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Tech Specs

iPhone 7

Daniel Knight - 2016.09.07

The big stuff first: The iPhone 7 is waterproof, no longer comes with a built-in headphone jack, and adds Jet Black to its color lineup. It’s the same size as the iPhone 6 and 6S, and there is no longer a 16 GB model – choices are 32 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB, but Jet Black is only available for the higher capacity models.

On the tech front, the iPhone 7 is powered by the new Apple A10 processor.With all that power, Apple promises “up to” 2 hours more battery life when accessing the Internet than the iPhone 6S.

The iPhone’s rear camera has an f/1.8 lens, up from f/2.2 on recent iPhones, which transmits about 70% more light. Apple now uses four LEDs for its True Tone flash.

The only iPhone 7 spec that is a step backward from the iPhone 6S is audio playback, now rated at 40 hours instead of 50. That’s because the new EarPods connect via Lightning, not a traditional headphone jack. (EarPods with Lightning Connector retail for $29 and are compatible with all iOS devices with a Lightning port.

Finishes include gold, rose gold, silver, space gray, and jet black.

 

Apple has upgraded front and rear cameras. The iSight camera jumps from 8 MP (megapixels) to 12 MP, and it can record 4k video at 30 fps. Apple is adding a new feature, Live Photos, that will show a few seconds surrounding the photo itself. It can even take 12 MP stills while you are filming 4k video!

The front FaceTime HD camera is now 7 MP, a small step forward from 5 MP in the previous generation iPhone, and it can shoot 720p HD video. Instead using True Tone flash with the FaceTime camera, the iPhone 7 uses the phone’s screen as a flash/light source.

Apple claims the CPU in the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus is up to 70% more powerful than the one in the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus – and the graphics 90% faster. Although Apple has not yet released specs, based on Geekbench results, the A9 appears to be a dual-core CPU running at 1.85 GHz with 2 GB of system memory – twice the memory of the iPhone 6.

Combine that with a new storage system that’s easily twice as fast, and you have the most powerful iOS device to date. It will be superseded by the iPad Pro in November. Between a 32% faster clock speed, twice the memory, faster access to storage, and architectural improvements compared to the A8, the iPhone 6S benchmarks 53% higher than the iPhone 6 and 37% ahead of the previous record-holding iPad Air 2 in single-core testing. With its triple-core processor, the iPad Air 2 still has a small edge – about 4.5% – over the iPhone 6S.

For those keeping score, the only current Android device with a higher multi-core Geekbench score is the 8-core 1.5 GHz Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. In single-core tests, nothing can hold a candle to the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, the nearest competitor being the 2.5 GHz dual-core HTC Nexus 9 – which the A9 beats by over 30%.

This is the first iPhone to use Bluetooth 4.2.

The iPhone 6S supports even more bands of LTE than previous models, and it can connect to 802.11ac networks for the fastest WiFi in an iPhone to date.

As with the iPhone 6, there is no 32 GB model. Instead, it jumps from the entry-level 16 GB model to 64 GB for an additional $100 in price. It is also has a 128 GB option.

Apple has dropped support for OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, all versions of Windows prior to 7, and iTunes 11. It now requires OS X 10.7.5 Lion or newer, Windows 7 or newer, and iTunes 12.3 or newer.

Hardware Overview

Models

  • Announced: 2016.09.07, preorder 2016.09.09, purchase 2016.09.25 at $199 (32 GB), $299 (128 GB), and $399 (256 GB) with a two-year wireless contract. ($649, $749, and $849 respectively without contract.)
  • Included accessories: earbuds, lightning cable
  • Code names:
  • Identifier: iPhone8,1
  • Model numbers: A1660, A1661, A1778, A1784 (the last two do not support CDMA networks, such a Verizon and Sprint)
  • Product numbers

Technology

  • CPU: 1.85 GHz 64-bit dual-core Apple A10
  • RAM: 2 GB
  • Architecture: 64-bit
  • Graphics engine: 3-core PowerVR SX6450
  • Display: 4.7″ 750 x 1334 pixel 24-bit multitouch screen at 326 ppi
  • Cameras
    • rear: 12.0 MP autofocus with 4-LED True Tone LED flash, 4k video
    • front: 5.0 MP FaceTime HD camera includes 720p video
  • Sensors: proximity, ambient light, 3-axis gyroscope, accelerometer, assisted GPS, compass, Nike+iPod

Performance

  • Geekbench, single core: 2488
  • Geekbench, multicore: 4331

Connectivity

  • I/O port: Lightning
  • WiFi: 802.11b/g/n/ac with MIMO
  • Bluetooth: 4.2
  • Networks:
    • A1633/1634 GSM: UMTS/HSDPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz), GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30), TD-LTE (Bands 38, 39, 40, 41), TD-SCDMA 1900 (F), 2000 (A)
    • A1688/1687 CDMA: CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and B (800, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz), UMTS/HSDPA+/CD-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz), GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29), TD-LTE (Bands 38, 39, 40, 41), TD-SCDMA 1900 (F), 2000 (A)
  • Data:
  • GPS:

Power

  • Battery: 1715 mAh lithium ion
  • Charge time:
  • Battery life:
    • Talk: up to 14 hours on 3G
    • Standby: up to 240 hours
    • Internet: up to 12 hours on 3G or LTE, 14 hours on WiFi
    • Video: up to 13 hours
    • Audio: up to 40 hours of wireless playback

Compatibility

  • Original OS: iOS 10
  • Maximum OS: current
  • iTunes Versions: iTunes 12.5 and later.
  • Mac OS Required: OS X 10.9 or later
  • Windows Versions Supported: Windows 7 or later

Dimensions and Weight

  • Dimensions: 5.44″ x 2.64″ x 0.28″ (138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1 mm)
  • Weight: 4.87 oz. (143 g)

Further Reading

Keywords: #iphone7

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