Awesome Phone - worth upgrading!

iPhone 7


If anyone is interested to know how the 7 performs compared to the 6 and 6s



Camera is a little better and you notice it for sure. It is a lot better in low lights conditions.

SPEED, I was using a 6s and I notice a much snappier Safari and iMessage screens. Part of it may be IOS 10 but pages pop really fast. It is way way faster than the original 6.

Black looks awesome!!! But is is so slick. There are no lines and it looks like a solid 1 piece product. I saw the Glossy Jet Black and it is a work of art but it show fine scratches. So most people will use a case which hides the back anyway so maybe color is not that important. Mainly if you want a white front or black.

I love the new home button, took about 5 minutes to get use to and I don't miss the old home button at all.

Any case with a large camera cutout like the CM4 wallet case works with the 7. But most likely all other will not. Some of mine I can cut out around the old camera hole and use it until new cases come out. But I promise you this phone is slippery when dry!!

Overall I love it! Fastest device that I have ever used. I can out type the 6s sometimes on reviews but thiamine keep up no problem.

128g is perfect in size for most everyone. Hardcore photo and video people may want the 256g.

No headphone jack, doesn't bother me at all. The adapter sounds fine with my expensive headphones. It's not really that large either. The lightning headphones sound really good to me. I tested the same song with the same headphone using a 6s and the 7 with the adapter and I cannot tell the difference. In some ways the 7 with the adpater sounded cleaner and had a little less aliasing hiss from the analog to digital conversion process. So beside have a little while cable sticking out I think the 7 audio is fine.

IPhone 4,5, 5s, SE and 6 users will feel a huge speed increase. The 6s is not far off speed wise but it is noticeable to me.

No matter how you split up the payment or go with a upgrade contract price, you'll pay full price for any of the phones. It is all just creative math by the vendors. I bought mine outright and got point on my credit card, enough to reduce my price by $25.00. I also heard the Black and Jet Blacks maybe high in demand.

Hope this helps :)

By
Jamie @ R3

PERFECT except for that missing headphone jack and tricky home button

iPhone 7
I've been using this since 9/16/16 and here's my everyday person impression:

GOOD:
+ water resistant - this is a huge improvement for me!
+increased speed is noticeable w Siri.
+the capacity is amazing! (I have the 256) I can keep movies, videos, books, photos, music etc without having to store on iCloud or the like (which usually involves a monthly fee).
+ decent size (same as iPhone 6S) while remaining portable and although not as big as the 7 Plus, it can still fit in pocket.
+Widget feature (swiping to right at home screen) has been improved and now allows editing. You can add or delete features which can be key for privacy and being able to customize is always a good thing.
+has lots of added fun features in iMessage (not sure if its the updated software or strictly iPhone 7) like memes, automatic replies and being able to write w your fingertip.
+camera takes much better pics (increased the megapixels and the difference is noticeable) and it has 5X zoom capability.
+has the fingerprint option for quicker access after you enter your 6 digit pass code to begin.
+the style and sleekness of the new Jet Black option is a thing of beauty. It's almost criminal to cover it (but necessary for me).
+even slimmer than the iPhone 6 but still able to stand up against something for convenient viewing.
+speaker upgrade as it now provides stereo (not up to audiophile standards but still).

BAD:
- no headphone jack!! but box includes dongle (see photo) which inserts into charging port and provides headphone jack - I have a bet with myself on how long it will take to lose. I know wireless headphones are the future but happy with my old faithful headphones.
-the home button is not as well defined. Its gonna take longer than 24 hrs to get used to as it takes me a few tries to activate the home button. It requires the right amount of pressure and despite offering three different options, not easy. The guys at the Apple Store need to stop showing off - on the bright side, I'm thinking it's a learning curve thing and continued use should take care of this issue.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Is it worth the extra money? I'm not so sure but despite the two drawbacks, which I think are a temporary, I'm loving the features and ease of the iPhone 7 and the Jet Black is beyond elegant and sleek. I will provide update after continued usage.

