The much anticipated iPhone 7 has been announced. It is available for pre-order as of today and could be in your hands by 16th September 2016.
So what do you need to know about the new iPhone 7?
Look
Black is the new black it would seem. For those that are all about the look, while the phone hasn’t really changed shape from the iPhone 6S (which we think was a good move), Apple have introduced new black (matte) and jet black (super shiny) finishes.
A 25% brighter display also graces the screen of the iPhone 7, making images “noticeably more brilliant”, vibrant and accurate (Apple.com).
Feel
The home button is solid. We don’t mean solid as in ‘cool’, we mean solid as in it doesn’t move. It uses taptic feedback, which provides the user with a light or strong buzz, in tune with 3 levels of pressure. Reports have suggested that this may take some getting used to.
Swimming capabilities
If you’ve ever felt the pain of having a water-damaged iPhone, you’ll likely appreciate the dust, splash and water-resistant (IP67) upgrade.
What does IP67 mean you might ask?
The first digit is about solid particle protection, so the ‘6’ means the phone is dust tight: “No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact (dust tight). A vacuum must be applied. Test duration of up to 8 hours based on air flow.”
The ‘7’ means you can apparently immerse your iPhone 7 up to 1m deep in water. Hold on a second while we go for a swim…
AirPods
Apple have now introduced AirPods to replace your traditional headphones, and have eliminated the headphone jack completely. These AirPods are a little bit ugly and not all that magical looking (they appear to be just an amputated version of their corded cousins), however reviews so far have been positive in terms of sound quality.
One scenario that comes to mind is travelling. If you’re on a plane for 8 hours and want to play your music. You have to remember to charge your phone, and your AirPods. Is it a hassle or is it worth it to eliminate an annoying cord?
Easy to lose and yet another item that requires charging, we’re not sure how these will be received by consumers, but time will tell.
If you want to kick it old school, they do provide a headphone jack adapter, which comes included.
Camera
Better snaps is essentially what the iPhone 7 offers. It maintains the 12-megapixel camera (actually two cameras – wide-angle and telephoto) but offers optical image stabilisation making your image steadier and therefore reduces any blur. The front-facing camera has jumped up to 7-megapixels from the iPhone 6S and includes auto-image stabilisation.
The iPhone 7 offers some handy tools like 10x zoom for photos and 6x zoom for video, allowing you to take higher-quality pics from a distance.
Apple say Bokeh or depth-of-field effect is coming soon. For non-photographers, this is where the subject is in focus, while the background is blurred out; giving you results closer to a DSLR camera.
Sound
You’ve now got two speakers; one at the top and one at the bottom. Twice as loud as the iPhone 6S, you can now throw a party from your pocket and can no longer use the excuse, “I didn’t hear my phone ringing” when your Aunty calls.
Faster, brighter, louder, shinier…. it is starting to sound a lot like a Daft Punk song, but Apple appear to have taken a lot of adjectives and made them happen. How valuable each new feature is, is a subject for further discussion. But hey, it’s an iPhone, so shut up and take my money… right?