The iPhone 7 is the 10th flagship smartphone designed and marketed by Apple Inc. and released on September 16, 2016 as part of the iPhone series. Announced along with the larger iPhone 7 Plus on September 7, 2016, it jointly serves as successors to the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus of 2015, and are the predecessors of the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X of 2017.
Description
The iPhone 7 includes 3D Touch, a force-sensitive touchscreen that was introduced initially with the predecessor iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. This iPhone has improved 12MP rear-facing and a new 7MP front-facing cameras for a clearer image. Its home button was replaced by a new capacitive home button with improved Touch ID. It's new processor is the 64-bit Apple A10 Fusion processor that was shipped with iOS 10 pre-installed that can be updated to iOS 15.8.3. Unlike the predecessor models, this iPhone is the first model to come with 256 GB storage. It is the first iPhone model to introduce a new water resistance feature.
This phone adds the new Jet Black and Black finishes in addition to the Rose Gold, Silver, and Gold finishes found on the previous models, while maintaining a similar design. The design difference of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 6s are the antenna bend redesign that are on the top and bottom edges on the iPhone 7. It introduces a new chassis design made of a stronger alloy of aluminum to prevent any bending from user error.
However, this iPhone did not feature a headphone jack, which was hugely controversial when first announced. The only design difference from the previous model is that the headphone jack was replaced with a microphone and barometer, and the other end is the loudspeaker. According to Apple, the jack was eliminated make space for additional components such as the Taptic Engine and help achieve water resistance.[1]
In March 2017, a (PRODUCT)RED limited edition model of the iPhone 7 was released, which features an exclusive red finish and white front display. It was only available exclusively in 128GB and 256GB capacities, and was discontinued six months later. Every red iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus sold to help fund raise money to fight AIDS.
Removal of the headphone jack
The removal of the headphone jack was very controversial at the time as the headphone jack is one of the most used ports on any smartphone. This port was removed because to enhance the water resistance and fitting in additional components as what Apple claimed. However, the AirPods was also released around the same time, which made people to think the removal of the headphone jack was to boost sales for the AirPods since people will buy a wireless pair of headphones to accommodate the new iPhone without a headphone jack. [2]
Home Button repairability
The new capacitive home button on the iPhone 7, and iPhone 7 Plus has a software lock that permanently disables the home button's functionality after a replacement. Meaning it does nothing, as it will not respond to touch, or anything. Only Apple can recalibrate the home button which means you have to go to the Apple store to restore the functionality of the home button. This is an anti-repair practice done to make customers to go to Apple to repair the iPhone and preventing 3rd parties from repairing the iPhone 7.[3][4]
From the iPhone 5s to iPhone 6s, the home button is software paired to each iPhone, but it still functions after a replacement such as returning to the home page and activating Siri. However the Touch ID function is disabled and an error message shows up every time you turn on the iPhone. On the iPhone 7, the entire home button is rendered useless after a replacement. The only work around to this problem is using the Assistive Touch feature, or pay for Apple to replace or recalibrate the home button. [5]
The software paired home button is also used on the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.[4]
New features
- Apple A10 Processor
- 256GB storage option
- Capacitive Home button
- Stereo speakers
- Taptic Engine
- Shipped with iOS 10
- Water and splash resistant seal (IP67)
Included items
- EarPods with lightning connector
- Lightning to USB Cable
- Apple USB Power Adapter
- Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter
- SIM removal tool (not shipped with every iPhone 7)
- Documentation and Apple stickers
Gallery
References
- Apple iPhone 7 Review by Sascha Segan, PCMag. Mar 22, 2017
- iPhone 7 Vs iPhone 6S: What's The Difference?, Forbes. Sep 9, 2016
External links
- iPhone 7 at Apple (archived 2016-09-16)
- iPhone 7 - Technical Specifications at Apple Support
- IPhone 7 at Wikipedia
- Apple iPhone 7 specifications at GSMArena