Review By 

iPhone 7 Plus users on 23 September can finally try Portrait camera mode

iPhone 7
iPhone 7 Plus users on 23 September can finally try Portrait camera mode


iOS 10.1 will bring Portrait mode to iPhone 7 Plus
Developer beta of iOS 10.1 is out now with new mode
Public beta of iOS.1 will likely release on 23 September
New mode lets you take portraits with a bokeh-like effect


When Apple unveiled the iPhone 7 Plus earlier this month, it introduced a depth-of-field camera trick that's exclusive to the device.

The feature, dubbed Portrait mode, wasn't quite ready for release when iOS 10 started rolling out last week. However, according to Matthew Panzarino of TechCrunch, iPhone 7 Plus owners will be able to test the new feature in the public beta of iOS 10.1, which will reportedly release starting 23 September for anyone enrolled in Apple's public beta programme. It's free and easy to join.

Pocket-lint explained how to become an iOS 10 beta tester here
These pics show what the iPhone 7 Plus dual camera is capable of
The developer version of that beta is actually available now, but of course, you must be a developer to get it up and running on your phone. Still, it includes the new camera mode, which is designed to mimic the kind of shallow depth of field you see in images taken with a high-end DSLR. In other words, these types of images usually have a front subject that stands out over a blurred background.

In addition to the usual wide-angle lens, a telephoto lens is located on the rear of iPhone 7 Plus. Apple has devised a way to use both lenses at the same time to mimic depth of field when taking portrait shots. To use the new mode after installing the iOS 10.1 beta, go to Apple's Camera app, then slide over to the Portrait mode, and the mode should prompt you to move back.

Apple iPhone 7 Plus camera: Dual camera tech explained
What is bokeh? Here's the photography effect explained
When you capture in Portrait mode, the camera snaps two photos: one regular and one with blur applied to the background. Apple's built-in image signal processor scans the scene, then applies machine-learning techniques to recognise people in the image, and ultimately creates a depth map using the device's two cameras, which results in an image where the people are in focus while the background has a bokeh-like effect.

Apple previously said Portrait mode would roll out in an official update scheduled to hit consumers' phones "later this year".

 http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/138914-iphone-7-plus-users-on-23-september-can-finally-try-portrait-camera-mode

Cramer on iPhone 7 sales critics: So what! Samsung had a recall

iPhone 7
An Apple employee hands over Apple iPhone 7 phones on the first day of sales of the new phone at the Berlin Apple store on September 16, 2016 in Berlin, Germany.
Getty Images
An Apple employee hands over Apple iPhone 7 phones on the first day of sales of the new phone at the Berlin Apple store on September 16, 2016 in Berlin, Germany.
CNBC's Jim Cramer fired back on critics Monday who claimed thatApple's iPhone 7 sales wouldn't be as good, if Samsung didn't have its Galaxy Note 7 recall.
"I saw some pieces this weekend ... these are the greatest ones. 'If the Samsung phone didn't catch fire, then Apple wouldn't do that well,'" Cramer said on "Squawk on the Street." "Oh, okay. Well, yeah, sure if it didn't."
Last week, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission officially recalled Samsung's premium device, urging all consumers to take advantage of the recall immediately. On Monday, reports said that two Note 7 smartphones had caught fire in China.
Meanwhile, Apple said last week that its initial quantities of the iPhone 7 Plus sold out globally.
Cramer added, "If [Samsung] got the phone working, it would really be a challenge to Apple."
Apple's stock was trading at slightly higher at $115.40 a share mid-morning Monday. The stock is up more than 9 percent year to date

iPhone 7 and 7 Plus handsets are making a mysterious hissing sound

iPhone 7
Apple iPhone 7 and 7 Plus owners have reported a strange hissing sound emanating from their new devices.
The sound, which is similar to the noise you hear when a speaker is poorly connected, could be caused by the new chip in the devices, which is designed to make the phones faster with improved battery efficiency. 
American podcaster Stephen Hackett first noted the noise, discovering a sibilant sound coming from the back of the iPhone under heavy usage.
Hackett posted a video to YouTube with a recording of the noise, which was soon confirmed by other iPhone 7 owners.  
Darrell Etherington, a former Apple PR, and now journalist, tweeted that the sound occurred on his iPhone 7 Plus during setup.

