OUR EARLY VERDICT
Apple’s gone for a polished, iterative phone and has succeeded in a number of areas – it’s a quality handset and not one that many expected given the leaks. However, there aren’t a lot of hugely standout features – but all the ones that were there now shine.
FOR
- Improved screen
- Water resistant
- Powerful dual speakers
AGAINST
- Iterative design
- No headphone jack
- Innovative camera on 7 Plus
What’s new with the iPhone 7? Either a lot and very little, depending on what matters to you in a phone.
On the one hand, it’s now imbued with far superior sonic performance, a much better camera and a more pleasant-to-use screen – and now has no port to plug your headphones into.
On the other hand, barring some slippage of the antenna bands on the rear of the phone, this looks remarkably similar to the iPhone 6 and 6S that preceded it.
So, again, we’re in the position of having to work out whether the upgrades to the new iPhone are worth the money, or whether you can save some cash and stick with the iPhone 6S – after all, for a lot of people there’s a certain status to owning a new iPhone, and without a radical shape change, the iPhone 7 doesn’t offer that upgrade.
iPhone 7 price and release date
The iPhone 7 price is pretty typical, with just three choices once more. These are the 32GB model (thankfully the 16GB option, which was just too small to store today’s glut of large apps, is gone), a 128GB option and the top-of-the-range 256GB choice – which is pretty meaty, and unlikely to be filled by even the most ardent media-hoarder.
The 32GB model will cost 32GB $649 (£539, AU$1,079), the 128GB $749 (£619, AU$1,229) and the high-end 256GB $849 (£699, AU$1,379)… but in fairness to Apple, this has matched the price ranges of previous iPhone launches, so the extra memory isn’t costing more money, and starts to put the debate over whether Apple should allow for expandable memory to bed, as internal storage is far more stable day to day.
Whichever storage size you go for, the iPhone 7 release date has been predictably set for the week after the announcement, meaning you’ll be able to get your hands on one from September 17, with pre-orders starting September 9. If you’re thinking of queuing all night, take a blanket, okay? We don’t want you catching a cold.
Design
When it comes to the look of the new phone, it might seem like Apple’s done very little to change the iPhone 7 design, and that’s true to a degree.
The iPhone 7, like the 4, 5 and 6 before it, was supposed to radically change the way the iPhone looks; however, the dimensions and screen size are nearly identical to last year’s model, meaning that if you plop a case on this phone you’ll struggle to tell the difference between phones from 2014 and 2016.
There are some big changes here, though, and let’s start with the biggest one: the loss of the headphone jack.
There are multiple theories as to why Apple has done this, ranging from the conspiracy-based (the company is just doing it to make money from the license fee manufacturers have to pay to create Lightning port headphones) to the helpful (the space taken up by the headphone jack means a thinner phone, and more space for battery).
Apple claimed in its keynote that it had taken “courage” to get rid of the “ancient” port – whether that’s good enough remains to be seen.
Either way, it’s gone, and that’s going to irritate a lot of people who haven’t prepared themselves for this moment, watching as Motorola’s Moto Z handset performed the same trick earlier in the year and didn’t seem to take too much flak as a result.
The good news is that the iPhone 7 will come with a Lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack in the box (ha, jack-in-the-box, just got that one) to help users make the transition – many of us have spent good money on decent headphones and don’t want to suddenly have to convert them to Lightning cables, and this will help smooth the process.
There’s also a pair of Lightning-powered Earpods, so you’ll at least not have to use the connector all the time, especially if you’re a fan of basic audio.
The look and feel of the phone is similar to iPhones of the past three years, with the edges nicely rounded and feeling smooth in the hand – there’s a good argument here for ‘if it ain’t broke…’, as Apple already had one of the best-looking phones on the market.
The Jet Black model we tried initially was shiny and had an almost plastic feel to it, although the other colors are more matte and traditional.
The movement of the antenna bands on the back is a nice touch though – there’s something pleasing about the way the back isn’t as broken-up any more, with a solid plate of color looking back at you… you almost wonder why this wasn’t done originally when the iPhone 6 emerged, but there are a lot of engineering feats that go on under the surface of smartphones that probably explain that pretty easily.
