The Ultimate Apple iPhone 7 review
Introduction:
On the seventh day the designers rested. In came the engineers. And the master of controversy struck again.
Apple is proud of the bold move of removing the audio jack. But in pretty much every other aspect they've seemingly taken the conservative route. On the outside, the new iPhone looks basically the same as the iPhone 6/6s.
Well, it's not as easy as that. The iPhone 7 is in many ways a better phone. We can see some of the issues we had with the last iPhone sorted and, no, we are not claiming credit for it - simply acknowledging the fact.
Waterproofing, stereo speakers and, finally, reasonable storage options - and that's on top of the usual performance upgrades we've come to take for granted every year. Think this is the story of the iPhone 7? Apple's first water-resistant handset, first quad-core processor, first pair of stereo speakers on a phone.
Not trying to build suspense. The story has been hijacked and you know it. But we're going to tell it anyway.
iPhone 7 Key Features:
iPhone 7 Main Disadvantages:
The new Home button, rather the lack thereof, is nearly as controversial as the missing audio jack. Apple used the same taptic engine behind the MacBook's trackpad, so things might actually turn out better there.
Anyway, the iPhone 7 is ready to get unwrapped, so let's get to it. Head to the next page for our traditional hardware and exterior checkup.
The Taptic Engine works nice and creates a nice illusion of a real click. You can even configure the force of the feedback. It may take a few days to get used to the new clicks, but once you do, and trust us - you will, you'll hardly miss the old physical feedback.
But some of us are still missing the reassuring travel of a physical key and can't shake off the feeling that the new key feels like innovation for the sole sake of innovating as opposed to filling a particular need. Not only the press feedback is inferior to a real button but the bigger Taptic Engine module is now occupying a big part of the space vacated by the 3.5mm audio jack.
Of course, we wouldn't have objected if the pressure-sensitive Home was the only way to ensure waterproofing but we can see both Samsung and Sony making waterproofed phones with physical keys.
There is another aspect and that's longevity and repairs - Apple may as well have gone for the new key design so that they don't have to deal with faulty Home buttons and phones bricked (the infamous Error 53) by unauthorized replacements of faulty button/fingerprint sensor combos.
But whatever the reason for this move, the worst part is that Apple is not frank about it. It's instead beating around the bush claiming technological innovation while the replaced part provided better user experience overall.
It's the same situation with the 3.5mm audio jack. It's like Apple is hiding the real reasons for removing it. They didn't really need to get rid of it because they don't have an industry-wide standard to replace it with except... Bluetooth. Could it be that it's the push towards wireless Bluetooth audio to blame? After all, the company just came up with a new wireless set called AirPods, which retails for $159. No, we're not conspiracy theorists.
A brighter 12MP camera:
The iPhone 7 features an updated 12MP camera with f/1.8 six-element lens and optical image stabilization (which was reserved to the Plus model last year). The sensor is reportedly 60% faster and 30% more efficient than the previous camera system. The dual-tone LED flash is also updated and now consists of four LEDs - two for each tone so it should be brigher overall.
Live Images are available as before - those 3s small videos are captured automatically and the new thing about them is that they are now stabilized so they look much smoother.
The camera interface is the same as before. If you tap to focus the phone will give you control over exposure through a slider. This way you can conveniently adjust exposure compensation depending on the scene. You can lock the focus and exposure as well.
We can confirm the camera is blazingly fast. There is no pausing for loading or saving even when taking bursts of photos.
All settings and shooting modes are laid out logically and the only setting we miss is the toggle between 1080p ad 4K video recording. Instead of being accessible from the camera UI, you have to dig deep in the phone's Settings menu, which is far from the ideal setup for quick video resolution changes.nt air for the barometer sensor in the otherwise water-tight body of the iPhone 7.
Even though Apple upgraded the camera with a new sensor and a brighter f/1.8 lens, it's still 12MP in resolution and the samples snapped with the iPhone 7 are quite close to what we had on the iPhone 6s.
