Thinking of picking up the iPhone 7 recently? Hold that thought! The iPhone 8 is almost here, and Apple's latest flagship is something well worth considering.
Complete with a brand new processor, the iPhone 8 will be a much better performer than the iPhone 7 - mark my words. Other than that mind you, there's not much more when it comes to differences I'm afraid. That, and you'll be expected to fork out at least £599 for one.
Not sold by the iPhone 8? Don't worry, I can't blame you. Apple seems to have paid its next iPhone iteration very little attention, with its efforts seemingly pumped into its pricey flagship - the iPhone X. Complete with an 18:9 screen aspect ratio and a dual camera setup on the rear, it's a cracking phone at a ludicrous price.
Do yourself a favour, save yourself a good chunk of money and pick up the iPhone 7 instead. Now that the iPhone 8 is official, Apple has dropped the price of the iPhone 7 to £549. A steal if you ask me.
Read on for my full iPhone 7 review, below.
Apple iPhone 7 review
The Apple iPhone is one of the most divisive smartphones the company has ever made. Normally, Apples is pretty conservative with its number-change launches, changing the chassis design but not introducing much in the way of new ideas. This model is different and in removing the headphone jack – a move Apple thinks isn't that much of a big deal – the company is taking a bit risk.
Still, if any company can take such a step, it's Apple. The iPhone has billions of loyal followers across the world and it would take something much bigger than this to unseat it as the planet's most popular smartphone. It's not even the first company to remove the 3.5mm headphone jack from one of its phones – that honour belongs to Motorola with the Moto Z
In reality, though, it's not that much of a big deal. Apple might be hawking its wireless AirPods and Lightning-powered EarPods headphones as superior alternatives, but the truth of the matter is that you can still use your old 3.5mm headphones so long as you don't mind using the bundled 3.5mm-to-Lightning adapter.
In reality, though, it's not that much of a big deal. Apple might be hawking its wireless AirPods and Lightning-powered EarPods headphones as superior alternatives, but the truth of the matter is that you can still use your old 3.5mm headphones so long as you don't mind using the bundled 3.5mm-to-Lightning adapter.
It's not exactly the most elegant solution for a company that's often prided itself on simplicity and ease of use, but at least it means you don't have to fork out even more money just to carry on listening to your favourite tunes. For the iPhone 7 is the first iPhone in ages to have received a significant price hike (thanks, Brexit), rising to £599 for the entry-level 32GB version from its usual spot at £539.
Still, at least it's no more than Google's newly-announced Pixel and Pixel XL phones, as these will also cost £599 and £719 respectively for the 32GB version (and £699 and a whopping £819 for the 128GB models, going toe to toe with Apple's new pricing structure). Google launched its new phones to great fanfare last night, so it will be interesting to see how the very best of Android compares to the best of iOS when they launch later this month.
Apple iPhone 7 review: Storage
In a way, it's a small price to pay for double the storage, as Apple has finally listened to reason and ditched the 16GB option. We've long complained about how 16GB just isn't enough space for a modern, flagship handset, so it's welcome to see 32GB as the new starting point.
The other storage options have doubled in size as well, and if you grab a 128GB or 256GB model you also get the option to buy the iPhone 7 in its extra shiny Jet Black finish – which, sadly, isn't available in 32GB. It's also perhaps a shame there's no 64GB option to provide some sort of middle ground, but overall this is definitely a step in the right direction
Apple iPhone 7 review: Design
The aforementioned Jet Black version, however, takes several strides backwards. It’s now more prone to picking up mucky fingerprints than its matte siblings, and it's also considerably more slippery to hold. I never felt confident holding our Jet Black review sample, and I was constantly afraid I was going to drop it.
Apple itself has warned customers that the Jet Black's polished finish is more likely to pick up scuffs and scratches than the plain Black, Silver, Gold and Rose Gold options, advising that you invest in a case to keep it in pristine condition. In my eyes, this rather defeats the point of buying one with a flashy back in the first place.
Apple iPhone 7 review: Home button
The newly redesigned home button also takes some getting used to. This time around, Apple's replaced the mechanical aspect of the iPhone 7's home button with a similar kind of capacitive Force Touch technology found in its MacBook and MacBook Pro products. Rather than pressing inwards with a standard click, the button now simply vibrates whenever you apply any pressure, giving you enough feedback to let you know you've pressed it properly without moving anything inside the phone.
This should hopefully make it less likely to break and fail after prolonged use, but given Apple's heavily reliance on using the home button to navigate its iOS operating system, I didn't find it quite as easy or as intuitive to use as its old click buttons. Putting the phone on a flat surface, you'll notice the buzz's effectiveness is reduced somewhat, too. It still works, but it's nowhere near as beefy.
It also doesn't work with gloves, which isn't particularly good news when the winter months are drawing in fast. We've tried a number of different gloves to test this out, and while some touchscreen gloves did work, the vast majority didn't, so be prepared to brave the cold when you're using your iPhone 7 this winter. It's even more vexing now that iOS 10 doesn't let you get to the PIN screen unless you press the home button, as swiping to the right and left only bring up the camera and search screens respectively.
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