I can’t believe it, the latest iPhone is almost out. The iPhone 7 release date is rumoured to be September 16th and pre-orders from early September. It is fair to say that the iPhone 7 has come under a lot of scrutiny online. Nothing is official yet, that is true but reliable leaks and photos may have confirmed some of my expectations. My biggest worry is that the iPhone won’t be a huge step forward but rather an upgraded version of the iPhone 6. Also if rumours are to be true then it is the iPhone 8 that will be the next big step in terms of next generation technology. With the release date confirmed and almost upon us I look at the rumours, specs and price of Apple’s next generation phone and try and decide if it has been worth the wait.
Disclaimer! None is this is 100% accurate and until Apple release anything official on the iPhone 7 features I could be miles off the mark. That said, as with the release of the iPhone 6 I believe that we can get a good idea of the design and make a good guess of what features the phone will have.
Design - In recent weeks leaked pictures have indicated that the design of the phone will unfortunately be very close to the iPhone 6. Looking at the leaked pictures from the front it looks almost identical. The back has a different camera for both the regular and the Plus, more on those later. It is the bottom of the phone however that is causing the most controversy with the headphone jack appearing to have been replaced with a second speaker.
Colour - There have been several colours anticipated for the iPhone 7 launch including blue and Space Black which both sound cool. Other sources have shown images of the new iPhone with the same colour scheme as the iPhone 6: Space Grey, Gold, Silver, and Rose Gold. Lets hope Apple revamp their colour scheme.
Camera -There are two new cameras rumoured for the iPhone 7. The 4.7 inch version is expected to have a larger camera than its iPhone 6 counterpart. This suggests that Apple is revamping the camera system to compete with Samsung. The more interesting change however appears to be with the iPhone 7 Plus which will most likely have a dual-lens camera system with an optical zoom. This would make the camera as powerful as a traditional digital camera (does anyone buy those any more?) and get rid of the grainy zoom of the past models. It is also rumoured that the dual-lens camera will be able to take two pictures at the same time or use one lens to take a photo and the other to record a video.
Home Button -The iPhone 7 is believed to have an upgraded home button based on the Force Touch from the latest MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops. I’m positive that the iPhone 7 retain the 3D touch technology that was introduced with the iPhone 6s
IOS -As with all previous newly released models of the iPhone the new phone will be accompanied by a new IOS. IOS 10 looks to be one of the biggest features to be excited for. Speculation leads me to believe that it will feature an updated iMessage geared more towards the use of animations and an updated Siri. IOS 10 will also be available for the previous iPhone models so it is technically not a unique iPhone 7 feature.
Headphones – This rumour is the most likely to be true based on the pictures and leaked documents. I love Apple tech but I’m not a fan of most likely having to purchase new headphones that are compatible with the phone or Bluetooth headphones. I believe that the inclusion of a second set of speakers indicates that the iPhone 7 will have stereo sound. Considering how little I used the speakers on my iPhone 6s I’m not a fan of this and have signed a petition demanding that Apple keep the headphone jack.
No 16GB – Without a doubt the best rumour to emerge is that Apple will drop the useless 16GB version. The iPhone 6 infuriated buyers who were forced to choose between the 16GB and the 64GB after the 32GB was dropped. The 16GB caused much frustration for users especially when it came to upgrading the IOS as many had to delete photos and apps to create the required memory space. It is rumoured that the iPhone 7 with have 32GB, 64GB and 256GB storage options and the iPhone 7 Plus will have 32GB, 128GB and 256GB options.
Battery – After the iPhone 6s annoyingly came with a downgraded battery compared to the iPhone 6 I’m naturally worried that battery life isn’t at the top of Apple’s concerns. Rumours have stated that the iPhone 7 will come with 1960mAH battery compared to the 1810mAh battery from the iPhone 6. How much this will affect the battery life is debateable. The upgraded iPhone 7 processor is likely to need more power and rumours hint that the battery life of the new model will not be a major improvement.
Price - The best estimate of the iPhone 7 Plus price is 32GB: £685, 128GB: £777 and 256GB: £890. The regular iPhone 7 is expected to start from £540 for the 32GB. These phones are going to be pricy now that minimum memory has gone up.
My Verdict - Am I excited? Yes. I love Apple and I love the build up to new products. That said, am I as excited as I was when the iPhone4, 5, or 6 was released? The answer is no. I believe that it will be a decent phone and I will buy it but I think the secret that all Apple fans know is that the iPhone 8 will be the big jump forward for the iPhone.
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