Talking of colors, it’s nice to see the iPhone 7 now coming in Jet Black and just… Black, adding a new shade into the mix – and it’s probably the nicest of the lot. Sadly, this means Space Gray is now dead, so you’re still slightly limited in your choices
And the other big change: this thing is now water-resistant, with its IP67 rating meaning you can’t take it swimming, but you can fall in the pool and take it into the shower… if that’s your thing.
New home button
Apple hasn’t done away with the home button as some people predicted, but it has done something odd: made the button haptic, so that it vibrates under your finger, rather than clicking all the way in.
It still houses the fingerprint scanner, but this doesn’t function in the same way as before.
When you consider how iOS 10 works, with just picking up the phone firing the screen (so you can see your notifications) that makes sense here, but the lack of a tactile click is a tough one to deal with – you’ll get used to it, but there’s no doubt that it’s nicer to feel a comforting press.
Screen
Apple has been behind the curve when it comes to screen resolution for a number of years – and it clearly doesn’t care. The near-720p screen feels like a dinosaur in 2016, being seen on phones as far back as the early 2010s – but the sharpness doesn’t tell the whole story.
Apple’s use of LCD technology, the way the screen is bonded to the glass above, and the overall color reproduction are still excellent, and greatly offset the lack of sharpness – which can be seen in side-by-side comparisons with phones like the Galaxy S7.
It once again shows that Apple isn’t thinking about adding virtual reality into the mix for at least another 12 months, as the amount of pixels on the screen right now just can’t handle it.
But, as mentioned, the iPhone 7 screen isn’t about the resolution, it’s about the quality, and bringing in the high color gamut that really is designed to make things pop off the screen.
However, in practice it’s hard to say that it really looks that different – the contrast ratios look better, sure, but it’s nothing mind-blowing.
It still feels somehow cheap that there’s no upgrade to 1080p resolution, or a larger screen than the 4.7 inches we’ve seen the past few years; Samsung is easily showing the way here with QHD resolution, and it undoubtedly looks better.
There are arguments to be made for increased battery life through having fewer pixels to drive, but Apple should have improved things here, and solved that problem in the same way its peers have. That’s not saying ‘we want a higher spec for the sake of it’ – it would be a real improvement.
Music
When we were guessing what Apple would make the central point of the iPhone 7, music was high on the list – after all, why would you get rid of the headphone jack if you weren’t going to offer an improvement in the sonic quality?
The Lightning port can carry a tremendous amount of data across to your headphones, and Apple has boosted the iPhone 7’s audio capabilities to match.
Let’s start on the outside first though: the new iPhone has dual speakers, rather than the single mono output at the bottom of the phone. These are positioned top and bottom to create decent stereo sound, and the different angles make listening to tunes or watching films a real treat.
When it comes to the internal sound quality, we didn’t get long to play with the iPhone 7 and properly assess its audio quality – that’s something we’re looking forward to doing in our full iPhone 7 review.
However, in terms of the abilities of the iPhone 7, we’re expecting some big tweaks inside to improve the quality of the output – and with a bit more research, find out if Apple has added in support for Hi-Res audio files.
That’s a big deal, given that the Lightning port can now handle the data transmitted from the better audio quality, and Apple has made a big deal about how this is a great way to get sound out of your phone into your ears. It didn’t convince us that it was any better though, beyond freeing up some space for the Taptic engine behind the home button.
Apple has also unveiled another big change: its own proprietary wireless standard. This isn’t like the Bluetooth you know, a fact that’s illustrated by the new AirPods, which you connect just by placing them by your phone.
They’re wireless, but in all other ways they’re very similar to the current earpods, apart from their infrared sensors, which can tell when they’re in your ears.
It would be a surprise if Apple has decided not to include Hi-Res audio support – while it’s beefed up the sound output of the iPhone 7, there’s currently no sign of the ability to play back the better-quality files that would really make use of the Lightning port in terms of clear audio quality.
Camera
Apple hasn’t really done a huge amount to the camera on the iPhone 7, although there are a few tweaks that will make a difference when compared to the iPhone 6S.
The first of these is cosmetic (for a good reason): the camera bump is now more pronounced than ever, which will irritate those who like to place their phone down on a table without a wobble. (Although let’s hope nobody goes as far as grinding off the protrusion to ensure a flush fit this time around).
The snapper on the back of the iPhone 7 is still a 12MP affair, designed to take the best quality pictures without overburdening the phone’s engines. That upgrade, along with the larger sensor that’s resulted in the camera bump, means you’ll get improved low-light pictures, richer snaps in day to day photography and faster shutter speeds too.
Live photos are obviously back, needed to make the automatic highlight reels that iOS 10 is offering up look more exciting. However, unlike the dual-camera setup on the rear of the iPhone 7 Plus, there’s not a lot more to talk about here – pictures are a bit better than from last year’s iPhone, but without the dual-camera array the iPhone 7 feels a little less exciting than its larger phablet sibling.
The front-facing camera has been boosted to 7MP, with some of the light-enhancing smarts from last year’s iPhone 6S rear camera too, to enhance the ability to take selfies.
Battery
Apple has increased the battery life of the iPhone 7 compared to its predecessor, which is the least you’d hope for given that the shape hasn’t changed much. However, there was actually a slight battery life drop from the iPhone 6 to 6S (to allow for the 3D Touch screen), so there’s no certainty that the new iPhone will extend battery life.
Source: techradar.com
I’d rather have front facing speakers than stereo speakers.
So Apple show off a new phone and Techradar goes into Apple meltdown, about 90% of the home page is Apple related links. From this hands on review I can garner that it’s basically the same phone as last year with a number 7 moniker, we’ll see if the full reviwer slates it for lack of innovation as much as the reviwer of the HTC 10 (my personal choice for top phone) did. 720p screen on a premum phone? They’ll be laughing at everyone daft enough to queue up, all night, outside their doors when they go on sale.
720p screen when 2K is the average for that size of screen
1 Camera that is decent but not top end
32 GB of storage
Millions of dumb purchasers
i was expecting new design, 4k res, edge to edge screen etc. and i get … this..
Ever thought about using iphone in your car (which has no bluetooth)? Everybody knows the battery drops very fast when the screen is open all the time. So for people using navigation, goodbye to listen music at the same time, you will need the lightning port to charge. It was better if they gave people a choice, using mini jack or bluetooth for music. Now they just force people to use the lightning or pay €180 for wireless sh*t earpods that only last 5 hours. Still this doesnt solve the problem in cars. Since Steve died, Apple sucks hard. Iphone 6s is the last Apple for me, Samsung is way more better now.
I’m no fanboy but this is still a decent phone. Phone manufacturers have created this race of one upmanship, which is great for us. But the ever increasing expectation of better and more from us does have a ceiling. It’s just a phone after all.
That said, this year’s model will really hurt the turnover of users upgrading from the 6. Personally unless you actually need a new phone, upgrading yearly is so unnecessary, anything in the last couple of years is future proof. Just because Apple tell you that the new phone is so amazing that you must get it is all horseshit. They want your money to horde and pay as little tax as possible to line their own pockets. Go Apple!
Apple really did me a favor. They managed to open my eyes to the fact that above everything else, they are simply now in it for only the money. A few mostly unnecessary changes, and give us $800 please. I have a iMac, 2 iPads, & an iPhone 6, so I do like Apple products. But now it seems they are falling behind in computer upgrades & phone innovation, while charging top dollar. All the blather about the exterior of the phone, and most people slap a case on it. I think I’ve seen my iPhone 6 out of its Otterbox about 6 times in 2 years. So they broke me of my need to upgrade every 2 years. This phone is great for someone with a pre-iPhone 6, or someone who just has to have a new iPhone, no matter what.
every ones complaining about resolution and yet even if you bump it up you cant tell the difference. All people do is here a big number and go off on one about how good a screen is ive had an iphone every year since the 4 and the only screen ive ever felt needed an upgrade was the ipad mini
Are you kidding me? There’s a night and day difference between 720p and 1080p on a screen that size, not even considering the 1440p screens (on admittedly slightly larger 5″ screens).
Wow i already lost the headphones just by looking at the photos…..Ehhh Iphone Is officially the worst Phone Company Ever
I think the move to remove the headphone socket is fantastic.
On any mobile device, the headphone plug sticks out – like a sore plug. Incredibly fragile and uncomfortable in the pocket.
Cordless headphones are the way to go.
I disagree with ligntning port headphone capability. If you’re going to leave bits poking out, then you might as well have left the headphone socket.
Anyone claiming to be missing out on audiophile quality (or similar rant) has no idea.
Apple (iphone/ipad/ipod) + compressed audio NOT = audiophile.
