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This is what Android users should know about the iPhone 7

Update: The iPhone 7 is official!
This is what Android users should know about the iPhone 7

Today marks one of the biggest dates in the mobile technology calendar: Apple presented the latest edition of its most important and profitable product, the iPhone 7, along with of course the larger iPhone 7 Plus and Apple Watch Series 2. This is not only an event for Apple fans, though. As Android's main competitor, the changes to the iPhone and iOS platform sheds light on Android's future, too.

iphone 7 camera
The iPhone 7 comes more rounded and an array of colors, including an all-new black. / © Apple (Twitter)

More storage

One of the biggest criticisms the iPhones have received in the past is that the base variant costs too much for only 16 GB of storage space. Without the possibility of expanding with external SD cards, this pill has been difficult to swallow. However, the iPhone 7's lowest-cost model will now house 32 GB of storage space. 

Very few flagships launched this year have had less than 32 GB of flash memory and, with one exception, the major Android manufacturers have included a slot for memory expansion via microSD. While microSD support doesn’t appear in the iPhone 7 , there is a 128 GB version and, for the first time, a 256 GB model, and the same goes for the iPhone 7 Plus as well. Also announced during the press release was the iPhone 6S Plus with 16GB and 64 GB of storage.

The iPhone 7 camera will set a new standard

The iPhone cameras are generally well-liked but high-end Android models have arguably surpassed the efforts of Apple. DxOMark, experts on all things smartphone photography, consider that the flagships of Samsung, HTC, Sony, Lenovo and LG produce better results than the iPhone 6s Plus, according to its ranking system.

The iPhone 7 comes with a 12 MP back-facking camera with 6 element lens,1.8 aperture and Optical Image Stabilizer. It also includes a 2 tone flash and quad-LED flash. The front-facing shooter is of 7 MP FaceTime HD camera.

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The iPhone 7 Plus comes with a dual-lens setup, but Huawei already beat them to the punch with the P9./ © NextPit/ Apple

Perhaps most interesting for Android users is the choice of a dual-lens setup for the iPhone 7 Plus, both of 12 MP, though one is a wide angle and the other a telephoto of 56cm. The purpose of this is for better zoom (Apple states a 10X software zoom). The dual-lens also bring a shallow depth of field feature where the objects in the front are in focus, while the background is blurred. Again, Samsung came out with this many years ago, though it would be interesting to compare which camera software feature of either brand does it best.

This is a trend pushed by Huawei this year which could easily influence Android's 2017 lineup. Apple is launching the side-by-side lenses on the bigger model, while the iPhone 7 will only have a single camera lens. Android smartphones with this feature already on board are of course the recently released LG G5 and Huawei P9.

The 3.5 mm minijack has disappeared

Apple has dropped the 3.5 mm minijack on the iPhone 7 and, as it seems, will do this on every future iPhone. But Apple isn’t the first manufacturer to try this. Instead, what they are including on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus is the 900M Lightening connector to connect Apple's EarPods.  Apple will include a headphone dongle in the box. But mainly, they are moving towards wireless earbuds called AirPods, which include sensors to detect when they are in your ears and play only then, and they connect to Siri with a double tap. Lasting up to 5 hours, and the case can charge them for up to 24 hours of battery life. These are however nothing new in the world of Android where Bluetooth earplugs have been around for a while.

Lenovo AndroidPIT moto z 4
The Moto Z was the first phone to get rid of the 3.5 mm minijack. / © NextPit

Water resistance is no longer exclusive to Android

What potential buyers should look forward to is of course the fact that the iPhone 7 is now waterproof (IP67 certification), meaning the smartphone can get wet without worry of damage (though to which level is not yet defined).

Water resistance is nothing new in the Android universe. For more than three years, brands like Samsung or Sony have released phones to meet this waterproof, dust-proof standard. In 2016, it becomes Apple’s turn to incorporate this feature into their smartphone.

Android fans may roll their eyes, now that Apple has finally taken this step, other OEM's will likely try and raise the bar on their next flagships (perhaps Samsung will attempt to do some fireproofing by time its next Note arrives).

iPhone 7 performance:  a new A10 Fusion chip

Apple announced that their new devices will come with a new 64-Bit quad-core processor, a new chip faster than that of the one found in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. We weren't sure they would make an improvements in this area, but if they want to compete with Android-run phones recently released, they need to keep their game up.

Stereo speakers on an iPhone

Stereo speakers aren't usually a priority on flagship phones, but this year the iPhone 7 has arrived with them as well, of course years behind the likes of HTC, who implemented BoomSound Technology on their HTC One 7.

apple iphone 7 disponibilidade
 The new iPhones still won't fit every budget. / © Apple (Twitter)

Price and availability

Apple's new devices will be available on September 16th. In terms of price, the iPhone 7 starts at $649 in silver, gold, rose gold and jet black. The iPhone 6S Plus and the iPhone 7 can be paid of in installments of $27 per month, while the iPhone 7 Plus for $32 per month.

