By Erik Hopkins, Reporter.
With the release of any Apple product there is bound to be speculation, and lots of it. What the product does and does not have, how it’s different from the last model and, most importantly, why would I want to buy it?
Rumors about the new iPhone model have included features such as larger batteries, better storage options, upgraded cameras, the lack of a headphone port and even a water-resistant design.
On Sep. 7 in San Francisco, Apple unveiled its newest handset, the iPhone 7,
confirming most of the rumors that we’ve been hearing for the past few months.
Prices for the iPhone 7 starts at $649 for 32GB’s of storage while the iPhone 7 Plus starts at $769.
Prices only go up depending on storage sizes, and they’ve changed. 32GB is the lowest amount of storage you can buy, followed by 128GB and 256GB.
Color designs come in Apple’s four standard colors, black (matte and glossy), gold, rose gold and silver.
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus also come with a few new design features. The new model will be water and dust resistant, meaning they can handle those accidental toilet dives.
Next-gen models will feature a home button that works more like the Mac trackpads. The feel of clicking will be there, but no clicking actually takes place.
The phone’s camera has also undergone quite a bit of change. The iPhone 7 will have a 7-megapixel front camera, whereas the 6s had a 5-megapixel. The back camera will allow 3x longer exposure, quad-LED flash with 50 percent light output and a sensor that works 60 percent faster than the old model.
The 7 Plus comes with a dual camera on the back, both 12-megapixels. One camera will handle 1x zoom and wide angles and the other takes on telephotos and 2x zoom. You’ll be able to automatically tap on the screen to zoom and focus.
New iPhones will now come with stereo speakers with the 3.5mm headphone jack removed. Earbuds will now connect via a “lightning port”, with compatible AirPods being included in the purchase. An adapter will also be available to plug into your charging port if you’d rather use your old headphones.
Upcoming models will also have the best battery life of any past iPhone model. With full charges, you’ll be able to get up to 14 hours of use, which is two more hours compared to the iPhone 6s’s 12. With the 7 Plus, it’ll be able to handle 15 hours of mixed usage in comparison to the 6s Plus which held 14.
Apple Pay will now support NFC technology. By linking your cards and other sensitive-data payment to your Wallet app, you’ll be able to use your phone to check out in stores. Apple Pay is working toward normalizing mobile payments.
Store availability begins on Friday, Sept. 16.
