VERDICT
If you're going to buy a new iPhone, this is the one to get – there's slightly longer battery life, a better camera, fast innards and protection against water. However, many of the changes are slight, and the iPhone 6S, for the lower price, suddenly becomes a very attractive option.
PROS:
- Good low light camera
- Water resistant
- Double the internal capacity
CONS:
- Lacks clear upgrades
- Same design used for last three phones
- Battery life unimpressive
Introduction, design and screen
Let's get right down to it: if Apple had launched the iPhone 7 in place of the iPhone 6S last year, it would probably have been the phone of the year.
We're used to the S variants of the iPhone being minimal upgrades - just the right amount of change to encourage a purchase by those with ageing handsets - and if the myriad changes on this new iPhone had arrived in 2015, it would have been fantastic.
Instead of the iPhone 6S , with just a 3D Touch screen in the way of new features and a few power boosts here and there, we'd have had a waterproof handset with dual speakers, a brighter and more colorful screen and a boosted 12MP camera that took better pictures than the one on the iPhone 6 .
Changing the home button from a clickable entity to something that responds to pressure - and possibly even the loss of the headphone jack - would have been seen as innovative and alternative in a sea of identikit handsets.
And if Apple had thrown in the new Jet Black finish with a top-end 256GB storage model... well, that would have been a real challenger, a chance for the brand to cast off the 'tick-tock' mentality of keeping the smaller upgrades confined to the S variants, and remind us that it just makes great phones .
But that didn't happen, and now the metronomic quality of Apple's upgrades seems to have come to a halt - or the pendulum is stuck.
iPhone 7 review
Because with the iPhone 7 we've got another 'tock'. The initial reaction of dubbing this an iPhone 6SS is unfair, as it's more than just an S upgrade - but it's not as much of a push forward as many would have expected given the large changes on the iPhone 4 and 6 in particular.
Although maybe there's a second pattern emerging here - the odd-numbered iPhones keeping things incremental before the big changes on the even-numbered models. Either way, the iPhone 7 is another very good, but not great, handset from Apple.
The brighter and more colorful screen, the more powerful innards, the slightly larger battery and the upgraded camera feel more like the kind of changes we get on the S variants of the iPhone, not a new-numbered model.
It's hugely disappointing that only the iPhone 7 Plus got the dual-camera array, as being able to use optical zoom, create DSLR-esque effects and get improved snaps all round would have been a real reason to entice people to move to the latest iPhone.
The upgrades to the internal memory are thoroughly welcome though, with the doubling of the capacity for the same price (or a touch more in the UK as exchange rates fluctuate), a move we've been begging Apple to make for a long time.
The price is still high for what you're getting - but then again, we've said that time and again about a new iPhone, and people keep buying them... so perhaps at some point that argument ceases to be relevant.
iPhone 7 review
The loss of the headphone jack does make sense - possibly. But even if this does turn out to be a masterstroke, it'll be a couple of years before it stops being an inconvenience... which is about the shelf life of the iPhone 7.
Who's it for?
There are some clear indications as to the type of person who would enjoy the iPhone (beyond someone who's just going to buy the latest model because it's there).
The camera is probably the biggest hardware upgrade in terms of its low-light capability, and combined with the water-resistant nature of the iPhone 7 it's good for someone who just wants to capture the precious moments day by day - so if you've got kids doing adorable things constantly, want to document time with friends or are just obsessed with taking snaps of pets, you'll get something from this phone.
iPhone 7 review
It'll also be good for those people who like to watch films without headphones, as the dual speakers really help sell the handset in that respect (although you'll need to be careful not to cover the speakers).
You'll also need to either be: a) someone who only uses bundled iPhone headphones, b) someone with a single pair of headphones they use daily, so you can put the adaptor on and forget about them or c) someone willing to invest more money in Lightning or Bluetooth options instead.
In short - this is the best iPhone around, and if that's the thing that matters to you, then go straight for the new model.
Should you buy it?
Apple has hit its marks with the iPhone 7, delivering upgrades in the right areas and to a decent level at times - it knows the level it needs to hit to make the iPhone seem new, and it's done just enough to achieve that.
The water resistance is mostly there to improve your confidence in the robustness of the phone, and you'll need to be ready to listen to your music on the new phone in a slightly different way.
iPhone 7 review
If you have three pairs of 3.5mm jack-connected headphones in constant rotation, it'll be mere days before you get incredibly frustrated that you can't use your cans or buds with the iPhone 7 as you've left the sodding adaptor somewhere else.
But if you're someone who just uses the headphones in the box, or only has Bluetooth cans, then you'll not notice the change one single jot.
The real question you should ask yourself here is: should I just go for the iPhone 6S? That phone has the same sharpness of display, a similar camera, the same dimensions and the same iOS capabilities - plus a clickable home button and a headphone jack, familiarities some will love.
It's the same phone but just a paler version - it depends if that matters to you, as it's a good way to save money without losing loads of functionality.
The iPhone 7 isn't a huge upgrade; it's a few small - but useful - steps forward.
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