In daylight, the resolved detail is good, but it's not dramatically better than what the iPhone 6s and 6 series offered. If you zoom in, you will now be able to spot softness and geometric distortion in the image corners, something which was not present on the previous crop of iPhones - obviously a direct result of the new brighter lens.
The image processing algorithm is the same as last year's so there are no improvements in this department.
Final Words:
Controversy. Apple loves it. It fuels it and it's fueled by it. Rarely is brand hate more vocal and yet people stand in line to get the latest phone. It's part of the marketing game, and it has somehow always worked in Apple's favor. The iPhone 7 is probably the most controversial iPhone yet and Apple likes it this way.
So, is Apple giving haters something else to complain about or is there a hidden agenda? A long-term masterplan that most of us are unaware of? And does the average Joe care enough for it to hurt sales?
But let's not look that far ahead for a moment and forget about agendas. The jack clearly has implications - beyond the pure audiophile qualities and aesthetics - on how music will be consumed and paid for. And that's controversial enough, long-term.
The camera interface is the same as before. If you tap to focus the phone will give you control over exposure through a slider. This way you can conveniently adjust exposure compensation depending on the scene. You can lock the focus and exposure as well.
iPhone 7 Key Test FIndings:
So, we got ourselves a bag full of various potential rivals and none would mind that its name came up in relation to the iPhone 7. But we have a feeling that the bigger iPhone 7 Plus will get most of the flak from the competition. The user preference is moving towards 5+ inch screens, and there is also the dual camera setup, which would make for an even more intriguing review.
Of course, Apple has never been about the screen size and pixels, CPU cores and RAM, or insane camera specs. It's about the premium design, the content, the consistency and the user experience. Music is a big part of the smartphone experience, and we guess you see how the jack has implications on all of these. And it's exactly the reason why losing it is a big deal.
But then... The A10 Fusion chip, waterproofing, stereo speakers and sane storage options - these are some of the things the iPhone 6s didn't have and the iPhone 7 kindly delivers. Are they suddenly irrelevant? All you ever wanted was the jack? Come on.
And yet, the iPhone 7 will probably go down in history as the one that got rid of the jack first. Controversy? Yes, Apple loves it.
- Water-proof metal unibody with redesigned, less-obtrusive antenna strips
- 4.7" 16M-color LED-backlit IPS LCD of 750 x 1334px resolution, 326ppi, wide color gamut, 3D Touch tech
- Pressure-sensitive Home key powered by a brand new Taptic Engine
- Quad-core (2+2) 64-bit Apple CPU, hexa-core GPU, 2GB of RAM, Apple A10 Fusion SoC
- 12MP F/1.8 camera with a quad-LED flash, optical image stabilization, phase detection auto focus, wide color capture, face and body detection; 2160p@30fps video recording
- 7MP F/2.2 front-facing camera with BSI sensor and HDR mode, 1080p@30fps video
- Comes in 32, 128, and 256GB of built-in storage
- Second-gen Touch ID fingerprint sensor
- 4G LTE Cat.12 (600Mbps); Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; Bluetooth 4.2; Lightning port; GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS; NFC (Apple Pay only)
- 1,960mAh battery
iPhone 7 Main Disadvantages:
Once you wrap your head around the missing audio jack (it's not the end of it, you can get a designated adapter for your favorite headphones), the Apple iPhone 7 is a major upgrade. IP67-certified water-resistant body. Bigger and brighter camera with OIS. New FaceTime cam. Stereo speakers. Faster processor and 50% GPU performance increase, more RAM. New pressure-sensitive Home key powered by a new taptic engine. Revised storage options.
- No 3.5mm audio jack (ships with a Lightning to 3.5mm adapter)
- No microSD slot
- No dual-camera of the iPhone 7 Plus
- NFC functionality limited to Apple Pay
- Still no fast or wireless charging, no IR port or FM radio
- No user-replaceable battery
- Scratch-prone Jet Black model
- Screen resolution not flagship-grade
The new Home button, rather the lack thereof, is nearly as controversial as the missing audio jack. Apple used the same taptic engine behind the MacBook's trackpad, so things might actually turn out better there.