Apple mobile products are famous for their sub standard audio quality.
Not to be able to charge and listen wired sucks. Fck apple!
That’s fine…. but you know what, the iPhone 6S did cordless as well you know, I travel a lot, 5 hours battery in wireless just isn’t long enough, it’s also something else to have to charge.
The claims in this paragraph make no sense to me: “That’s a big deal, given that the Lightning port can now handle the data transmitted from the better audio quality, and Apple has made a big deal about how this is a great way to get sound out of your phone into your ears.” At some point all digital audio has to be converted to analog and an analog headphone jack can handle that signal, no matter what digital format it was in before. The lightning port just moves the DAC conversion further towards the earbuds. It really should no make any difference when listening through earbuds. If the DAC is better in the buds than in the phone, that would be a difference, but that does not really depend on lightning vs. stereo minijack.
iPhone now is not much different than a heavily skinned android.
As for the headphone jack, I hope they’ll put two lightning port for the next release.
Now there’s a dumb idea
What is going on, faster processor but not screen improvement! I was expecting at least oled and a dump in resolution. The old processor was heaps fast for the screen res but this is stupid. Not going to feel any extra speed for day to day use so whats the point of upgrading apart from water resistance but everything else is either a slight improvement or the opposite for the headphone jack.
Has it got wireless charging at least?
No wireless charging. Can’t do that with metal anyway.
Fck wireless charging man, this fcking Apple is building towards a complete wireless phone. The idea is nice, but leave people a choice to be wired or wireless. How to charge your phone in your car and listen music when your car doesnt have bluetooth?
This phone is actually a huge downgrade if I have to kick out $200 for BT ear buds or buy a dongle for my current high end headphones. Even with a dongle, who wants that bulk hanging there and since the iPhone battery has always been an issue, using BT all day isn’t going to work.
It’s pretty clear this is deliberate to make next year’s iPhone even better. I wondered why wait to add amoled next year?
Waterproof and stereo speakers though, is that it of real value?
Samsung especially but Sony and HTC are now so far ahead in the phones to Apple it’s embarrassing.
Not that it matters to still ask why didn’t you get an iPhone?
But it’ll continue to hurt sales for those choosing Android.
I’m most intrigued by this new LTE speed, I wonder if it is actually going to be 3x the speed. If it actually is that much faster it would be faster than my wifi ?
Plasticky
So, earpiece speaker and bottom firing speaker for dual speaker setup. Now where have I seen that before…….
Oh! HTC 10 just did that…
Omg it has a touchscreen too!? Where have I seen that before!? I don’t remember saying they were the first? Apple are rarely the first to do anything anymore
Yeah. They just make a big song and dance about it.
But what gets me is TR saying how it makes how “the different angles make listening to tunes or watching films a real treat.”
I hope they will ding Apple on the dual speaker like they did for the HTC 10 review.
But then again, this is TR, and almost anything remotely Apple is always good…..
“anyone who stands in line for days to get this is out of their mind”
– I think this applies to all iPhone releases. You can walk in a few days later and get it without waiting. It kinda makes all iPhone users look foolish
If you buy the Arcam Musicboost, which is a case for iPhone 6 (I presume it will fit iPhone 7?) which has a DAC built in which will improve the sound quality, you will be able to plug regular headphones into that and it has micro usb port to charge the phone as well as the case at the same time………..that is if it fits iPhone 7 but I guess they will bring one out specifically for iPhone 7 shortly……………….it sells for around £70…………..extra expense but it will solve your problem and make your music sound much better!.
So to get what I had before I have to buy something else, it’s like saying.. here is your new car, but it only does 100 miles, but somebody else makes a bigger fuel tank which you can purchase so it will do the 200 miles the old one did…. its not progress is it.
You are right of course and I agree with you but it was just an idea if you really wanted to get an iPhone 7 and charge and listen to music at the same time.
Yea sorry it was kind of you to offer an alternative, I just wish I didn’t have to get an alternative, well I will, it will be an Android :), however Apple tends to lead the way, so I am worried others will follow.
Hey, it takes “courage” to screw everyone for $200 for BT buds or a dongle and tell them it’s better.
I’d say the best reason is to increase audio quality. That’s a solid argument.
Although agreed not being able to listen to music and charge your phone will be a pain.
