IPhone 7
The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are smartphones that were developed and marketed by Apple. They are the tenth generation of the iPhone. They were announced on September 7, 2016, at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco by Apple CEO Tim Cook, and were released on September 16, 2016, succeeding the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus as the flagship devices in the iPhone series. Apple also released the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in numerous countries worldwide throughout September and October 2016. They were succeeded as flagship devices by the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus on September 12, 2017, and were discontinued with the announcement of the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro on September 10, 2019.
The iPhone 7's overall design is similar to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S. Changes introduced included new color options, water and dust resistance, a new capacitive, static home button, revised antenna bands, and the controversial removal of the 3.5 mm headphone jack. The device's internal hardware received upgrades, including a heterogeneous quad-core system-on-chip with improved system and graphics performance, upgraded 12 megapixel rear-facing cameras with optical image stabilization on all models, and an additional telephoto lens exclusive to the iPhone 7 Plus to provide enhanced optical zoom capabilities and portrait mode. The front camera is the first in the series with 1080p video resolution. The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus were supported from iOS 10 to iOS 15, and they are the third to support six versions of iOS before support was terminated, after the iPhone 5s.
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus were the last iPhones using a quad-core CPU, as well as an aluminum unibody design without wireless charging and a base model starting at 32 GB of internal storage.
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus were the only iPhones to have a jet black color finish.
History
Prior to its announcement, multiple aspects of the iPhone 7 were heavily rumoured. Apple's plans to remove the 3.5 mm headphone jack received significant media attention. Other rumors included a flush camera, stereo speakers, a 256 gigabyte storage option, and a larger 3,100 mAh battery.On August 29, 2016, invitations to a press event at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, California on September 7, 2016, were sent out to members of the media, prompting immediate speculation of the iPhone 7's upcoming announcement. The iPhone 7 was officially announced at that event, with pre-orders beginning September 9, and general availability on September 16.
The iPhone 7 launched in 30 new countries later in September, with further international rollouts throughout October and November 2016. Indonesia was the last country to release the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, with availability starting on March 31, 2017, following Apple's research and development investment in the country.
On March 21, 2017, Apple announced an iPhone 7 with a red color finish, as part of its partnership with Product Red to highlight its AIDS fundraising campaign. It launched on March 24, 2017, but it was later discontinued after the announcement of the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X in September 2017 as well as the 256 GB Variant.
On September 12, 2017, Apple announced the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus as direct successors to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, alongside the iPhone X.
The iPhone 7 & 7 Plus, as well as the iPhone XS and its Max variant were discontinued and removed from Apple's website after the announcement of the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro on September 10, 2019. They are no longer available for sale.
On June 6, 2022, Apple announced on its website that the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will not receive support for iOS 16. Controversially, the iPad, which has the A9 chip, received iPadOS 16, along with the 6th and 7th generation iPads, which have almost identical hardware to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus respectively.
Specifications
Design
The iPhone 7's exterior is similar in shape and volume to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S, although the camera bump is bigger on the iPhone 7. Alongside the existing silver, gold, and rose gold colors, the device is offered in new colors of matte black, glossy "jet black", and, for a limited time, red. The "jet black" color is a dark shade, high-gloss black finish. It is created through a multi-step process, beginning with an anodization phase to make the surface of the casing a porous aluminum oxide, and then using a machine to sweep the casing through a powdered compound, absorbed by aluminum oxide. The process is concluded with an "ultrafine particle bath" for additional finishing; the entire process takes less than an hour.Water protection
iPhone 7 is rated IP67 water and dust resistant, making it the first officially water-resistant iPhone, although tests have resulted in malfunctions, specifically distorted speakers, after water exposure. The warranty does not cover any water damage to the phone.Home button
iPhone 7's home button uses a capacitive mechanism for input rather than a physical push-button, as on previous models, meaning direct skin contact is required to operate the device. Physical feedback is provided via a Taptic Engine vibrator, and the button is also pressure-sensitive. iPhone 7 retains the 3D Touch display system introduced on the iPhone 6S, providing pressure-sensitive touchscreen input.Headphone plug removal
The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are the first iPhones not to feature a 3.5mm headphone jack. It was replaced by a second speaker grille that serves as a vent for the internal barometer. A Lightning-to-3.5-mm-connector adapter, as well as in-ear headphones that use the Lightning connector, were bundled with the device, and the adapter is also sold separately as an accessory. The adapter is also compatible with other iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices running iOS 10 and newer.Hardware
Chipsets
iPhone 7 uses the Apple A10 Fusion 64-bit system-on-chip, which consists of two low-power cores and two high-power cores. The A10 chip also features a hexa-core graphics chip capable of "console-level gaming". As with prior models, iPhone 7 is available in two sizes: one with a screen, and a "Plus" variant with a screen. The displays have identical sizes and resolutions to iPhone 6S, but with a wider color gamut and increased brightness. The screen-to-body ratio is about ~66% and ~68% for the 7 and 7 Plus, respectively.Both device variants also contain a new iteration of Apple's motion coprocessor, the M10. Unlike previous iPhone models, internal storage options for iPhone 7 begin at 32 GB instead of 16 GB, and max out at 256 GB. iPhone 7 Plus offers 3 GB of RAM, more than any other previous iPhone; the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 has 2 GB.
