After months of going on and on about the iPhone 7, it’s finally here. And by gee, does it make an entrance!!
The Design
The physical design has not seen much change. The phone still looks much like the iPhone 6S series. In fact, at 7.1 mm and 7.3 mm, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are exactly the same dimensions as the 6S and 6S Plus.
So other than a few minor design changes, the phones look exactly the same. The difference is felt when you actually lift one of these beauties, though. They have grown lighter. The new iPhone 7 weighs just 138 grams while the 7 Plus weighs 188 grams. It’s so light it’s practically air!
I’m not sure if I like such light phones. Don’t get me wrong, I hated those bulky phones that seemed like victorian novels rather than phones, but I do like the phone to possess a little bit of … um, for the lack of a better word — girth. A phone so light feels a bit flimsy to me. But I am sure there are plenty of people who are going gaga over the ‘lighter than ever before’ iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.
As for any changes in design, the only noticeable one is the new positioning of the antennas. A lot of people found the antenna strips on the older iPhones quite hideous. Now Apple has turned the antenna away from the main body and curved them along the edges of the phone. On the darker phones, they’re easy to miss, almost blending into the body.
But enough of this. Let’s move on to better things.
Processor and Speed
The all new A10 Fusion processor is obviously the best in class. The iPhone 7 is now 2x faster than iPhone 6 and up to 1.4x faster than 6S. The new chipset is now a four-core processor where two cores are optimised for performance and the other two are optimised to extend battery life.
The Camera
The iPhone 7 gets a hugely improved camera. Now you can shoot pictures and videos in drop-dead gorgeous clarity. Wait, but we already were able to do that, right? The iPhone camera was already the best in the biz! Well yeah, and now it’s even better! Here’s how:
- A 7 MP front facing camera. Go crazy you selfie maniacs!
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On the iPhone 7, a powerful 12 MP camera with ƒ/1.8 aperture. It also supports digital zoom up to 5x.
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On the iPhone 7 Plus, TWO 12MP wide-angle and telephoto cameras. The wide-angle has a ƒ/1.8 aperture while the telephoto one has ƒ/2.8 aperture. Optical zoom at 2x; digital zoom up to 10x is on offer!
The new camera setup is powerful enough to give the DSLRs a run for their money. Have a look at these stunning photos captured on the new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.
Screen and Display
The new iPhone 7 has a gorgeous display of 1334×750 with a pixel density of 326-ppi. I know it’s not much compared to the flagship devices from Samsung (Note 7 has a ppi of 518) or OnePlus, but then, Apple’s software and hardware integration has produced magnificent results in the past. No reason why it shouldn’t continue to do so. In fact, the wide-color gamut captures and displays colors as vibrant as real life!
Storage
As predicted, the base model is starting from 32 GB. Higher models are available at 128 GB and 256 GB. The storage lineup is the same for both 7 and 7 Plus. And the good news is, even the 6S and 6S Plus are getting an upgrade to this new storage capacity!
This is a big relief to a lot of us because for years we’ve cringed at the thought of buying a 16 GB iPhone. We’re yet to see how long the 32 GB phone will last before we inevitably run out of space!
No 3.5 mm Headphone Jack
You knew this was going to happen. The headphone jack has come under the axe because the phone had to get thinner.
However, analysts are of the opinion that making the phone thin is not their only objective. The headphone jack is analog, which means that the music streamed out of it cannot be tracked. With the lightning port, however, music turns digital. The information coming out of it can be monitored.
Why does it matter? Well, to begin with, it means more data for Apple. But also, if Apple recognises that you’re playing a file downloaded illegally, it can mute it!
And speaking of earphones…
AirPods!!!
Apple’s new completely wireless earphones look something straight out of a science fiction movie! What finesse! What beauty!! I cannot look at them enough!
They come in their own case that doubles up as a charging port. One full charge gives you 5 hours of talk-time. The AirPods also have inbuilt mic and you can use them to answer calls or even invoke Siri with a single touch. What’s absolutely brilliant is that they recognise when they’re in the ear and play only when you’ve got them on!!
Told ya, Science fiction!! I’m totally at a loss for words.
Force Touch Home Button
Speaking of losing things, the Home Button makes it to the list. The new Home button can no longer be pressed. Instead, like the rest of the screen, it can detect various degrees of pressure and is now completely Force Touch enabled.
This has eliminated the need to double/triple click your home button. The same functions can now be reached via half press/full press. However, in order to preserve the tactile feedback, Apple has put in a special chip that offers the same feeling as pressing a physical button when you touch the home button.
Colours
Apart from the standard Gold, Silver, and Rose Gold options, the iPhone 7 will also be available in two breathtaking dark shades! One is a glossy variant known as Jet-Black and the other is a classy matt variant called just “Black”.
I won’t lie, black is my favourite colour and the new iPhone in jet black looks as stunning as a phone could possibly look!
The Big Question: Price
Although the prices for India aren’t announced officially yet, we can definitely make an educated guess based on their prices for America. The base model for iPhone 7 will cost between 55,000 to 60,000 INR and the 7 Plus (base model) will cost upwards of INR 68,000.
Again, these are only estimates. We’ll update you as soon as Apple has given the official prices for India.
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So that’s about it for the iPhone. Be sure to read our other articles that cover the Apple Watch 2, and the reminder of the event in general. But that’s for tomorrow. Right now, it’s well past 3 in the morning and I am hungry and sleep-deprived. So you go ahead and dream of the mesmerising iPhone 7, and I will hit the sack fantasising about a plate full of gulaab-jamoon!