It wont be a pain, when you by Samsung now. Fck Apple, every time the phones are prized higher and you’ll need to buy things like the wireless ear-pods for an absurd prize.
Audio quality doesn’t come into it when your phone is out of juice and you have to charge it !!
This is already what I’d calling glowing praise :-/.
The iPhone SE was worth praise. A 4″ phone with premium hardware.
No Android oem is doing this and even the closest Sony Xperia Z5 Compact is much bigger.
I’m sorry but just imagine what would happen if a manufacturer other than Apple ever released a phone with the exact same old and outdated body… There would be so many bashing reviews all over the web. Only Apple can sell such a product and only they could do it with actually even positive reviews.
If a brand releases a phone with the same design, that means that company is almost over. They’re done. They don’t have anything new to add. I find it ridicilous to release the same phone with just newer chipset etc.
If you claim yourself a “innovative brand”, and if you want to answer your customers who demand a phone with İp5 size, then you should update it’s design at least.
Sorry, Apple’s gonna be like Nokia.
Only for Apple. Even with PCs you have to look outside the Apple ecosystem to see some rather innovative computers. Look at the new Lenovo Yoga Book with the virtual keyboard/active digitizer and at such a low price point.
You are forgetting the Trans-Atlantic Tax…apparently it is more expensive to do business over here. Must be all those taxes they have to pay…oh, hang on, they don’t do they as the get ‘Mates Rates in Ireland…
thank brexit. 7 plus is 719 for 32gb model. i have never felt so motivated to diet
Why would you even want one? A Nexus 5X is a far better phone for less than half the price. It runs rings around the iphone 7 in most respects. Yes, it has a plastic casing, but since you’ll put it in a case anyway, who cares?
You forgot to mention that it also has a headphone jack too
Isn’t the new black iphone plastic too?
LOL
You are paying one way or another. Either via higher taxes that are paid to the EU and all the welfare, food, housing education, etc for the flood of immigrants being funnelled through to the UK via the EU. As far as trade deals and taxes, that will work its way out in a year or two.
Immigrants are good for the economy since they work and pay taxes. Only people who lose out are those who lose their jobs and can’t find another one, which is quite a small number.
Trade deals and taxes aren’t so simple, and expecting a perfect solution in just 2 years is simply delusional. Trade deals take much longer than that, and if we don’t retain access to the single market then Britain would be severely damaged.
Good luck waiting for taxes to fall for normal people.
The whole sound quality thing…it makes no sense. If there’s a lightning to 3.5 adapter in the box, then unless it actually contains a DAC in it (impossible due to the size, unless it’s a really, really bad one) it shows that the signal in the lightning heaphones cable is exactly the same as that in the 3.5mm headphones cable; an audio signal. If a tiny adater can be used to change it to a 3.5mm jack then the ‘lightning headphone output signal’ MUST be simply an audio signal. It’s the exact same technology as the 3.5mm system just with a different connector; make no mistake, this is PURELY about saving space (or selling more accessories etc), sound quality has NOTHING to do with it.
The DAC is without a doubt in the iPhone not the headphones and removing the headphone jack certainly doesn’t ‘allow for’ higher quality heaphones in any way shape or form. You’re no more able to use outboard DACs than you were before; removing the jack simply limits your options, it doesn’t open anything up at all.
If anything, sound quality will be worse unless you use the included Apple headphones. Any sort of converter or adapter loses some fidelity and causes crackles and pops…unless the high end headphone manufacturers start making lightning headphones this is only going to offer a slight drop in quality. I don’t think anybody will make lightning headphones; especially now Apple has ‘qualified’ the adapter; they’ll simply include an adapter if they want to badge it as ‘lightning compliant’.
Disgusts me. Why an earth pay out hundreds of dollars for a mobile phone. iPhones are the epitomy of corporate greed and products that nobody really needs. Think of starving African children who have not a penny to their name better still- those SE Asian factory workers who work 60 hour weeks just so we can greedily have unnecessary yearly mobile phone upgrades. It’s all an enormous scam. Apple are the only winners due to the idiot consumer, who will stop at nothing to satisfy their first world iPhone problem.
Same shizzle as the last generation. ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzZzzzzzz……
Oh, and what’s up with everyone being so butthurt over phones? If you don’t like it, don’t buy it maybe?
Quit belittling someone because they like something you don’t. The anonymity of the internet has made people into a-holes.