The wait is over, and the classic “September ritual” has come to an end. Once again, Apple took the stage to introduce the two newest members of the iPhone family, the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus. The overall look of both smartphones closely follows the line we saw in previous models, but the big news lies inside the devices — and also focuses on an absence that was rumored for months.
Two new iPhones with a familiar design
The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco was the venue chosen by the Cupertino giant for its highly anticipated — and by now we should say “classic” — annual presentation. There are two new iPhones in the neighborhood, and the magnitude of the changes depends on how you look at them. It's clear that Apple found a “sweet spot” with the design of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, and it's no surprise that the new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus borrow many elements from them. The overall dimensions and screen sizes remain unchanged (4.7 and 5.5 inches), as do the pixel density and resolution (1,334 × 750 pixels on the iPhone 7, while the iPhone 7 Plus is “1080p”), but the new models manage to improve brightness a bit and shed between four and five grams without replacing the material. The “bands” that represent the smartphones' antennas are much less prominent, and the second grille signals the introduction of stereo speakers (more on audio ahead).
https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q6dsRpVyyWsA10 Fusion and the end of 16 GB
Another point Apple highlighted during the presentation is the new Apple A10 Fusion system-on-a-chip. Finally, Cupertino jumps on the quad-core train, adopting a sort of big.LITTLE scheme with two high-performance cores and two more dedicated to lower-priority tasks. According to Apple, the A10 is 40 percent faster than the A9 in CPU operations and 50 percent more powerful on the graphics side. The new smartphones mark the end of 16 GB of storage. The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus offer a minimum base of 32 GB, and with this change Apple also decided to drop the 16 GB variant from the 6s and 6s Plus, leaving the iPhone SE with its four-inch screen as the only option. The main camera stays in the 12-megapixel territory, while the front FaceTime HD camera rises to 7 megapixels. Specifically on the iPhone 7 Plus, Apple chose to install two lenses, enabling 2X optical zoom, or 10X when digital.
IP67, no headphone jack and the AirPods
If we go back for a moment to the physical side of the smartphones, Apple managed to improve the protection rating to IP67, meaning they can resist dust, splashes and brief immersions (the recommendation is to never put that to the test). This extra protection is just one of several reasons why Cupertino made a very controversial decision that was revealed through rumors and leaks over the past few months. Both the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus eliminate the traditional 3.5 mm audio connector. The complex task of announcing and justifying the removal fell to Apple's senior vice president Phil Schiller, who spoke about “an act of courage” on the company's part. He also said the future of audio “is wireless”, giving rise to the new set of cordless AirPods earphones at a cost of $159, with five hours of autonomy and a special charger with an internal battery that lasts 25 hours. On the other hand, Apple's goal is to push adoption of the Lightning port as the standard for earphones on the iPhone (which means more manufacturers paying the corresponding license), because the company can no longer justify “a single-use port” when several future improvements are competing for space inside the smartphone. However, all is not lost. Both smartphones include a new set of earphones with a Lightning connector, and a 3.5 mm-to-Lightning adapter with its own DAC. Time will tell how the final audio quality through that adapter is, and judging by the images, it will not be possible to charge the smartphone “and” use the adapter at the same time.
The new solid home button, and the price
The last physical change to mention (for now) is the new solid home button. In other words... there is no button, but rather a sensor that responds to the user's command and transmits a physical response through the Taptic Engine. The sensations that several specialized sites have described when using the new “button” range from “discordant” to “jarring”. The change is likely tied to the new IP67 rating, and to avoid incidents like the famous “error 53” that affected many users in recent months. The “mechanical” home button was a fairly frequent failure point, but we'll know much more about this new solution once the iPhone 7 “teardown” is done. How much does it cost? $649 in its standard version and $769 in its Plus variant. Across the pond... 769 and 909 euros respectively. Pre-sale starts tomorrow.
