Pros
- IP67 water resistance
- Speedy quad-core A10 Fusion processor
- New color options
- Enhanced camera with OIS
- 3D Touch Home button
Cons
- No headphone jack
- Third year of Apple using the same basic design
- Few major changes compared to iPhone 6s
- Price hike in the UK
- Jet Black color option appears scratch-pron
Design & build quality
Let's address the elephant in the room before we go any further. While previous Apple releases, and the usual 'tick-tock' pattern of iPhone updates, led us to expect the iPhone 7 would be a completely redesigned iPhone, in fact it features essentially the same design of the iPhone 6 and 6s. That's the third year now with the same design. Many will say that's a bad thing - but it isn't quite so simple.
The iPhone 7 looks gorgeous, there's no doubt about that, boasting an aluminium uni-body with curved edges and 2.5D glass that helps make the phone sit in your hand much more comfortably, while also providing a nicer experience when swiping from the side of the display. It isn't just standard aluminium like the material used by its competitors, either - the iPhone 7 features 7000 Series aluminium, making the iPhone more durable without adding much weight and giving the device more of a premium feel.
The iPhone 7 is, physically, the same size and shape as its predecessors, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6, measuring in at 128.3mm x 67.1mm x 7.1mm, but with a few notable differences. The rear-facing camera and True Tone flash are bigger, and the eagle-eyed among you will spot that the antenna lines are gone from the back of the iPhone. Well, not gone, but re positioned to the top and bottom of the smartphone to make them less noticeable and provide a cleaner look.
Color options
As well as this, there are two new colors available: Black and Jet Black. The first is a direct replacement of the Space Grey that came before it, but uses a darker shade of aluminium, which we definitely prefer, and is quickly becoming our favorite color option.
Due to a black display and black body, there's no visible border between display and body, providing an almost completely uniform look that definitely works in Apple's favor. We've shown the black iPhone 7 to a number of people over the course of a week or so, all commenting that it looks different to any other iPhone - in a good way.
Camera design
As mentioned, the size of the camera on the rear of the iPhone 7 has been increased, and although it still protrudes from the back of the phone, it bulges out more seamlessly now that Apple has removed the aluminium ring around the camera you'll see on older examples of this design. This is one more element contributing to the clean look that Apple was chasing with the iPhone 7, and although it initially took some getting used to, we love the look of the new camera. The benefits of the tech inside speaks for itself, although we'll come to that in more detail below.
However, it's worth noting that while the improved camera was welcomed by many, the new shape of the camera means that existing iPhone 6 and 6s cases won't fit the iPhone 7, despite having otherwise identical dimensions to its predecessors.
Water-resistance
The iPhone 7 is also Apple's first water resistant phone. Apple has waterproofed individual connections within the iPhone rather than adorning it with ugly rubber plugs, and is officially calling it splash-, dust- and water-resistant, at IP67. That means you can dip it in water up to one meter deep for up to 30 minutes, and the smartphone should survive. If for whatever reason it suffers water damage, however, it's worth nothing that this isn't covered by Apple's warranty and you'll have to fork out for a replacement/repairs yourself.
We've used the iPhone 7 in a number of wet situations, such as in the rain and answering a call in the shower, as well as outright submerging it, and it has performed quite well with no lasting problems or damage. It is worth noting, however, that the sensitivity of the display is affected when submerged or covered in large water droplets, which makes the phone hard to operate when wet.
Goodbye, headphone jack
Of course, the removal of the headphone jack initially caused a bit of a stir, but we're confident that iPhone users will quickly come to terms with the fact that the 3.5mm jack has been ditched, just as we all did when Apple replaced the 30-pin connector with a Lightning connector. In fact, we've been using wireless headphones for some time now, as they're actually a lot cheaper to pick up than most people realize. And even for those unwilling to stop using their wired headphones, you can buy an adapter that'll make any wired head phone wireless.
Besides, the missing jack paved the way for other enhancements, including a new, larger Taptic Engine for use with new Home Button (more on that below) and a larger battery which Apple claims will offer an extra hour of battery life compared to the 6s. The removal of the headphone jack also paved the way for higher quality audio playback, and while we're not bad-boy teenagers sat on the back of the bus playing the latest Grime tracks full-blast, we've noticed a positive change in audio quality.
Playback is not only higher quality, but is also louder, and we can even feel bass emanating from what sounds/feels like the screen itself. While it's hard to notice the jump in audio quality when listening to streamed music, we especially noticed the richer tones when receiving text messages using the same tone we'd used on our old iPhone. It was much clearer, louder and crisper than ever before, making even the annoying text message jingle sound rather good.
Display
For the third year in a row, Apple decided against upping the resolution of the 750x1334 iPhone 7 display, which is quickly becoming eclipsed by competitors like Samsung with the Quad-HD resolution Samsung Galaxy S7. The iPhone 7's 324ppi (pixels per inch) pixel density simply cannot compete with the eye-watering 577ppi of its main competitor, the Galaxy S7. Still, Apple has upgraded the technology inside the display to provide users with a brighter and crisper display without upping the resolution.
How? Apple has improved the display of the iPhone 7 by making it a whopping 25 percent brighter than the iPhone 6s, making it much easier to use in direct sunlight with a maximum brightness of around 700nits. This is combined with the new DCI-P3 wide color gamut which is primarily used with high-end 4K TVs, and is one of only three smartphone manufacturers to integrate the tech into its phones. The end result? A display that is crisp and gorgeous with great color reproduction, ideal for everything from scrolling through Facebook to watching movies on Netflix and even editing movies in iMovie.
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