Why is the iPhone 7 hissing? Is it broken?

It is understood that the new A10 Fusion processor is the cause of the issue, as the hissing only takes place when the iPhone is processing large files or programmes and emanates from where the chip is hosted.
The A10 makes the iPhone 40 per cent more powerful than the 6s and twice as powerful as the 6. The chip also has “efficiency cores”, which are low-powered, saving battery life for less intensive tasks such as sending text messages. 
Although the device does not have a fan, people have reported that the noise is similar to when a laptop fan whirs, usually from overheating.
Marco Arment, an iOS developer, said: “It’s the phone equivalent of hearing the fans spin up loudly whenever your Mac’s CPU gets used to its actual potential.”
It is unclear whether the problem affects all iPhone 7 handsets or just a select few, but AppleCare’s response to Hackett suggests that it is a defect.

What to do if your new iPhone is making the noise

The company's customer support team advised Hackett to go an Apple Store and have the device replaced, despite a worldwide stock shortage of the new devices.
If your new iPhone 7 or 7 Plus is making a similar noise, the best thing to do is to take it to an Apple Store. 
This is not the first time new Apple iPhones have encountered issues. In 2014, shortly after the iPhone 6 Plus went on sale, it was found to bend easily in trouser pockets.
In 2010, the iPhone 4’s antenna was wrapped around the outside of the phone which meant that, when held in a certain position, signal would be completely cut off - a palaver dubbed Antennagate.

The iPhone 7 survived a seven-foot drop, key scratches, and fire

iPhone 7
People couldn’t wait to get their hands on the iPhone 7 just to scratch it, drop it, and attempt to bend it. Sounds like the perfect thing to do with a new phone! On the channelJerryRigEverything, the team tested the new iPhone for scratch and bend resistance. The back of the phone, the screen, the home button, and camera lens resisted scratches from both coins and keys. Great!
But the phone did scratch from a razor blade, even though Apple says its home button and camera are coated with sapphire crystal.

Sapphire is supposed to be resistant to scratches up to nine on the Mohs Scale, which is a hardness test that measures scratch resistance. Both the camera and home button scratched below that level. JerryRigEverything also found that the screen rebounded from fire being put to it and wouldn’t bend under pressure. Bending did unstick the water-resistant adhesive, though, so maybe don’t sit on your new phone.
Okay, so drop tests! TabTimes dropped the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus from over seven feet and they survived. There were a few scuffs and scratches, but the screens didn’t crack, even when dropped directly on their face. I guess this means you all can go take keys to your phones and drop it from above your heads with no fear. Get to it.

Review: The iPhone 7 makes a splash

iPhone 7
We spent a day with the iPhone 7

The newest iPhones probably won't wow you.

At least not until you accidentally drop one in a puddle and watch it effortlessly come back to life. But the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are the latest in a line of sturdy little upgrades that improve on the basics. For many iPhone owners, that's more than enough.
The question most people have about new, heavily hyped hardware is, should I upgrade? The answer has less to do with Apple's (AAPL, Tech30) new phone and more to do with your current situation.