Apple doubled the storage capacity on all three flavors, so it finally starts at 32GB, the other two being 128GB or 256GB. Unfortunately, fast or wireless charging still doesn't mean anything to Apple, which is a shame in 2016.
Anyway, the iPhone 7 is ready to get unwrapped, so let's get to it. Head to the next page for our traditional hardware and exterior checkup.
Unboxing the iPhone 7 :
The Apple iPhone 7 comes in a very familiar box, which packs an A/C adapter, a Lightning cable, and a pair of EarPods ending on a Lightning plug.the seventh day the designers rested. In came the engineers. And the master of controversy struck again.
There is also a Lighting to 3.5mm adapter so you can continue using your headset of choice. You can get extra adaptors from Apple if you like to have a designated adapter for each of your headphones.
iPhone 7 - 360 degree view :
At 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1mm, the iPhone7 is exactly the same size as the 6s. The new flagship managed to somehow lose 5g down to 138g.
Design and Buil quality:
Next year is the iPhone's 10th anniversary and that perhaps explains why Apple settled for refining the iPhone 6 design instead of going for a complete overhaul. Or they might have wanted to avoid a double shocker where people end up hating the new look, blaming it for the missing audio jack and "fake" Home button.e iPhone 6/6s.
iPhone 7 - 360 degree view :
At 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1mm, the iPhone7 is exactly the same size as the 6s. The new flagship managed to somehow lose 5g down to 138g.
Design and Buil quality:
Next year is the iPhone's 10th anniversary and that perhaps explains why Apple settled for refining the iPhone 6 design instead of going for a complete overhaul. Or they might have wanted to avoid a double shocker where people end up hating the new look, blaming it for the missing audio jack and "fake" Home button.e iPhone 6/6s.
Speculation aside, the iPhone 7 may look too familiar, but feels different enough and still pretty relevant. A subtle change makes a good enough difference - the antenna strips have been pushed all the way to the top and bottom, following the phone's curvature. They are less intrusive this way and almost invisible on the black and jet black models.
We've already seen similar antenna design in phones like the Meizu Pro 6 and Apple did well to acknowledge the need for improvement.
There are two other visible changes to the iPhone 7's unibody design: the camera hump is bigger but also more discreet and, of course, there is no audio jack.
In recent times every new generation of iPhones has introduced a new color option, and the 7th is no exception. Apple has retired the Space Gray paint job in favor of two new Black options. Just Black is the new matte black flavor featuring the same grippy finish as its Space Gray predecessor, while the Jet Black is a true blast from the past.
The Jet Black iPhone 7's glossy finish looks amazing and evokes fond memories of the iPhone 3G and 3GS. It is only available for the 128 and 256 GB models, which suggests Apple considers it the premium color option.
Unfortunately, the Jet Black edition is highly scratch-prone and picks up fingerprints in no time. Even Apple admitted the Jet Black phones are not for everyone as their shiny looks are rather easily ruined by scratches unless protected by a case.
Handling the iPhone 7 is a pure pleasure - it's very thin and lightweight, while the 4.7" screen makes it one of the most compact flagships out there. Even though the iPhone 7 is rounded in shape, the matte finish provides a secure enough grip, while the waterproofing will take your worries away even if you do drop it in water.
Quite expectedly, opting for the Jet Black one will require some extra care, but we must admit it looks even better than its matte counterparts.
Apple did a great job of making the new iPhone 7 a competitive and attractive proposition, even though the design is not what you would call new. It still feels as premium as it did two years ago.
Controls:
At the bottom of the iPhone 7, there is the Lightning jack and two grilles. Teardowns have revealed that there is a mic behind both of these grilles, but one is joined by the phone's primary speaker, while the other sits next to a seemingly unused space inside the phone. Apple responded to that and claims it's a barometric vent, which is used to allow access to the ambient air for the barometer sensor in the otherwise water-tight body of the iPhone 7.
A notable omission on the bottom is the 3.5mm audio jack but more on that later.
The top of the iPhone 7, on the other hand, is perfectly clean.
The left side of the iPhone 7 has the well-known mute switch and the two volume keys. The right one houses the power/lock key, and the nano-SIM ejectable slot.
Finally, the back of the iPhone 7 shows the only visible change - the new antenna bands moved to the top and bottom. The camera lens is bigger and is less protruding and there is a new quad-LED true-tone flash around.
The small hole between the lens and the flash is the third microphone found on board the phone - most probably the one that is used for noise-cancellation during calls. It's real shame that with all those mics on board that iPhone 7 still records its videos with mono audio. But we digress.
The front of the Apple iPhone 7 is familiar, though there are a few surprises beneath the surface. Above the screen is the earpiece, the new 7MP FaceTime camera and a bunch of sensors.
The earpiece now doubles as a speaker, part of the two speaker setup introduced with the iPhone 7. The second speaker is where it has always been - at the bottom under a nicely carved grille.
Below the screen is the second novelty - the Home button with a second-gen Touch ID fingerprint sensor. While the ID scanner is the same as on the iPhone 6s, the Home key is something we have a lot to talk about.
First, it's no longer a button. It's a flat round piece, which does not physically sink in when pressed. Instead, it's connected to Apple's updated Taptic Engine inside the phone. The iPhone 6s also had a Taptic engine but the module was much smaller.
Thanks to the taptic engine, the key is pressure sensitive and can differentiate between pressing and tapping.
In recent times every new generation of iPhones has introduced a new color option, and the 7th is no exception. Apple has retired the Space Gray paint job in favor of two new Black options. Just Black is the new matte black flavor featuring the same grippy finish as its Space Gray predecessor, while the Jet Black is a true blast from the past.
The Jet Black iPhone 7's glossy finish looks amazing and evokes fond memories of the iPhone 3G and 3GS. It is only available for the 128 and 256 GB models, which suggests Apple considers it the premium color option.
Unfortunately, the Jet Black edition is highly scratch-prone and picks up fingerprints in no time. Even Apple admitted the Jet Black phones are not for everyone as their shiny looks are rather easily ruined by scratches unless protected by a case.
Handling the iPhone 7 is a pure pleasure - it's very thin and lightweight, while the 4.7" screen makes it one of the most compact flagships out there. Even though the iPhone 7 is rounded in shape, the matte finish provides a secure enough grip, while the waterproofing will take your worries away even if you do drop it in water.
Apple did a great job of making the new iPhone 7 a competitive and attractive proposition, even though the design is not what you would call new. It still feels as premium as it did two years ago.
Controls:
At the bottom of the iPhone 7, there is the Lightning jack and two grilles. Teardowns have revealed that there is a mic behind both of these grilles, but one is joined by the phone's primary speaker, while the other sits next to a seemingly unused space inside the phone. Apple responded to that and claims it's a barometric vent, which is used to allow access to the ambient air for the barometer sensor in the otherwise water-tight body of the iPhone 7.
A notable omission on the bottom is the 3.5mm audio jack but more on that later.
The top of the iPhone 7, on the other hand, is perfectly clean.
Finally, the back of the iPhone 7 shows the only visible change - the new antenna bands moved to the top and bottom. The camera lens is bigger and is less protruding and there is a new quad-LED true-tone flash around.
The small hole between the lens and the flash is the third microphone found on board the phone - most probably the one that is used for noise-cancellation during calls. It's real shame that with all those mics on board that iPhone 7 still records its videos with mono audio. But we digress.
The front of the Apple iPhone 7 is familiar, though there are a few surprises beneath the surface. Above the screen is the earpiece, the new 7MP FaceTime camera and a bunch of sensors.
