After months of rumours, internet chatter and last-minute leaks, Apple has finally unveiled the iPhone 7 to the world.
We’ve heard a lot about the computing giant ditching the headphone jack that has been a feature on all of its previous devices, as well as the implementation of a brand new dual-lens camera lens.
But now we officially know exactly what Apple fans will be getting, and there are some seriously impressive features.
You don’t need to be a tech enthusiast to appreciate the first iPhone 7 announcement: it’s water and dust resistant. We still wouldn’t recommend habitually dropping your phone in the toilet, but this is a major draw for splash-happy iPhone owners.
iPhone 7 is waterproof, has stereo speakers, and comes in a new glossy black 😍 #AppleEvent https://t.co/IEMXlTHdpn pic.twitter.com/8ib7eJ1igS
— TNW (@thenextweb) September 7, 2016
Big credit to Mashable’s Lance Ulanoff for providing a visual guide to everything else in the phone’s arsenal on his Twitter feed.
Speaking of which…
The iPhone 7 is available in two shades of black. There’s an ultra-glossy “Jet Black” and a very stylish-looking matte version simply called “Black”. They’ll join the current Gold, Silver, and Rose Gold models, replacing the Space Grey option.
Apple: A second new black, we call it simply "Black." #iPhone7 #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/OSGDuGhzhA
— Lance Ulanoff (@LanceUlanoff) September 7, 2016
Deffo pre ordering the iPhone 7 plus jet black 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/b321gs5GjP
— Ramøne Røse (@RamoneRose1) September 7, 2016
In a move that mirrors what Apple did with the trackpad on last year’s Macbook Pro and new Macbook, the iPhone 7 home button is non-mechanical, pressure sensitive and provides taptic feedback when you press it.
What that all means is that the home button is no longer a button – even though it still feels like one. It gives the illusion of a click but the mechanism is actually static. Apple is a big fan of this wizardry.
We called it: Force Touch home button on the iPhone 7. With the Taptic Engine underneath. #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/D66rVsfojq
— Lance Ulanoff (@LanceUlanoff) September 7, 2016
The camera is packing 12mp and boasts a wide-angle lens.
The larger iPhone 7 Plus also has a telephoto camera (so the dual-lens info leak was only true for the the bigger phone) which gives users 2x optical zoom and 10x digital zoom. The front-facing camera has also been bumped up to 7mp.
You can read more about the iPhone 7 camera here and here, but in a nutshell: it looks really good.
iPhone 7 camera summary. #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/JRwVwiUi0G
— Lance Ulanoff (@LanceUlanoff) September 7, 2016
Apple explains why you'd want 2 12MP cameras on the iPhone 7 Plus. #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/VcmopNZ8RF
— Lance Ulanoff (@LanceUlanoff) September 7, 2016
You’ll be pleased to hear that Apple confirmed the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will have the best batteries on any iPhone to date (although most of us will still almost certainly blitz it to death in a matter of months) and for the first time we’ll be getting stereo speakers.
"We have stereo speakers boasting twice the volume of last year's models" https://t.co/KW5XZECbai #iPhone7 pic.twitter.com/E1EMs3sQPj
— Engadget (@engadget) September 7, 2016
The monstrously powerful A10 Fusion chip has 240x the graphical capabilities of the first iPhone, and Apple call it the most powerful chip in any smartphone.
This is big news for those who like to game on their phones.
Console-level gameplay on the A10 and iPhone 7. #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/dqrGIHxKek
— Lance Ulanoff (@LanceUlanoff) September 7, 2016
So far, so good. But as expected, we’ll be saying goodbye to the 3.5mm headphone jack, as Apple sees the future as wireless.
You can still use your old headphones – providing you’re willing to fork out for an adapter – but Apple are pushing you towards their new (and ever-so-slightly ridiculous) “AirPods”, which don’t sound as if they’ll be included in the box.
Check out Apple's wireless AirPods. #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/C2wRzN50lN
— Lance Ulanoff (@LanceUlanoff) September 7, 2016
So the headphone jack is dead, long live the headphone jack. Everything else looks pretty great.
Here's your iPhone 7 feature summary. #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/YhXliSdDEr
— Lance Ulanoff (@LanceUlanoff) September 7, 2016
The iPhone 7 will start at £599 in the UK for the 32GB model. The 16GB is no more, and storage will now stretch all the way up to 256GB. We don’t even want to look at the price for that one.
Both the The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will be released in the UK on September 16 and iOS 10 will be downloadable from September 13. Pre-orders for the iPhone 7 will start on September 9.
Phew. We got there.
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