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus might be paving the way for more significant changes to come from an entirely new iPhone next year, where we have heard a rumor that the iPhone 8 might remove the home/start button of the device.

What do you think of Apple’s new flagship phones?

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  • Jeff MacLean Sep 11, 2016 Link to comment

    Seems like this new phone will force more people to buy more stuff like adapters and headphones. It should help Apple make more money, but there isn't too much on the way of real innovation.


  • Syed Sep 9, 2016 Link to comment

    Iphone 6s copied from Lumia 920 design and now iphone 7 copied from meizu pro 6....this is called innovation from Apple very funny


    • Jess G Jan 5, 2017 Link to comment

      Um...I am not an Apple fanboy or an Apple user, of ANY device. However, this comment is VERY backwards. First of all, the Lumia 920 looks NOTHING like ANY iPhone that has been created. Secondly, the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and their "s" counterparts were created in 2014 and 2015 respectively. The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 plus has the same design as the iPhone 6-(s) and iPhone 6-(s) plus models...only changes were the removal of the 3.5 mm headphone jack and the changes in cameras. So, the Meizu pro 6, which came about in 2016, would have taken the design esthetics from the iPhone, not the other way around. Also going as far to integrate "Force Touch" into their phone: Taking that idea from iOS which introduced it a year earlier on the iPhone 6s models. Finally if you do a little reading you will find articles that call it a Chinese clone of the iPhone...not the other way around. I do agree though that iPhones are boring; but the two references that you gave were inaccurate.


  • Alex Moroni Sep 9, 2016 Link to comment

    boring as hell


  • Anderson Smith Sep 9, 2016 Link to comment

    hi, am Anderson, i had my friend help me hack my ex's email, facebook, whatsapp,and his phone cause i suspected he was cheating. all he asked for was a his phone number. he's email is ([email protected])..IF u need help tell him Anderson referred you to him and he'll help. Am sure his going to help you do it, good luck


  • Alec B. Sep 9, 2016 Link to comment

    ..... the ear sticks look like broken tooth brush handles !! ...ridiculous !! ... nobody with taste would ever wear them ...even if they can find them for their next listening next session...again ridiculous !!!
    My 4 year old Bluetooth beanie is great on cold days but nobody see's it has ear ports ... tooth brush handles !! PFFFFFFFF !
    ..typical stupid Apple !.
    Large capacity extra SD card storage + Earphone jack + 2 x Sim cards + Bluetooth my essential mobile must haves .... tooth brush handles + no E/jack ... NNNNOOOOOOOO WAYYYYYYYYYY !!!


  • Charles Mykid Sep 8, 2016 Link to comment

    still no wireless charging


  • Terry C Martin Sep 8, 2016 Link to comment

    Won't sway me from Android.


  • Bill Whitfield Sep 8, 2016 Link to comment

    I can't wait!!!
    When someone gets those double tap earbuds I hope Im there to double tap them for them.... With a baseball bat 😁


  • Nico Acosta Sep 8, 2016 Link to comment

    Moto Z wasn't the first phone to get rid of headphone jack, the HTC G1 had no headphone jack


    • Ihsan Ullah Aasim Sep 11, 2016 Link to comment

      maybe oppo R1 was the first one to remove the headphone jack back in 2014


  • PLAYER SLAYER Sep 7, 2016 Link to comment

    I've been ripping on the iPhones for a while, but I've been impressed that they launched it cheaper than the S7, but the S7 is almost definitely a better buy.


  • Madars G Sep 7, 2016 Link to comment

    no headphone jack - this is the only reason why iphone 7 sucks.


  • Vinicius. G. Romero Sep 7, 2016 Link to comment

    So first of all... 256GB internal storage? Damn. I'm actually impressed! Very rare for me to give Apple any form of praise. Kudos.

    Secondly, stereo speakers? That's awesome. I wish more Android phones went this way too, like I have with my Moto X Style.

    EDIT: lol, never mind... their stereo speakers isn't even on the front of the phone. Savage.


  • ljhaye Sep 7, 2016 Link to comment

    Now we know what to expect in Samsung's next Galaxy S8...


    • itprolonden Sep 8, 2016 Link to comment

      What? Everything Apple did was on Android first.


    • Iuri soares Sep 12, 2016 Link to comment

      Yes ip68 wireless charge fast charge sd card 2k screen dual pixel tecnologie edge on screen lol iphone is good but sumsung is better just one big difference os.maybe iphone 8 will have this things and I like apple I got one I pad but s7 got a better finish more premium.

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