The earpiece now doubles as a speaker, part of the two speaker setup introduced with the iPhone 7. The second speaker is where it has always been - at the bottom under a nicely carved grille.
Below the screen is the second novelty - the Home button with a second-gen Touch ID fingerprint sensor. While the ID scanner is the same as on the iPhone 6s, the Home key is something we have a lot to talk about.
First, it's no longer a button. It's a flat round piece, which does not physically sink in when pressed. Instead, it's connected to Apple's updated Taptic Engine inside the phone. The iPhone 6s also had a Taptic engine but the module was much smaller.
Thanks to the taptic engine, the key is pressure sensitive and can differentiate between pressing and tapping.
The Taptic Engine works nice and creates a nice illusion of a real click. You can even configure the force of the feedback. It may take a few days to get used to the new clicks, but once you do, and trust us - you will, you'll hardly miss the old physical feedback.
But some of us are still missing the reassuring travel of a physical key and can't shake off the feeling that the new key feels like innovation for the sole sake of innovating as opposed to filling a particular need. Not only the press feedback is inferior to a real button but the bigger Taptic Engine module is now occupying a big part of the space vacated by the 3.5mm audio jack.
Of course, we wouldn't have objected if the pressure-sensitive Home was the only way to ensure waterproofing but we can see both Samsung and Sony making waterproofed phones with physical keys.
There is another aspect and that's longevity and repairs - Apple may as well have gone for the new key design so that they don't have to deal with faulty Home buttons and phones bricked (the infamous Error 53) by unauthorized replacements of faulty button/fingerprint sensor combos.
But whatever the reason for this move, the worst part is that Apple is not frank about it. It's instead beating around the bush claiming technological innovation while the replaced part provided better user experience overall.
It's the same situation with the 3.5mm audio jack. It's like Apple is hiding the real reasons for removing it. They didn't really need to get rid of it because they don't have an industry-wide standard to replace it with except... Bluetooth. Could it be that it's the push towards wireless Bluetooth audio to blame? After all, the company just came up with a new wireless set called AirPods, which retails for $159. No, we're not conspiracy theorists.
A brighter 12MP camera:
The iPhone 7 features an updated 12MP camera with f/1.8 six-element lens and optical image stabilization (which was reserved to the Plus model last year). The sensor is reportedly 60% faster and 30% more efficient than the previous camera system. The dual-tone LED flash is also updated and now consists of four LEDs - two for each tone so it should be brigher overall.
Live Images are available as before - those 3s small videos are captured automatically and the new thing about them is that they are now stabilized so they look much smoother.
The camera interface is the same as before. If you tap to focus the phone will give you control over exposure through a slider. This way you can conveniently adjust exposure compensation depending on the scene. You can lock the focus and exposure as well.
We can confirm the camera is blazingly fast. There is no pausing for loading or saving even when taking bursts of photos.
All settings and shooting modes are laid out logically and the only setting we miss is the toggle between 1080p ad 4K video recording. Instead of being accessible from the camera UI, you have to dig deep in the phone's Settings menu, which is far from the ideal setup for quick video resolution changes.nt air for the barometer sensor in the otherwise water-tight body of the iPhone 7.
Even though Apple upgraded the camera with a new sensor and a brighter f/1.8 lens, it's still 12MP in resolution and the samples snapped with the iPhone 7 are quite close to what we had on the iPhone 6s.
In daylight, the resolved detail is good, but it's not dramatically better than what the iPhone 6s and 6 series offered. If you zoom in, you will now be able to spot softness and geometric distortion in the image corners, something which was not present on the previous crop of iPhones - obviously a direct result of the new brighter lens.
The image processing algorithm is the same as last year's so there are no improvements in this department.
Final Words:
Controversy. Apple loves it. It fuels it and it's fueled by it. Rarely is brand hate more vocal and yet people stand in line to get the latest phone. It's part of the marketing game, and it has somehow always worked in Apple's favor. The iPhone 7 is probably the most controversial iPhone yet and Apple likes it this way.
