- [Michael] Real talk.
The new iPhone is kinda tough for me to get excited about.
From a distance, it's the same gently rounded slab,
its screen full of the same gently rounded apps.
To see what makes Apple's newest phones stand out,
you need to get closer.
I'm Michael Fisher, and I spend about a half a day
with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
These are my notes from the honeymoon phase.
(exciting electronic music)
So holding an iPhone 7 is a lot like
holding an iPhone 6s, or 6.
I kinda said that in the intro,
but it bears repeating because it's the first time
Apple has ever gone three years with the same basic design.
Fortunately the ugly antenna inlays have been minimized
on the latest generation, and they're all but invisible
on the new glossy, jet black version.
Which, yes, holds onto fingerprints just like you'd expect.
And as much as Apple geeked out
about how this finish was applied,
it feels, well, kinda like any other high end phone
with a glossy coating.
I much prefer the matte black option,
which is more slippery but less prone to scratching,
and I think better looking.
Of course, you've got other color options too,
though be advised that the antenna lines
will be more prominent on those.
As you probably know, there's no headphone jack
on either version of the iPhone 7,
which gives you a great excuse to buy some
of those Bluetooth headphones I reviewed recently.
Or, you know, just deal with the inbox earbuds,
that now plug directly into the lightning port.
There's also an adapter included in the box if you need it.
Ditching the headphone jack made room inside the casing
for an expanded Taptic Engine,
that little linear motor assembly
that makes iPhone vibrations different
from other phones' vibrations.
That sounds like a little thing,
but it's critical to a central aspect
of the iPhone 7: the new home button,
which isn't a button at all, it's a touch pad
that feels like it clicks when you press on it.
But actually, that's the Taptic Engine at work,
producing the illusion of mechanical action.
If you've used a newer MacBook,
you're already familiar with this.
It's how the trackpad clicks work.
It's a cool sensation, and you can actually choose
how intense you want the click to be, which is trippy.
But it does take some getting used to,
because it's capacative.
You can't press it with, say, a fingernail,
and gloves or water will give it trouble too.
And speaking of water, there's good news there.
This is the first iPhone to earn an IP six seven rating.
And like they say, better late than never.
Water and dust resistance is one of those things
that should be standard on every smartphone
if you ask me, and it's nice to see Apple
join the swelling ranks of manufacturers who include it.
The other most visible improvement is in the cameras.
And apart from size, it's also where the 7 and 7 Plus
differ the most.
The 7 sticks with the 12 megapixel resolution
from last year, but adds a ton of improvements.
The 7 Plus mirrors all of that, and adds a second camera
specifically for longer shots, so you don't need
to rely so heavily on terrible digital zoom.
Lots of manufacturers these days are doing
a two-camera setup on their smartphones,
but this is a really smart implementation of that design.
People are always zooming, so it makes sense
to make zoom better, right?
As for camera performance itself,
well, I was in a rush to grab my samples,
and I didn't always snap the sweetest shots.
But what I see, I like.
The iPhone 7 seems poised to improve
on what was an already excellent camera in the 6 series.
Are the newest iPhones the most exciting
mobiles to hit the scene?
Well, no.
Even adding in the new A10 chipset
and the new IOS 10 interface, this is still
very much an iPhone, which is to say
a conservative evolution of the familiar.
That said, what Apple's doing is paying off.
Like always, the new iPhone is breaking
pre-order records all over the place.
If you're an iPhone user, or you're thinking
of becoming one, there's plenty about the 7 series
to make you sit up and take notice.
Whether the new iPhone delivers enough
to justify its perpetually high price point,
and newly handicapped port selection,
well, I'll tell you that in the full review,
coming soon.
Stay tuned to Mr. Mobile for that,
and the Apple Watch Series 2 review,
and hey, let me know if you want me to check out
those funky new air pods as well.
Until next time, thanks for watching.
And stay mobile, my friends.
(electronic music)