Apple has unveiled the iPhone 7 range, and despite some suggestions in the media of a possible iPhone 7 Pro, the Californian company has ultimately opted for two models in this generation. The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will shortly go on sale to consumers all over the world, but how do they compare to the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus from last year? Here is a rundown of all the critical changes, upgrades and important information.
Design
The design of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus may not be a major departure from the iPhone 6S, but a new glossy, mirrored design has been introduced. Both models of the iPhone 7 will be available in a color which Apple refers to as Jet Black, noticeably much darker and richer than the Space Black of previous generations. Apple is also releasing a standard black model, along with gold, silver, and Rose Gold, as was the case with the iPhone 6S.
Home button
Apple has also redesigned the Home button for the iPhone 7 generation, and has introduced force sensitive functionality, as was widely anticipated by Apple analysts. This was a feature already included in the MacBook laptop range, while the smartphone also now benefits from the Taptic Engine haptic feedback system from the Apple Watch. This will enable a differing vibration feedback to be acquired by users for various alerts.
Size
Apple’s own official information on the iPhone 7 indicates that both the standard smartphone and Plus phablet models are exactly the same size as the iPhone 6S releases from last year. So the iPhone 7 is 5.44 x 2.64 x 0.28 inches in size, while the dimensions of the Plus model are 6.23 x 3.07 x 0.29 inches.
Weight
Despite the size of both iPhone 7 versions being identical to the previous releases, Apple has still managed to reduce the weight of the two devices. The iPhone 7 smartphone is 5g lighter than last year’s addition, at 138g, while the iPhone 7 Plus is 4g lighter, weighing in at 188g.
Display
It is a little disappointing that Apple has once again decided to freeze the screen resolution of all iPhone 7 models. This means that the phablet version of the iPhone 7 will offer full HD resolution, while the smaller smartphone is capable of displaying 750 x 1,334 pixels. However, Apple has upgraded the display, ensuring that it is 25 percent brighter in both smartphone and phablet models than last year. There is also a wider color gamut for better color reproduction and improved color management. 3D Touch is also, naturally, retained.
Processor
The processor in both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus get a significant boost from the iPhone 6S generation, and it is also interesting to note that slightly different clock speeds are utilized in the two versions of the handset. The iPhone 7 features a Fusion processor clocked at 2.4 GHz, while The iPhone 7 Plus benefits from a slightly higher clock speed of 2.45 GHz. Both of the iPhone 6S models were clocked at 1.84 GHz.
iPhone 7 vs iPhone 6s vs iPhone 7 Plus vs iPhone 6S Plus
Camera
The camera included in the iPhone 7 has been upgraded, with a brighter f/1.8 lens that allows 50 percent more light to seep into the unit than the f/2.2 lens included in the iPhone 6S. Apple also suggests that the 12-megapixel sensor, the same resolution as the iPhone 6S generation, is 60 percent faster and 30 percent more efficient than last year’s release.
This is combined with new image processing chips and quad-LED flashes to produce an impressive photographic performer. Apple was bullish about the capabilities of the new camera in its presentation in California, suggesting that it boasts “supercomputer performance”. Additionally, Apple has improved the megapixel rating in the front-facing camera to 7-megapixels, enabling iPhone consumers to capture better selfies.
But the biggest upgrades are reserved for the dual-camera which has been included in the iPhone 7 Plus. This enables 2x optical zoom without any loss of image quality, and a feature has been included which utilizes both lenses to imitate a shallow depth of field, as featured in larger DSLR units. There is no doubt that this will be the most powerful camera ever included in an iPhone device.
Memory
The iPhone 7 Plus benefits from an extraGB of memory compared to last year’s release, bumping the ramp up to 3GB. The iPhone 7 is unchanged from the iPhone 6S at 2GB.
Storage
As had been anticipated by analysts, Apple has made significant changes to the storage capacity offered by both models of the iPhone 7, upgrading the quantity significantly over the iPhone 6S generation. Thus, the maximum amount of storage available is doubled to 256GB, while Apple has also eliminated the 16GB version of both the smartphone and phablet in favour of a 32GB model. Whereas the 128GB version was the premium iPhone last year, this year it can be considered the mid-range model.
Battery
Apple has declined to give specific information regarding the specifications of the battery included in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, but it does claim that the lifecycle of the phablet will be two hours longer than in the iPhone 6S Plus, with the smartphone running for an extra hour compared to the iPhone 6S.
New features
Finally, there are two particularly prominent new features included in the iPhone 7 which have not been mentioned previously. Apple has ensured that both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are significantly water resistant, as the consumer electronics giant places an emphasis on the health-related quality of its device range. This was notably a feature of the also revealed Apple Watch Series 2.
And, finally, the headphone jack has been eliminated from the iPhone 7, as began to be predicted several months ago. Music fans utilizing the iPhone 7 will be able to take advantage of wireless music playing.