Cameras
The iPhone 7 includes a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera with a quad-LED "True Tone" flash; its aperture was widened to f/1.8, and the standard-size phone model adds optical image stabilization a feature that was previously exclusive to Plus models.The iPhone 7 Plus includes a second 12-megapixel telephoto lens, which can be used to achieve 2× optical zoom, and up to 10× digital zoom. However, the telephoto camera has an 2.8 aperture and lacks optical image stabilization.
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus record video with single-channel mono audio.
Still photos with 6.5 megapixels can be captured during video recording.
The front-facing camera was upgraded to a 7-megapixel sensor with automatic image stabilization.
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are the first iPhones to be able to record 1080p video using the front camera.
Battery life
The iPhone 7 has a 1,960 mAh battery, offering up to 14 hours of 3G talk time and up to 40 hours of audio playback, while the iPhone 7 Plus features a 2,900 mAh battery, providing up to 21 hours of 3G talk time and up to 60 hours of audio playback.Software
The iPhone 7 originally shipped with iOS 10 pre-installed. The iPhone 7 Plus received an exclusive portrait camera mode in the iOS 10.1 software update. This camera mode is capable of producing a bokeh effect using depth of field analysis of the second camera of dual-lens in the back of iPhone 7 Plus. Mainstream software support for the iPhone 7 was dropped when iOS 16 was released. But, it still receives iOS 15 security updates. The current version of iOS to support iPhone 7 is iOS 15.8.5. The device can also run Android 10 unofficially via a project called Project Sandcastle made by Corellium, a security research company that produces paid iOS, Android, and IoT emulators. Ubuntu 20.04 "Focal Fossa" has also been ported via Project Sandcastle.Accessories
Each iPhone 7 originally came with a Lightning-to-3.5-mm adapter, although this was omitted starting on September 12, 2018. Apple sells the adapter independently as well. iPhone 7 does not have a built-in DAC, a Cirrus Logic CS4272 DAC is included as part of the adapter. Apple also unveiled several Bluetooth wireless headphones ostensibly intended for use with the iPhone 7, including AirPods, wireless in-ear headphones, and three new Beats headphone products. All four products utilize an in-house wireless chip known as the Apple W1, which is designed to provide low-power Bluetooth operation and integration with iOS and macOS devices.Reception
Reception of the iPhone 7 was mixed. Although reviewers noted improvements to the camera, especially the dual rear camera on the Plus model, the phone was criticized for the lack of innovation in its build quality. Many reviews panned the removal of the 3.5 mm headphone jack; some critics argued that the change was meant to bolster licensing of the proprietary Lightning connector and the sales of Apple's own wireless headphone products, and questioned the effects of the change on audio quality. Apple was also mocked by critics for Phil Schiller's statement that such a drastic change required "courage".Gordon Kelly of Forbes noted that rival smartphones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S7, had increased battery life and added water resistance over its predecessor while retaining the headphone jack, and that the iPhone 7's camera photo quality was improved but still lagging behind some phones already on the market, including the Galaxy S7 and Nexus 6P. Kelly praised how Apple was able to extract improved brightness and accurate color reproduction from its LCD screen, while noting that it was old technology which was also well behind rivals who had already moved to sharper 1080p or even 1440p screens. The iPhone 7's exterior, which reuses the aging design of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S, was criticized, especially the size of the device and thick top/bottom bezels, with Kelly writing that "the iPhone 7 Plus is simply far too big for a smartphone with a 5.5-inch display".
John McCann of TechRadar wrote that for the first time, the phablet-sized iPhone 7 Plus was "markedly better" than the smaller model. He highlighted improved battery life and praised the camera, calling the Plus' dual cameras "excellent" for point-and-shoot, and "much improved" for low-light performance. McCann wrote that the lack of a headphone jack was "initially frustrating", but noted that it was a "positive step forward for the mobile industry", despite the "short-term effects... making the most noise for now".