Apple officially launched the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus on September 7 and it became clear that most of the leaks about the device leading to its launching date are 100% accurate.
While there were some major changes on the new iPhones particularly the controversial removal of the headphone jack that caused a stir among traditional iPhone users, it has been noted by critics that there were hardly any changes on the external design of both the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus.
In fact, regardless of any angle one looks at them, the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus appear very much like the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, as well as the iPhone 6S and the iPhone 6S Plus, reports Forbes.
Fans got surely disappointed upon seeing that the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus look exactly like the previous iPhones, and certainly pales in comparison to the improvements made by Samsung on the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge last year, as well as the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge this year.
As a matter of fact, Samsung has just released the Galaxy S7 Edge+ a few days ago, and compared to the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus, the former is leaving the two eating dust when it comes to external design.
Doing the unthinkable
Apple has also done the unthinkable by removing the 3.5mm headphone jack and replacing it with a single Lightning port.
Instead of the traditional headphone connection, the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus shall now come with earphones, called the EarPods, that fit into the Lightning port, currently used for charging and data transfer, and wireless Apple AirPods, powered by a W1 chip, reports The Telegraph of UK.
Infrared sensors detect when each pod is in the user’s ear and motion sensors control the headphones to use Siri and detect the user’s voice.
The Apple AirPods provide five hours of listening which, with the compact charging case, delivers 24 hours of total battery life.
Adaptors are now bundled in the box but users can now be able to charge their iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus and listen to music with wired headphones at the same time.
The decision of Apple to remove the 3.5mm headphone jack has certainly caused quite a stir among users and is expected to divide those who approves of it and those who decry it.
Higher dust and water resistance
As a caveat to the controversy of the removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack, the American tech giant proudly states that the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus are the most durable iPhones it has ever made.
The latest iPhones come with an IP67 dust and water resistance for the first time while still retaining the rigid Series 7000 Aluminum introduced with the iPhone 6S and the iPhone 6S Plus.
With its current water resistance rating, the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus can actually be submerged in up to one-meter water depth for 30 minutes without getting damage.
Also helping increase the durability of the latest iPhones is the replacement of the physical home button on both models with a touch sensitive surface, which provides haptic feedback to mimic the feeling of a click.
App developers can also harness the haptic feedback for custom vibrations, which could prove interesting.
The American tech giant has also improved the antenna bands on the latest iPhones by removing them from the back of the phone so they only now appear at the top and bottom edges.