So, is Apple giving haters something else to complain about or is there a hidden agenda? A long-term masterplan that most of us are unaware of? And does the average Joe care enough for it to hurt sales?
But let's not look that far ahead for a moment and forget about agendas. The jack clearly has implications - beyond the pure audiophile qualities and aesthetics - on how music will be consumed and paid for. And that's controversial enough, long-term.
The camera interface is the same as before. If you tap to focus the phone will give you control over exposure through a slider. This way you can conveniently adjust exposure compensation depending on the scene. You can lock the focus and exposure as well.
iPhone 7 Key Test FIndings:
- The iPhone 7 is built to the usual sky-high standards, an elegant handset with premium looks and feel. The design is being reused for yet another year but still relevant. The new Home key with force press works and feels great, but was there anything wrong with the physical button?
- The iPhone 7 has a class-leading IPS LCD in terms of brightness and color calibration. Its less-than-stellar pixel density of 326ppi does not stand to comparison with any of the Android flagships - but that's more a matter of numbers rather than actual user experience.
- Battery life is average with an Endurance rating of 61 hours. The phone has well-balanced scores across all tests and outlasts the iPhone 6s, which got a similar score but tested under lower screen brightness (150nits vs 200nits on the iPhone 7).
- The connectivity is improved with Cat.12 LTE support, but NFC is still limited to Apple Pay. Wireless charging could have been useful, but is still not an option. The lack of analog audio port is, well, between visionary and unforgivable. At least there is a free adapter in the package.
- Performance-wise, the A10-powered iPhone 7 is the most powerful smartphone in the world right now. Its CPU and GPU performance, as well as the overall experience, are unrivaled.
- iOS 10 makes more sense out of 3D Touch, enhances the lockscreen and allows third-party integration with Siri and Maps. All default apps have received meaningful updates too. Apple has an industry-leading software update program - you are guaranteed to get all iOS updates in the next few years as soon as they are out. iOS still lacks any customization options such as UI themes or icon packs.
- The stereo speakers are of Good loudness, which is as high as an iPhone has ever achieved, and subjectively, they sound great.
- The audio quality through the Lighting to 3.5mm converter is very good, but not quite the best in the class - just like with the 6s.
- The 12MP camera produces solid photos, but its only tangible improvement over last year's camera is OIS and the brighter aperture, both of which improve only low-light photography.
- The 4K videos offer enough detail and came out with very good dynamic range, the 1080p samples are great. The mono audio recording across all video options is disappointing. We hate having to dig in the phone's Settings menu to switch from 1080p to 4K and vice versa.
- The front 7MP selfie camera takes nice images even in low-light condition
So, we got ourselves a bag full of various potential rivals and none would mind that its name came up in relation to the iPhone 7. But we have a feeling that the bigger iPhone 7 Plus will get most of the flak from the competition. The user preference is moving towards 5+ inch screens, and there is also the dual camera setup, which would make for an even more intriguing review.
Of course, Apple has never been about the screen size and pixels, CPU cores and RAM, or insane camera specs. It's about the premium design, the content, the consistency and the user experience. Music is a big part of the smartphone experience, and we guess you see how the jack has implications on all of these. And it's exactly the reason why losing it is a big deal.
But then... The A10 Fusion chip, waterproofing, stereo speakers and sane storage options - these are some of the things the iPhone 6s didn't have and the iPhone 7 kindly delivers. Are they suddenly irrelevant? All you ever wanted was the jack? Come on.
And yet, the iPhone 7 will probably go down in history as the one that got rid of the jack first. Controversy? Yes, Apple loves it.
Detailed review man...! But i have heard that iPhone 7 also bursts like Note 7, Is it?? :-(((((
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately some of the buyers claim that it catches fire with some strong evidences. But still it is a controversy that, is iPhone 7 bursts as Deadly as Note 7 did... And thank you for contacting Us.
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