Finally, Apple announced its much-awaited smartphones iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The entire event was full of gusto, spirit and cheer! That is Apple Event September 2016. People are expecting big announcements of products and a major software launch.
This new iPhone 7 flaunts a design that reminds you of iPhone 6s and iPhone 6 with its rounded aluminium body. However, there are many things that set it apart from its predecessors. Water resistance feature came out of the blue! While people were all cheering for absence of headphone jack, Apple threw a googly in the name of water resistance feature. Now you can get the iPhone 7 wet without worry. This doesn’t mean the phone has got headphone jack.
The new thing is long-rumoured dual camera system, stereo speakers and a darker black colour scheme. As people have expected, the latest iPhone 7 doesn’t have a headphone jack; now your 3.5mm headphones are useless, if you have bought them recently.
The latest dual camera system gives true 2x optical zoom without losing image quality. Apple also claims that the new device has better battery life as compared to its predecessors.
Though iPhone 7 may look like earlier models of the same size, its matte metal finish is gone in the latest model; this new phone has a glossy, mirrored design. This new color is called Jet Black, which is much darker and richer than space black of yester years. Apple is also coming up with a standard black model, along with gold, silver, and rose gold.
The Home button has got a facelift in iPhone 7; it is now force sensitive like a Force Touch track pad you might have used in your MacBook laptops. The phone is also equipped with Taptic Engine haptic feedback system from the Apple Watch. Users will feel a different vibration feedback for several alerts.
The camera in iPhone 7 has been upgraded with optical image stabilization and a brighter f/1.8 lens that lets in 50% more light than f/2.2 lens of iPhone 6s. Apple claims that the sensor in the new camera in iPhone 7 is 60% faster and 30% more efficient, though it has same 12MP sensor. Moreover, the camera is equipped with a new image processing chip and quad-LED flash that generates 50% more light. Phil Schiller from Apple goes to the extent that the new processing engine leverages machine learning and has “supercomputer performance”. Front camera of iPhone 7 is of 7MP with automatic image stabilization for better selfies and video recording.
But the real surprise comes with the larger iPhone 7 Plus dual camera system. According to Apple, the new dual camera gives 2x optical zoom. One lens is equivalent to 28mm for wide angle shots and another lens has a closer 60mm equivalent lens. Users can easily switch between the two cameras with the help of stock Camera app in iPhone 7 Plus; just tap 1x or 2x button and the camera will switch automatically.
About the displays of the new phones, Apple says they are 25% brighter equipped with wide range of colors for better color reproduction and superior color management. Both phones have 3D Touch pressure sensitive display that was introduced in iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. However, Apple seems to be speechless about image resolution of displays as this year’s iPhone has the same number of pixels as 2014’s iPhone 6. Check iPhone 7’s 720 x 1280 pixels and iPhone 7 Plus’s 1080 x 1920.
About 3.5mm headphone jack, rumour mills were right; iPhone 7 series doesn’t have a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. It is replaced by a second speaker, which gives the phone stereo sound. Moreover, Apple has developed a set of EarPods with a lightning connector that will be included with the phone. Furthermore, an adapter or dongle is put in the box so users can still use 3.5mm headphones with the device.
Apple has introduced a new set of wireless headphones – AirPods. These are designed to work with the iPhone 7. The AirPods are really wireless, without a cable connecting the left and right headphone. As per the new wireless technology developed by Apple, it can handle both audio and wireless connection to the phone or Apple Watch. AirPods are enabled with sensors to detect when they are in ears and its “motion accelerometers” activate Siri. Apple informs that AirPods have five hours of battery life and come with a battery case that offers 25 hours of use. For AirPods, users will have to wait till late October and have to pay $169. It was also announced that Beats is also launching a line of headphones that make use of this new wireless technology.
About the processor, Apple says that its new A10 Fusion processor will be 40% faster than last year’s chip. Coupled with the new graphics processing chip that is 50% faster than what was in A9. Apple also claims that the two phones have “the longest battery life ever of an iPhone”. As per the company statement, iPhone 7 will last two hours longer than iPhone 6s and iPhone 7 Plus will last one hour longer than iPhone 6s Plus.
iPhone 7 and 7 Plus Price and Release Date
Now the most exciting part of the announcement. The two iPhones will be available for purchase on September 16th; however, users can place pre-orders on September 9th. iPhone 7 will have minimum storage capacity of 32GB, which will go for $649 and the maximum storage will be 256GB for $849. And the larger version, i.e. iPhone 7 Plus will be more expensive than its predecessor; 32GB version will be sold at $769 and the top model will be available at $969. Apple offers five color options with two new black entries viz. Matte and high gloss. The other three color variants are Gold, Silver and Rose Gold.
These were the major features announced during Apple Event September 2016. Did you expect anything more than this? If yes, why don’t you share your feedback with us on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus?