September isn’t just the start of fall but also the start of unending jibber jabber about how great or how not great Apple’s latest iPhone is. With 10 major features, a couple of surprise new features and impressive new performance and design, this is by far the best iPhone yet. Or is it? Follow along as we cruise through the main talking points of the new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, then decide if you need to splurge your beer money on the latest or perhaps go with the deal on the previous model. One thing is for sure: There are some tech geeks creaming their jockeys today.
The Redesign
Size didn’t matter at this week’s Apple conference, but that doesn’t mean we weren’t blown in another way. The iPhone 7 features a refined, high gloss and seamless wrap that is both the most durable and sleekest designs we’ve seen yet. With a jet black finish added to the usual color schemes, the two new models, 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch, feature integrated antennas that not only mask any protruding edges, it’s just plumb sexy.
Performance Anxiety? Or Excellence?
The newest of Apple chips, A10 Fusion, features the highest performance to date for any iPhone, as well as any phone in history. In addition to the new operating systems, including September’s iOS 10 download, the new chip features the highest ability in both motion and graphics (M10). In addition, iPhone 7 features their alleged longest battery life yet, which will be interesting to hear more about once some of these other features come into play.
Toilet Proofing
Like the new Apple Watch, the newly enclosed body is not only the first waterproof (and dust-proof) case from Apple, it’s going to save you from having to live off Facebook for a week while you recover from the eager splashes from the urinal walls after another failed multitasking. The splash-proof style both expels water, probably not as intensely as the new swim-appropriate Apple Watch, repels dust, which is great for all you burning men. We’re eager to see just how water-resistant these really are.
Picture This: Another Camera
We could talk all day about improvements, and we will, but first let’s hit the honeypot: two camera lenses on the iPhone 7 Plus. With two built-in lenses, a telephoto lens (ƒ/2.8) in addition to the original wide-angle lens, we can now tap the optical zoom that allows for 12MP pictures even when we’re zooming, so no sacrifice on quality anymore, thanks to the additional lens.
As far as specs on the camera itself: still with the 12MP of iPhone 6, but now with a better image stabilizer for focusing on moving objects, the new iPhone 7 camera offers ƒ/1.8 aperture and is 30 percent faster, with the ability to take several photos in a row and offer a conglomerate of its best parts in one single photograph. The new Quad-LED True Tone (four LEDs) gives more artificial lighting in the most natural way, and a flicker sensor, along with better white balance and noise reduction than ever before.
The camera offers multi-face detection, another process added to the billions of processes happening in mere milliseconds. Now with RAW capabilities and a 7 MP selfie camera, in addition to the extra lens, makes this by far the best iPhone camera we’ve seen.
Are You Too Good for Your Home (Button)?
It makes sense that the button our fingers use most would be in sync with our fingers themselves. As with Apple Pay and Touch ID activation, the new force-sensitive Home button tracks like the track pad on your Macbook and iPod. Quick actions based on the touch of your finger allow faster, more accurate movement on your phone from one small, circular space.
One Mean Screen
In addition to the beautiful casing, the screen itself seems a bit brighter as well. In terms of “brighter,” we mean iPhone 7 illuminates a wider gamut of colors by 25 percent, compared to the previous model. And the improvements of 3D Touch layers and an improved depth of field, perfect for a photographer-style portraits, means we’ll get sexier Instagram stories than ever.
Do You Hear What I Hear
The audio on iPhones tends to get a revamp every few models, but this is the biggest boosting Apple has had of its iPhone speakers in some time, if ever. For the first time, Tim Cook and the kids are releasing stereo speakers, both at the bottom and up top, a quality sound that gives off twice the volume of iPhone 6S. There wasn’t much talk about how water resistant the speakers are, but if you’re getting stereo speakers for the same price as the old ones, it’s a definite win.
Struck by Lightning (Again)
Say goodbye to the analog headphone jack. As reported, Apple did away with the tiny pinhole audio port after ages of tiny pinhole audio ports. Moving to lightning port, which allows for audio in the same space as charging, Apple once again kills two birds with one eco-friendly stone. For the infuriated holdouts who like their tiny pinhole audio port from “back in their day,” Apple offers a convenient adapter (which may come with the phone or may only cost you your first born).
Of course, you cannot multitask a charge and an earbud phone conversation, which could be trouble for busy business types. Whatever will they do!?
AirPods for All
Problem solved. You can say goodbye to your headphone cables. With the same body, you can now get wireless headphones; something we’ve been waiting for. However, the move by Apple to put charging and audio in the same port seems to force the issue. AirPods, which, along with, their impressive wireless chip (W1) that’s compatible with all your devices, will mark up the cost of your listening pleasure a whopping $159.
AirPods offer five hours of listening, a tidy charging case and will arrive in October, shortly after you’ve cursed your phone out for its singularity. [Cue plug for new Beats 3 Wireless using W1 chip.]
The Price Is Right
Same as always? You bet, only now you’re getting stereo speakers, a faster and brighter body and — wait for it — 32 gigabytes as the starting storage. The iPhone 7 starts at $649 ($27/month for 24 months) for 32GB, followed by 128 and 256 GB. The iPhone 7 Plus starts at $749, also with upgraded storage. Apple will make the new phones available for preorder on Sept. 9 for a Sept. 16 release. iOS 10 is available for download on Sept. 13.
Yay or Nay?
If you’re in the yearly upgrade plan, you’d be a fool not to get the new iPhone (that’s the whole point of it). It comes with improvements across the board that’ll work well with the iOS 10 operating system. However, if you’re grandfathered into a two-year contract, you may consider a cheaper buy with the 6S, and we say that because the new iPhone 7 doesn’t have all the same perks, like the extra camera lens, as the 7 Plus, and the AirPods are available for purchase separately.
So you have to decide if you want to have the new sleek splash-proof body for your constant bathroom mishaps and playing in the rain, which will cost you a tiny bit more. Or do you want to save the money and get a lot of the same features? A major perk is the additional gigabytes for the same price. Your use of the camera, audio and overall amount of usage may play a big role in your decision. If you want all the perks, you have to get the Plus model, or maybe you’d be better off getting a reduced price older model. If we had to choose, we’d say “yay,” but either way, there are going to be perks to shutting off your cell phone at one point or another.