Apple has made a host of mostly incremental changes to a reliably quality product. Practically every new iPhone is faster with (slightly) better battery life, takes better photos and includes some gimmicky new features that rarely change your life.
So before talking headphone jacks, let's look inward.
Related: The iPhone 7 hits stores -- but some models are already sold out
iPhone 7 water resistant
To stay minimally current, you'll probably want an iPhone 5 or later so you can run iOS 10 and receive some revamped text messages with stickers, GIFs and doodles. If your phone feels sluggish and apps are slow to launch, jumping ahead will feel refreshing.
Are you at particular risk for water damage? Perhaps you live with a child or work on a boat or at a waterpark. If it makes financial sense to sell your old phone and put that money toward an iPhone 7, then go for it.
Say cheese
Focusing on improving the camera is always one of Apple's biggest priorities.
The smaller iPhone 7 has upgraded its regular camera to a 12 megapixel camera. But the big change is on the larger model. There are now two 12 megapixel cameras on the back of the iPhone 7 Plus, and they work as a team to take better photos than previous single-lensed iPhones. One is a wide lens 28mm -- the camera we're used to on the iPhone -- and a new telephoto 56mm lens.
iPhone 7 camera
They're part of a bundle of camera upgrades that include better sensors and processors, as well as software tweaks. But the end results are better zoom, less noise in low-light shots and a wider range of colors. The telephoto lens has up to 2x optical zoom -- the vastly superior cousin to digital zoom -- without having a bulky lens sticking out. If you tap the 2x zoom button to switch to the 56mm lens, you can capture better portraits with less distortion.
In our tests, images do appear brighter and more saturated, which Apple says is part of the wider color capture. The results are more representative of what you see with your own eyes. An exciting detail photography fans will enjoy is that you can now capture RAW files on the phone using third-party apps like Lightroom.
Apple is keeping the details around how the dual cameras work purposefully fuzzy -- it doesn't want users worrying too much about the magic sauce. The cameras both fire off at once and photos apparently use some information from each to build a better final image. What exactly it uses and how it changes depends on the image.
Splish, splash
Earlier this year, I walked in on my toddler repeatedly dunking an iPhone 6S into a glass of water. The phone eventually dried out and came back to life, but the screen was never the same.
As promised, the iPhone 7 can survive water. To test it, I dunked it in the sink, a bowl and a Finding Dory kiddy pool. I let a hose run over it for a few minutes, too, and spilled (cold) coffee on top. I did not dunk it in the toilet -- a common fate for many phones tumbling out of pockets -- because that is gross.
iPhone 7 water
But Apple makes it clear the iPhone 7 is not waterproof, just water resistant. It should be able to survive a dip in up to a meter of water for as long as 30 minutes. This is not a blank check to take underwater selfies — the Apple warranty still won't cover water damage -- but it should prevent a number of early phone deaths and costly replacement phones.
Water resistance is the feature I've longed for the most. It's right up there with a significant improvement in battery life, but actually realistic. I'm giddy about this addition so much that it's almost worth overlooking the two sacrifices that made it possible.
Almost.
Jack-gate
People have been outraged over Apple's removal of the headphone jack ever since the new iPhones were announced last week. One reason it got the boot was to help with the waterproofing. Of course, it's also a move toward a more wireless future for Apple devices. Unfortunately, we're going to be stuck in a wired, dongled limbo for a bit.
The positive spin is that the iPhone 7 has better speakers, so if you really hate the new headphone set up you can just play your music out loud.
However, you'll need an adapter to use your old headphones. Apple includes a small dongle with the purchase of a new iPhone, as well as earbuds that connect to the device via a Lightning cable. The downside, however, is you can't listen to music on new Lightning headphones while charging without using another bulky adapter.
iPhone 7 dongle
Since I've only had the phone for a relatively short amount of time, it wasn't a problem. But eventually, I'll likely lose the Lightning headphones, and almost definitely misplace the tiny adapter. That's when the annoyance will begin.
Apple's real interest isn't just moving everyone to a new port. It wants users to switch to wireless headphones, like its own AirPods ($159) due out in October. Apple also owns one of the biggest wireless headphone companies in the world, Beats -- another incentive to get users aboard the wireless train.
Now that the headphone jack is gone, feel free to mourn its absence. But don't expect Apple to eventually bring back the port.
The Home button
There's a change to the Home button, too. Sure, it looks like it's still there -- a round dot below the screen -- but it doesn't actually move like a button should. It is an illusion, a fake, and it's strangely annoying.
Instead of letting out a satisfying click when you push, it vibrates to let you know it's been triggered. I'm sure I'll eventually get used to it.
iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
One reason Apple likely made the switch is to eliminate potential cracks where water could seep into the phone. There are even rumors the button could disappear completely in the next iPhone and just be part of the screen.
The verdict
The majority of iPhone owners upgrade every 2 to 3 years. Next year's smartphone is expected to be a bigger deal -- after all, it'll be the 10 year anniversary of the iPhone. If you can put up with your existing phone for a year and promise not to fall in the pool, it's worth waiting.
But the most jarring changes are likely to stay, and even more could be ahead. If you can accept all of these realities, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are solid upgrades in Apple's long line of product updates.

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