There’s only one thing that matters about the Apple iPhone 7, and that’s its lack of a headphone port. Everything else is irrelevant.
Except that’s utter balls, obviously.
That missing hole is a big deal, sure, but so are the improvements to the camera, the blistering speed of the new A10 processor, and the changes to the home button. In fact, to let any one feature dominate this review – whether good or bad – would be entirely out of keeping with the phone itself, which is the archetypal sum of its parts.
Some of the additions here may seem quite minor, but added together, they equal a surprisingly different beast from last year’s iPhone 6s.
APPLE IPHONE 7 DESIGN: (OIL)SLICK RICK
So, does anyone actually like rose gold? Nah, us neither. And the good news is that this year Apple’s colours du jour are black… and black.
You can still buy the Rose Gold model, and the Gold and Silver versions, but Space Grey is gone, replaced with a darker matte black hue. It’s joined by Jet Black, which is so glossy it’ll rival the sheen of any shampoo ad. Seriously, it’s so reflective you could use it as a mirror.
It’s undeniably gorgeous, stealthily hiding the phone’s matching antenna bands, but it’ll only stay that way if you can keep your hands off it. Once it’s in your paws, it’s on a one-way trip to Smudge City (population: Jet Black iPhones). Unless your hands come miraculously oil-free, or you’re fine with rubbing it on your clothes from time to time, you’re probably better off putting a case on it as it’s prone to tiny scratches too. That’s a shame, because that shine looks hella fine - when it’s untarnished.
Otherwise, the overall look hasn’t changed. The antennas don’t dominate the back any more (they’ve been shunted closer to the curved top and bottom) but with only a few exceptions, the shape basically stays the same as last year’s model.
It has picked up a new party trick, though: the iPhone 7 is IP67 water resistant, meaning it’ll shrug off a spilled drink, and even survive a dunking down the loo. You won’t take one swimming (and you shouldn’t because Apple’s warranty doesn’t cover liquid damage), but there’s now there’s no need to run for cover when the heavens open.
As with the colour, waterproofing is a real-world feature that will make millions of iOS devotees happy. Alright so this merely brings the iPhone in line with most Android flagships, but it’d be churlish to criticise it for tardiness when we’re just glad it arrived at all.
So, does anyone actually like rose gold? Nah, us neither. And the good news is that this year Apple’s colours du jour are black… and black.
You can still buy the Rose Gold model, and the Gold and Silver versions, but Space Grey is gone, replaced with a darker matte black hue. It’s joined by Jet Black, which is so glossy it’ll rival the sheen of any shampoo ad. Seriously, it’s so reflective you could use it as a mirror.
It’s undeniably gorgeous, stealthily hiding the phone’s matching antenna bands, but it’ll only stay that way if you can keep your hands off it. Once it’s in your paws, it’s on a one-way trip to Smudge City (population: Jet Black iPhones). Unless your hands come miraculously oil-free, or you’re fine with rubbing it on your clothes from time to time, you’re probably better off putting a case on it as it’s prone to tiny scratches too. That’s a shame, because that shine looks hella fine - when it’s untarnished.
Otherwise, the overall look hasn’t changed. The antennas don’t dominate the back any more (they’ve been shunted closer to the curved top and bottom) but with only a few exceptions, the shape basically stays the same as last year’s model.
It has picked up a new party trick, though: the iPhone 7 is IP67 water resistant, meaning it’ll shrug off a spilled drink, and even survive a dunking down the loo. You won’t take one swimming (and you shouldn’t because Apple’s warranty doesn’t cover liquid damage), but there’s now there’s no need to run for cover when the heavens open.
As with the colour, waterproofing is a real-world feature that will make millions of iOS devotees happy. Alright so this merely brings the iPhone in line with most Android flagships, but it’d be churlish to criticise it for tardiness when we’re just glad it arrived at all.
Apple iPhone 7 features: No place like Home
The Home button has had a major overhaul - in fact, it’s not actually a button any more. Psych! Instead, it’s now one with the phone and uses Apple’s new Taptic engine (Apple’s fancy word for haptic feedback) to mimic the feel of a button.
It works just like the fancy new MacBook trackpad, which means you can customise how ‘clicky’ you want it, but even so it still takes some getting used to. That’s mainly because clicking isn’t isolated to the button - rather, it feels like you’re clicking the entire bottom of the phone and feel it through the rest of the phone.
This is hardly a deal-breaker, but might throw off long-time Apple fans when they first try it. Still, once you get used to it there are good reasons to be pleased about the new Taptic Home. Apps, for instance, can use the Taptic engine to add force feedback; the Zombie Gunship demo I tried had different vibrations for different weapons, which really adds another dimension to gaming on the go. You even get that nice clicky feedback when you scroll through your list of contacts within WhatsApp. There are going to be a lot more missed bus and train stops once the iPhone 7 arrives.
The button might be new, but there’s still a TouchID fingerprint sensor underneath. This plays nicely with Apple Pay and secure online banking apps, and will unlock your phone just as swiftly as last year’s model.
Apple iPhone 7 software: A perfect 10
The Taptic Home button is a gateway to familiarising new iPhone owners with 3D Touch - something they’ll be seeing a lot of in iOS 10. There are a ton of pressure-sensitive opportunities in the new OS, such as the ability to adjust the intensity of the flashlight or quickly jump into the camera app’s selfie mode. Little timesavers such as being able to answer a message directly from your notifications are further welcome upgrades.
Widgets have been moved to the lock screen, so you can get a lot done without actually unlocking your phone, and the Messages app has been overhauled with doodling capabilities and a Panini football sticker factory’s-worth of interactive emojis and animated adhesives.
There are other small improvements too, such as finally being able to listen to music while taking a photo. Hardly life-changing, but still a nice addition. We’ve gone into (a lot) more detail in our full Apple iOS 10 review.
