EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE IPHONE 7

At long last, the iPhone 7 is here. At the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, Apple continued its traditional naming structure with the introduction of the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus.

A billion iPhones have been sold to date, and Apple wants those numbers to rise with its two new iPhone 7 devices. Here’s everything you need to know.

Design and durability

The iPhone 7 and the 7 Plus aren’t part of Apple’s major update cycle — you’ll have to wait for next year’s model for that, and of course rumors are already abound.

The two new devices maintain the same aluminum body and do not feature a big visual overhaul compared to 2015’s iPhone 6S and 6S Plus. They even share the same respective screen sizes — a 4.7-inch display on the 7, and a 5.5-inch screen for the 7 Plus.

But the differences are still noticeable, and the new variants feature a “pristine, mirror-like surface” and a high-gloss finish. The back of both iPhone 7 devices do not feature antenna bands anymore — they have now moved to the bottom and top edges.

The front, on the other hand, is more similar to previous iPhone devices, but Apple says the HD Retina display is 25 percent brighter and now displays a wide color gamut in cinema standard.

You’ll also notice the long-running rumors of the headphone jack are true — the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus no longer feature a 3.5mm headphone jack. That means you’ll have to rely on a Lightning converter for your current headphones, or upgrade to a pair of Bluetooth earbuds.

The camera on the rear still sticks out a little, but the most noticeable difference is on the iPhone 7 Plus. Rumor has it it was once named the iPhone 7 Pro and was expected to be a third iPhone variant. It looks like Apple removed the backup iPhone 7 Plus, replaced it with the iPhone 7 Pro but kept the name.

The iPhone 7 Plus features dual-cameras on the rear, similar to smartphones like the LG G5. It’s the first iPhone to ever have such a feature, and it’s easily identifiable on the back of the device.

Both the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are finally water- and dust-resistant, meaning you’re free to get it wet without worry thanks to an IP67 rating. That means you’ll be able to take it underwater for about 30 minutes, up to 1 meter.

Apple is also bringing more colors to the iPhone 7, so in addition to silver, gold, and rose gold, you can also choose between a “jet black” and a “black” color. The dark black replaces the famous space grey color and its matte. The piano black is a glossy variant.

10 major changes and iOS 10

iOS 10 has been in public beta for the better part of two months, and the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will ship with the new version. You can read more about iOS 10 here.

Apart from the new high-gloss finish and two new colors; the brighter Retina HD display; as well as the IP67 dust- and water-resistant rating, there are eight other major changes in the iPhone 7.

The iconic home button now features a new version of the pressure-sensitive and TouchID sensor — it no longer actually clicks, but simulates one via a vibration like the Force Touch trackpad on MacBooks. The Force Touch home button offers Taptic feedback and this can be programmed via third-party applications to offer “new feelings and experiences.”

Both new iPhones also utilize stereo speakers — one’s at the top and the other at the bottom of the devices, and Apple says they feature “increased dynamic range.” To make up for the missing headphone jack, Apple is including a Lightning-converter for your 3.5mm headphone plug, though good luck charging it and listening to music at the same time.

But the lack of a headphone jack also prompted Apple to improve wireless audio — the result is the W1 wireless chip. It’s implemented in another new Apple product, the AirPods.

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