This is the best looking iPhone yet in my mind. First off the antenna lines on the rear of the phone are moved more to the top and bottom of the phone and blend in more than they did on the iPhone 6/6S. Even better, if you have the black or jet black versions, they don't really show up at all. Overall, it looks similar to the 6/6S, but feels like the final, evolved version of the design. The size feels great and overall, it is just a beautiful phone.
As stated above, the iPhone 7 has added both black and jet black colors. They haven't utilized a true black color since the iPhone 4/4S, and these new colors truly look so much better than the space gray of old. Also as mentioned, they almost completely hide the antenna lines which is a huge plus. My personal pick would be the jet black, but the regular black looks much better in real life than it does on the Apple website where it looks more gray than it truly is. You can also still get the phone in gold, silver, and rose gold variations.
The home button is now not an actual “button,” but utilizes the 3D touch like capability to simulate the idea you are pressing a button. The settings options gives three different modes to simulate this, and after only a day, I completely got used to it. The fingerprint sensor is as fast as ever which makes unlocking your phone a consistent and seamless experience. I have faced very few occasions where my fingerprint didn't accurately register.
The iPhone series has officially become waterproof! By doing this, it makes me feel so much more secure in just the day to day tasks of using my phone. If I'm caught in a rainstorm, it is reassuring to not have to tuck the phone and run like a football player. It is also dustproof and is rated IP67 which means it is certified to be resistant for up to three feet for thirty minutes.
Camera
The rear camera is stronger than ever on the iPhone 7. It has an improved 12MP camera that takes excellent pictures. The regular version of the iPhone finally has OIS (optical image stabilization) just like its big brothers, the Plus series. The pictures it takes are clear, capture a great amount of light, and due to the OIS, rarely come out blurry. The camera loads lightning fast and is overall just a spectacular camera.
The front camera also took another bump up to 7MP. The combination of the improved resolution, consistent retina flash (front flash), and speed are excellent on the front camera. I still wish it had a wider field of vision, but other than that, I have no complaints about the front camera.
Display
The Retina display is the same as it has been since the iPhone 4. 326 pixels per inch is a good looking display. It certainly does not compete with some other phones and their higher resolution screens, but for now, the screen still gets the job done. I would like to see them improve this in the next installment, but it is still a pleasing screen to view at 4.7 inches.
The brightness is outstanding and it also drops very low too, which is a benefit if you are trying to read something in a dark room. According to Apple the brightness is better than ever, but I have not noticed any discernible difference in that area.
Audio
The audio is excellent. It finally has stereo speakers where sound comes out the bottom right speaker grill and the top speaker on the front of the screen. Having stereo speakers, along with a front facing one makes such a difference when listening to music or watching a video. It sounds great and just makes the listening experience so much more enjoyable. This is certainly one of the biggest improvement areas over last year. Also, in terms of the big headphone jack controversy, it does actually come with a lightning to 3.5mm converter, so you can still use headphones with it.
Battery
Battery life has improved over the 6S and SE. On daily use, I have gotten a couple more hours of use per day. I would still welcome faster charging options, but this is a nice step up from previous generations. It has increased to 1,960 mAh battery which makes a difference.
Functionality
This is the pinnacle of the IOS software experience. The 2GB of RAM, the A10 processor, and the implementation of IOS 10 is great. Everything runs well and quickly. Also, the fact that the storage sizes have all doubled to 32GB, 128GB, and 256GB is fantastic, as 16GB is a very antiquated notion. Expandable storage would be welcome, but due to how IOS is more locked down and for monetary reasons, I understand why that won't most likely be a feature in the near future.
The software is clean, smooth, and works well. There are still a few pet peeves such as not being able to close all the apps down at once or not being able to make simple changes such as changing the color of text messages instead of just grey, blue, and green without jailbreaking the phone. But that is also part of its strength. Everything on the phone has been glossed to a high sheen, and almost everything runs well. IOS is simple, straightforward, and I look at it like a menu at a restaurant: it may not have the largest selection or allow you to ask for substitutions, but what you did get is mostly excellent.
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