If you're going to buy a new phone, iPhone 7 is the one to get.
It has fast innards, slightly longer battery life, protection against water, and better camera. However, considering that many of the changes are slight, iPhone 6S suddenly becomes a very attractive option for the lower price.
If Apple launched the iPhone 7 instead of the iPhone 6S last year, it would probably have been the phone of the year.
People are used to the S versions of the iPhone with minimal upgrades, just enough changes to encourage a purchase by those with ageing phones. If the changes on this new iPhone had arrived in 2015, it would have been fantastic.
Instead of iPhone 6S, with just a 3D Touch Screen in the way of new features and a few power boosts here and there, we'd have had a waterproof handset with dual speakers, a brighter and more colourful screen and a boosted camera that took better pictures with iPhone 7.
The new iPhone arrives with a new 12-megapixel sensor that sports an aperture of f/1.8 and a new six-element lens. Apple has added optical image stabilization to the new device, along with a Quad-LED True Tone flash, body detection and wide colour capture.
The front camera has also upped its resolution to 7-megapixels, while also offering body detection, wide colour capture and auto image stabilisation. The Retina Flash is onboard and the front-facing camera will record in 1080p, while the rear is capable of 4K.
iPhone 6S features a 12-megapixel rear camera, coupled with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, both offering an f/2.2 aperture. It was this model Apple first introduced a Retina Flash to the front, along with a feature called Live Photos sp it isn't surprising to see them on the iPhone 7. It is also capable of 4K video recording.
Changing the home button from a clickable entity to something that responds to pressure - and the loss of the headphone jack - have been seen as innovative and alternative in a sea of identikit handsets.
The iPhone 7 measures 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1mm and hits the scales at 138g. That means it is the same size as the iPhone 6S but lighter, with the older device measuring 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1mm and weighing 143g.
Conclusion
As with all great smartphones, the iPhone 7 improves on its antecedents in several areas.
Although it looks similar, the iPhone 7 removes the headphone jack and antenna bands for a more smooth design, while it also adds waterproofing to the mix. Hardware also sees an improvement and there have been enhancements in battery and the camera departments too.
The change in the iPhone 7 isn't as dramatic as it was when the iPhone 6 launched a couple of years ago, but there are some good additions to the new device that will see a few wanting to upgrade, especially those with the iPhone 6.
Either way, the iPhone 7 is another very good, but not great, handset from Apple.
