supposedly) this iPhone has an improved battery. Apple claims that iPhone 7’s1,960 mAh battery will last two hours longer, but that remains to be seen.
Hit the Road, Jack. Perhaps the biggest change is its most controversial: the removal of the headphone jack. This new feature (or lack thereof) has inspired much ire from critics, but not to worry; it comes with two accessories to help make the transition easier:
- a Lightning to 3.5mm adapter that will allow you to still use your old earbuds
- a new set of EarPods that plugs into the Lightning charger port
Apple is hoping to revolutionize wireless technology with the introduction of the Lightning-powered, wireless AirPods, which feature infrared sensors that can tell when they’re in your ears. These will go on sale in October for $159.
Happy Haptics. Another change that is perhaps more downplayed is the haptic home button that vibrates at the touch instead of forcing you to push down on the button all the way through. While great in theory, you still have to apply the “right” amount of pressure to get it to work. It’s not as intuitive as the fingerprint sensor and will take some getting used to.
iPhone 7 Features: the Same-Old Same-Old
Design-wise, the iPhone 7 is not a major departure from the 6 or 6S. It features the same sleek, rounded corners, 4.7” screen (5.5” for the 7 Plus), 1080p resolution, and 720p screen. You also have the 12MP dual-lease rear-facing camera that takes slightly improved low-light photos as well as a 7MP front-facing selfie camera. But neither have improved enough to even begin to rival the Galaxy 7S (which has its own issues).
So should you upgrade to the iPhone 7 or 7 Plus? It might be worth waiting to see what Apple will reveal in 2017. Aside from the perhaps revolutionary wireless headphone technology, the features of the newest iPhone may not merit the $649 price tag. Tell us in the comments below: will you be buying the iPhone 7?
Photo courtesy of Apple.
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